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Flamingos depend on plant-derived chemical compounds to color their feathers, legs and beaks.

For Some Species, You Really Are What You Eat

Flamingos, shrimp and many other animals use chemical compounds found in their diets to color their exteriors

Hikers ascend through the smog of Los Angeles, one of six cities where researchers studied the effects of air pollution on the heart.

Heart Attacks May Be Linked to Air Pollution

Research in six U.S. cities shows a connection between prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter in the air and a faster hardening of the arteries

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Which Primate Is the Most Likely Source of the Next Pandemic?

To help anticipate the next outbreak of an emerging infectious disease, scientists scrutinize our closest relatives in the animal kingdom

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Fathers Recognize Their Babies’ Cries Just as Well as Mothers

A new study shows that fathers and mothers are equally capable at knowing their infant’s unique cry—if both contribute to parenting equally

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Five Surprising Facts About the Common Cold

How far do germs travel after a sneeze? Can you really catch a cold if it’s chilly outside? And does vitamin C actually help battle cold symptoms?

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Merely a Taste of Beer Can Trigger a Rush of Chemical Pleasure in the Brain

New research shows just a sip can cause the potent neurotransmitter dopamine to flood the brain

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Why Humidity Makes Your Hair Curl

Humid air causes hydrogen bonds to form between water molecules and the proteins in your hair, triggering curls and frizz

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Revealed: The Part of Our Brains That Makes Us Like New Music

Imaging technology shows that a reward center known as the nucleus accumbens lights up when we hear melodies we love

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Researchers Turn Brains Transparent By Sucking Out the Fat

By turning brains clear and applying colored dyes, connections between neuron networks can now be examined in 3D at unprecedented levels of detail

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Video: Researchers Produce Human Tissue-Like Material Using 3D Printing

Using droplets coated in oil as “ink,” a 3D printer can construct a network of synthetic cells that mimics brain and fat tissue

A learning algorithm, coupled with MRI readings, was able to predict the images seen by dreamers with a 60 percent accuracy.

Scientists Figure Out What You See While You’re Dreaming

A learning algorithm, coupled with brain scans, was able to predict the images seen by dreamers with a 60 percent accuracy

The first-ever sequencing of the produce microbiome reveals that grapes, peaches and sprouts host the largest diversity of harmless bacteria.

A Survey of the 161 Bacterial Families That Live on Your Fruits and Veggies

The first-ever sequencing of the “produce microbiome” reveals that grapes, peaches and sprouts host the largest diversity of harmless bacteria

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Warning: Living Alone May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Being socially isolated increases your chance of death—but not because you’re feeling depressed over being lonely

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Prehistoric Human Skull Shows Signs of Inbreeding

A 100,000-year-old skull has a hole that reflects genetic mutations from inbreeding—likely a common behavior for our ancestors

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Science Shows Why You’re Smarter Than a Neanderthal

Neanderthal brains had more capacity devoted to vision and body control, with less left over for social interactions and complex cognition

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What Does the Unbelievably Bad Air Quality in Beijing Do to the Human Body?

The level of soot in Beijing’s air is off the charts, leading to higher risks of lung cancer, heart attacks and other health problems

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Video: This Stretchable Battery Could Power the Next Generation of Wearable Gadgets

Durable and rechargeable, the new battery can be stretched to 300 percent of its size and still provide power

High temperatures and high levels of humidity reduce the human body’s ability to do work.

Climate Change is Reducing Our Ability to Get Work Done

Increased temperature and humidity have already limited humankind’s overall capacity for physical work—and it will only get worse in the future

The human heart

Growing New Hearts Without Using Embryonic Stem Cells

A different type of stem cell—one used in asexual reproduction—can create new heart muscle tissue without raising ethical questions, new studies show

One of the Cornell team’s prosthetic ears, created from living cartilage cells.

An Artificial Ear Built By a 3D Printer and Living Cartilage Cells

Cornell scientists used computerized scanning, 3D printers and cartilage from cows to create living prosthetic ears

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