The Science of Us
Why do we have fingerprints? A mystery science hasn't solved
Why do we have fingerprints? They form in the womb as skin buckles into ridges, unique to you. What they are actually for is still a genuine scientific debate.
The Science of Us
Brains, bodies, perception, and everyday physics.
The Science of Us
Why do we yawn (and why is it contagious)?
Why do we yawn, and why is it catching? It's not about oxygen, that's a myth. The leading ideas are brain cooling and shifting alertness, still unsettled.
The Science of Us
Why do we have belly buttons? The scar from your first lifeline
Why do we have belly buttons? Your navel is the scar left where the umbilical cord once fed you. Whether it is an innie or an outie is not the doctor's doing.
The Science of Us
Do twins have the same DNA? Not quite, and 5.2 is why
Do twins have the same DNA? Identical twins come close but never quite match. They differ by about 5.2 early mutations, and a lab can now tell them apart.
The Science of Us
Why does it rain? The journey of a single drop
Why does it rain? Water evaporates, rises, and cools into droplets around specks of dust, then they collide and grow until heavy enough to fall.
The Science of Us
Why do onions make you cry? A tiny acid attack on your eyes
Why do onions make you cry? Cutting one triggers a two-enzyme reaction releasing a gas that turns to mild sulfuric acid on your eyes. Plus the fix.
The Science of Us
Why Does Your Voice Sound Different on a Recording? You're Missing Your Skull
Why does your voice sound different on a recording? You hear it through your skull bones, which add deep tones. A recording catches only the air-borne version.
The Science of Us
Do identical twins have the same fingerprints? No, and here's why
Do identical twins have the same fingerprints? No. They share every gene but not the womb's fine print, so even a fingerprint scanner can tell them apart.
The Science of Us
Why does coffee make you poop? It isn't the caffeine
Why does coffee make you poop? Within minutes it triggers gut hormones and a colon reflex. And decaf does it too, so it isn't just the caffeine.
The Science of Us
Why do songs get stuck in your head?
Why do songs get stuck in your head? The science of earworms: the song features that trigger them, why they loop, and research-backed ways to make them stop.
The Science of Us
Cute aggression: why you want to squeeze the puppy
Cute aggression is the urge to squeeze or playfully bite adorable things. A Yale team named it in 2013; 2018 brain scans found the cause. Here's the science.
The Science of Us
Why Do You See Faces in Things? The Brain Trick That Never Turns Off
Why do we see faces in things like outlets and car grilles? It's your brain's face detector running hot, and the science goes deeper than you'd think.
The Science of Us
Why Can't You Tickle Yourself? Your Brain Is One Step Ahead
Why can't you tickle yourself? Your cerebellum predicts your own touch and cancels the sensation before it registers. Here's the weird science behind it.
The Science of Us
What Causes Déjà Vu? The Science Behind That Eerie Feeling
What causes déjà vu, that sense you've lived this moment before? Leading brain science points to a memory 'misfire.' Here's the most likely explanation.
The Science of Us
Why Do We Dream? What Science Actually Knows
Why do we dream? Science has several leading theories, from memory sorting to emotional processing to threat rehearsal. Here's what we really know about dreams.
The Science of Us
Why Is the Sky Blue? (And Why It Turns Red at Sunset)
Why is the sky blue? The real answer is a story about sunlight, tiny air molecules, and a trick of physics called Rayleigh scattering, explained simply.