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-- For over 6,000 years, humans have used chili peppers to add a spicy kick to their meals [1]. Not only does chili spice add heat and flavor, it keeps food from spoiling. We’ve all seen mold growing in wet, humid places like bathrooms, and in hot and…

-- In the second presidential debate, Mitt Romney lamented the fact that all the applicants for his gubernatorial cabinet were men. “Gosh, can’t we find some women that are also qualified?” he asked, requesting what he described as “binders full of…

-- A search for “DNA repair” in Amazon’s “beauty” category results in 71 hits that range in price from $15-$700, all claiming to prevent DNA damage or even to repair your DNA. Both scientists and the beauty industry know that as we grow older, our cells…

-- Every organ in our bodies performs a specialized role. So what happens when one of these organs fails or is damaged? Some animals can re-grow or replace lost tissue – newts can regenerate entire lost limbs – but unfortunately human organ regeneration…

-- One out of every ten women in the United States between the ages of 15 and 44 faces reproductive challenges, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [1]. These challenges have a number of causes, including ovulation disorders and…

-- Are you the oldest sibling? Take note – there may be a reason why your mother prefers your younger siblings to you... at least in one sense. Chances are, your mother’s later pregnancies were easier than her first one. This is supported by new research…

-- Most of us have probably received vaccines and antibiotics at some point in our lives, and while they may have seemed to work like magic at the time, medical professionals’ precise understanding of the drugs’ mechanisms of action enables their use as…

-- Of the trillions of cells that compose our body, from neurons that relay signals throughout the brain to immune cells that help defend our bodies from constant external assault, almost every one contains the same 3 billion DNA base pairs that make up…

-- A 2011 study in the United States reported that 49% of pregnancies were unintended in 2006 []. Across the globe, this type of trend has contributed directly to maternal mortality, as well as the ethical, social, and financial costs associated with…

-- Try the training regimen of an Olympic athlete for a few days and two things will likely happen: you will be physically unable to complete the tasks and it will hurt, a lot. That’s because, as you overexert your muscles, they will tell your brain that…