Our planet's core powers a magnetic field that shields us from a hostile cosmos. But how does it really work? 

Once dismissed as a psychological curiosity, the placebo effect is now recognized as the key to the brain's "inner pharmacy." If only doctors knew how to open the medicine cabinet.

New, immersive environments are allowing researchers to visualize and study everything from brains to hurricanes with unprecedented detail and scale.

Marine biologist Tom Iliffe is on a quest to understand the halocline, a layer of water that may hold the secrets to Earth's earliest life.

An explosion of newly discovered planets outside our solar system sparks debate over dense scientific monikers vs. traditional names.

Neural signals zip through our brains. Cells produce proteins faster than a blink. We are creatures of varying velocities. 

Why the body's natural protective response to injury, infection and stress may have unexpected emotional consequences.

A fainting spell uncovers a lurking heart symptom — with a bizarre behavioral twist.

The brains of bad singers may be to blame for their inability to hit the right pitch.

Brain researcher Elizabeth Phelps wants to understand why you think your memory's better than it actually is.

Will tourism make or break the traditional cultivation system that has made Bali famous?

As experiments in relocating particles advance, will we be able to say, "Beam me up, Scotty" one day soon?