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Health and wellness
2 min read
Far from being a simple inert scaffold, the human skeleton functions as a sophisticated metabolic organ that communicates chemically with the brain and muscles.
Health and wellness
2 min read
Cellular physiology shows that muscle fibers retain the nuclei gained during exercise, allowing lost mass to be regained in record time.
Biology
2 min read
How this relative of the goldfish avoids suffocation in frozen lakes by turning lactic acid into ethanol.
Biology
2 min read
These invertebrates rebuild an entire organism from a tiny fragment and retain learned behaviors after regenerating their brain.
Biology
2 min read
During its winter hibernation, this rodent lowers its body temperature down to -2.9 °C through an astonishing process of biological supercooling.
Biology
2 min read
The bile pigment biliverdin dyes their muscles, bones, and tongue, turning a lethal waste product into an unusual cellular shield.
Biology
2 min read
How this bird strikes wood at 1,200 times the force of gravity without suffering any brain damage.
Biology
2 min read
A tiny inhabitant of Pacific tides that does not synthesize its own toxin, but instead relies for its lethal defense on symbiotic bacteria in its salivary glands.
Animals
2 min read
The absolute record for non-stop migratory flight requires doubling body fat and cannibalizing its own viscera to shed weight.
Health and wellness
2 min read
For decades, endorphins were credited for post-workout bliss, but neuroscience discovered that the brain produces its own cannabinoid to dispel pain and anxiety.
Nature
2 min read
Facing scarcity caused by El Niño, this reptile reabsorbs its skeleton to reduce its body length by up to 20% and then rebuilds it.
Animals
2 min read
Far from delivering blind shocks, this fish emits calibrated pulses that force victims to reveal their hiding spots and takes control of their neurons.