One reason racism persists is that many people imagine they would respond strongly to a racist act but actually respond with indifference, a new study shows. The study, being published just days before the inauguration of America's first black president, found that people overestimate how strongly they would react to racist comments.

That pesky buzz of a nearby mosquito is the sound of love, scientists have known for some time. But a new study reports that males and females flap their wings and change their tune to create a harmonic duet just before mating.

Oxytocin, a hormone involved in child-birth and breast-feeding, helps people recognize familiar faces, according to new research in the Journal of Neuroscience. Study participants who had one dose of an oxytocin nasal spray showed improved recognition memory for faces, but not for inanimate objects.

The enzyme machine that translates a cell's DNA code into the proteins of life is nothing if not an editorial perfectionist.

Patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious adverse events, according to a new study.

The study of ancient microbes may not seem consequential, but such pioneering research has implications for the state of modern human health. New results raise questions about the microbes living on and within people.