Explore the structures and processes of the human body, from cells and tissues to the interacting systems that sustain life.
Fingers and toes wrinkle after prolonged water exposure because the autonomic nervous system signals blood vessels beneath their hairless skin to constrict. The reduced tissue volume pulls the overlying surface into ridges and valleys.…
Oct 14, 2026 • 3 min readRead the discovery →New stories, explanations and research from Human Biology.
Delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, commonly begins hours after unfamiliar or unusually intense exercise and peaks roughly one to three days later. Lengthening contractions…
Oct 6, 2026 • 4 min read
Goosebumps occur when sympathetic nerves trigger tiny arrector pili muscles attached to hair follicles. The contraction raises each hair and dimples the surrounding skin.…
Oct 6, 2026 • 3 min read
Sneezing is a protective respiratory reflex. Irritation in the nose activates sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve, brainstem circuits organize a deep breath and…
Oct 6, 2026 • 3 min read
Blushing is involuntary reddening and warming of the face, ears, neck or chest caused by increased blood flow near the skin. Embarrassment, unwanted attention,…
Oct 5, 2026 • 3 min read
Sunscreen uses ultraviolet filters to absorb most incoming UV energy before it reaches vulnerable skin cells; mineral filters also scatter and reflect a smaller…
Oct 4, 2026 • 3 min read
Scientists do not yet have one universally accepted explanation for yawning. A yawn is a coordinated reflex involving a deep inhalation, wide jaw opening,…
Oct 1, 2026 • 4 min read
Taste buds maintain their sensory role while individual cells are replaced. Studies trace the progenitor cells and molecular connections that make this continuing renewal…
Sep 29, 2026 • 3 min read
Bone is living tissue that continually removes small areas of old material and replaces them with new tissue through coordinated cellular activity influenced by…
Sep 26, 2026 • 2 min read
A sudden breathing-muscle contraction followed by closure of the voice box produces the familiar hic. Most episodes are brief; persistent hiccups deserve medical attention.
Sep 26, 2026 • 3 min read
Delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, commonly begins hours after unfamiliar or unusually intense exercise and peaks roughly one to three days later. Lengthening contractions…
Oct 6, 2026 • 4 min read
Goosebumps occur when sympathetic nerves trigger tiny arrector pili muscles attached to hair follicles. The contraction raises each hair and dimples the surrounding skin.…
Oct 6, 2026 • 3 min read
Sneezing is a protective respiratory reflex. Irritation in the nose activates sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve, brainstem circuits organize a deep breath and…
Oct 6, 2026 • 3 min read
Blushing is involuntary reddening and warming of the face, ears, neck or chest caused by increased blood flow near the skin. Embarrassment, unwanted attention,…
Oct 5, 2026 • 3 min readOne remarkable idea at a time—nature, science, history and beyond.
