New research suggests that oxytocin underlies the twin emotional pillars of civilized life, our capacity to feel empathy and trust.

As the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species,” some facts on snails and snakes that would have intrigued him.

A piece once owned by Alfred Russel Wallace will be on display at the American Museum of Natural History.

Do hormone shifts cause hair follicles to change shape?

Turkey with a side of scorn? For some families, holiday meals can be cauldrons of longstanding tensions, fresh criticism and battles for control.

The Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most expensive science experiment, has produced its first collisions.

Hummingbirds take advantage of the forces of surface tension to extract nectar from a flower.

Proponents suggest that such a regimen could lead to stronger bones than the typical American diet rich in dairy products and animal protein.

A hot tub might not seem an especially dangerous place, but many seeking relaxation in these tubs find themselves instead in an emergency room.

People who heard specific sounds while sleeping had enhanced memories upon awakening, researchers said.

Treating AIDS patients at home is just as effective and much cheaper than having them come into a clinic, says a new study.

A new book about the “gray zone” between life and death.

Some 20.6 percent of Americans were current smokers in 2008, a drop from 20.9 percent in 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Many sewer systems are overwhelmed, spilling excrement, medical waste and chemicals into waterways.

President Obama will announce a near-term target for reducing emissions “in coming days,” a senior official said.

Doctors scanned Egyptian mummies and found signs of atherosclerosis, a disease typically thought of as a modern ill.

The nation, where one out of eight babies are born prematurely each year, earned a D from the March of Dimes.

Could the mental relaxation produced by transcendental meditation have physiological benefits?

Can adding vinegar to a large meal prevent a spike in blood sugar?

Nearly extinct half a century ago, the tigers had rebounded when the government imposed protections.