Watching pornography won’t make you go blind, but research indicates it may affect your brain—for better and for worse.

Even the parts of our brains that don't control physical movement show a lot of rhythm, and that might be integral to how our brains...

On the genetic level, we're not all that different from chimps. But those small differences in DNA can have huge effects.

Parasites. They’re all around us, from birds’ nests to litter boxes to our brains, and while plenty of them are harmful to the health of animals like us, some of them can actually be good!

How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based...

About 10% of the world population is left-handed. But why does handedness exist and what determines which hand is dominant? Scientists have suggested several theories, but the answer may well lie with evolution.

Neuroscientist Sergiu P. Pasca has made it his life's work to understand how the human brain builds itself -- and what makes it susceptible to disease. In a mind-blowing talk laden with breakthrough science, he shows how his team figured...

Why do we sleep? We spend a third of our lives in slumber, but science has yet to determine exactly why we have do it. Here's a look at how sleep works, why we're not getting enough sleep, what happens if you DON'T sleep, and an idea...

Researchers have noticed some trends in the relationship between academic performance and noise. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t sound good.

Hank tells us about two interesting new studies that explore the brain and its interaction with drugs, investigating how cannabinoids can repress fear, and bringing forth a possible vaccine for cocaine addiction.

Often people make decisions that are not "rational" from a purely economical point of view - meaning that they don't necessarily lead to the best result. Why is that? Are we just bad at dealing with numbers and odds? Or is there a...

About 10% of the world population is left-handed. But why does handedness exist and what determines which hand is dominant? Scientists have suggested several theories, but the answer may well lie with evolution.

Negative campaigns—or campaigns that work by painting opposing candidates in a negative light—have been used for decades. But today, thanks to information that can be gained from social media, these campaigns may be even more effective...

These animals can detect heat through some fascinating biological mechanisms, and they are proving to be boons to the scientific community.

Scientists overwhelmingly agree that our climate is changing, Earth is getting warmer, sea levels are rising, and it's primarily because of humans putting lots of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Yet 4 in 10 Americans aren't convinced....

That baby is staring at you, and you don't know why. Something in your teeth? Did you accidentally leave a tag on your clothes? Don't worry,that baby probably just likes your face.

Surround a wild animal with humans, and there are bound to be some changes. Here are five animals that show differences in captivity.

With their squishy bodies and color-changing abilities, octopuses and other cephalopods already look like our planet’s resident aliens. But researchers have discovered yet another thing that separates them from most other animals on Earth!

Figuring out exactly what consciousness is and whether or not it could emerge in non-human things has stumped us for centuries. Now, analyzing it from a scientific perspective might not just be possible, but necessary.

Our mood is influenced in many ways by our environment, and researchers have discovered a possible connection between the pollen in our air and a rise in suicide.

Octopus, squid and cuttlefish -- collectively known as cephalopods -- have strange, massive, distributed brains. What do they do with all that neural power? Dive into the ocean with marine biologist Roger Hanlon, who shares astonishing...

We used to think that the human brain was a lot like a computer; using logic to figure out complicated problems. It turns out, it's a lot more complex and, well, weird than that. In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank...

HOMUNCULUS! It's a big and weird word that you may or may not have heard before, but do you know what it means? In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank gives us a deeper understanding of this weird model of human sensation.

How do you know you're a person who has lived your life, rather than a just-formed brain full of artificial memories, momentarily hallucinating a reality that doesn't actually exist? That may sound absurd, but it's kept several...