Body Systems

A low oxygen level in your blood is a good indicator of a COVID-19 infection, but what exactly does that mean and how do doctors test for it?

By Patty Rasmussen

Maybe you've never even thought about it when you've smelled — or emitted — a particularly odoriferous fart. But can that fart spread disease?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

You almost never notice the way your own place smells. Why is that?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

The cerebellum is the part of our brain that controls voluntary movements like posture, balance, coordination and speech.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The hypothalamus is a tiny area of your brain that keeps everything — hunger, thirst, sleep, energy, mood — in balance.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Sometimes referred to as the "cuddle hormone," oxytocin is released during sex and breastfeeding. But does it make you fall in love with someone or just bond you more with someone you already love?

By Dave Roos

Located in the temporal lobe, this tiny horseshoe-shaped organ plays a massive role in both the storage of long-term memories and the creation of new ones.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Homeostasis comes from the Greek words for "similar" and "steady" but this state of steadiness is anything but boring. In fact, it's what you want your body to be.

By Alia Hoyt

The amygdala is a small part of the human brain that most humans have probably never heard of.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

A new study found that giving your feet a boost in the bathroom lessened constipation (and straining) significantly.

By Alia Hoyt

Travelers commonly experience unusual bowel symptoms while traveling. Why is this, and what can we do about it?

By Jesslyn Shields

The eye twitching that's driving you crazy — it's likely caused by nothing more than stress or fatigue. But you may need to see a doctor if you have other symptoms, too.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Listed as an organ donor on your driver's license? That designation does not include your brain.

By Chris Opfer

Sudden savant syndrome can make you a math whiz or musical prodigy instantaneously. But how?

By Jesslyn Shields

It happens to almost everyone and there are lots of possible explanations.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

James Harrison's blood contains a rare and powerful antibody that's saved millions of Australian babies. Now, at age 81, after donating 1,173 times, he's hoping someone else will pick up where he left off.

By Christopher Hassiotis

You had LASIK surgery a few years ago, and your vision has started to blur again. Is this normal?

By Nathan Chandler

Diplomatic staffers in Havana, Cuba, recently began to suffer from a series of health problems. Were they sound-related?

By Patrick J. Kiger

What would happen if you didn't (or couldn't) move your bowels for several weeks? Let's just say you'd be in a crappy situation.

By Alia Hoyt

The human system for excretion is actually pretty great, especially when you start looking at what other animals have.

By Robert Lamb

In case you needed one.

By Robert Lamb

Does it just taste bad or are there other reasons?

By John Perritano

Although women often think men exaggerate their symptoms when they have a cold or flu, a Canadian scientist has found that men are more susceptible to respiratory complications than women.

By Alia Hoyt

When we've really got to urinate, kids and adults alike do the pee-pee dance. What are the theories behind the fidgeting?

By Jesslyn Shields

New research finds that nontoxic, antibacterial sugars found in human breast milk might be key to the next generation of antimicrobial drugs.

By Jesslyn Shields