Why does Christianity have so many denominations? By Donavyn Coffey Schisms within the church have led to more and more denominations over the millennia.
Atheists and believers have different moral compasses By Laura Geggel The moral compass of believers and atheists is calibrated differently.
Conservatives aren't more fearful than liberals, study finds By Stephanie Pappas Contrary to earlier research, a new international study finds that both liberals and conservatives respond to threats — just different ones.
Extremists struggle with certain kinds of brain processing, research shows By Stephanie Pappas Extremists and dogmatists struggle with certain kinds of cognitive processing, but they also tend to be impulsive and risk-loving.
Lucid dreamers can hear and answer questions while still asleep, scientists find By Patrick Pester Researchers have successfully achieved real-time communication with a sleeping person by invading their dreams in several independent experiments.
The #PeepYourScience contest wants to see your sugary scientific dioramas By Nicoletta Lanese You can submit your own marshmallowy diorama between Feb. 15 and March 21.
What if temperature determined a baby's sex? By Charles Q. Choi Temperature-dependent sex is found in certain reptiles and fish. Could it happen in humans?
Facts don't convince people in political arguments. Here's what does. By Stephanie Pappas Though people believe they respect a logical, fact-based opponent, they actually have greater esteem for arguments based on experience.
How many people are in the world? By Holly Secon You may think of the global population as a massive, exponentially-growing number of people that threaten to use up all of the world's resources, but that's not the case.
What led to the emergence of monotheism? By Isobel Whitcomb It depends on your definition of monotheism.
Amazing images: The best science photos of the week By Brandon Specktor Here are the stories behind the most amazing images in the world of science this week. A recap of the coolest photos featured on Live Science.
Here's how genes determine your facial features By Seth M. Weinberg, John R. Shaffer Scientists scanned the DNA of 8,000 people to figure out how genes control facial features. Here's what they found.
Is anyone on Earth not an immigrant? By Kelly Slivka There's some people in southern Africa who might not be immigrants, scientifically speaking.
What does transgender mean? By Alina Bradford The term transgender describes people whose gender identity differs from the sex to which they were assigned at birth.
How much snow is needed for an official 'White Christmas'? By Tiffany Means Here's how much snow is officially needed to call a Christmas "white."
Is belief in God a delusion? By Ryan McKay, Robert Ross As the pandemic raged in April, churchgoers in Ohio defied warnings not to congregate. But what do psychologists have to say about strong beliefs in a god?
College-age kids are drinking less alcohol — but smoking more marijuana By Ty Schepis Young adults aren’t drinking as much as they used to.
Why women make way less than men do in more religious places By Stephanie Pappas The more religious a country or state, the bigger the gap in earnings between men and women.
This week on Live Science forums: AMA on friendliness and evolution By Mohamed Mohammed It turns out that survival of the fittest may be an overrated concept.
Why did the Democratic and Republican parties switch platforms? By Natalie Wolchover The Republicans used to favor big government, while Democrats were committed to curbing federal power. How did the parties switch stances?
