Food residues on 6,000-year-old cooking utensils ago have revealed that domesticated chili peppers originated in the Americas earlier than once thought, before pottery came into existence.

The violent burst of noise let loose by deployed airbags could cause permanent hearing loss to 17 percent of the people exposed to the ?safety nets,? says a researcher at a national hearing conference today.

Dogs pant to cool off, and people cool down by sweating all over. Now scientists find birds can shed heat with their rear ends.

In America, the number of children a woman has in her lifetime has declined in the past two centuries, and it's not just because of the pill.

Scientists are aiming to save the thousands of amphibian species dying off from a mysterious fungus.

Being female can be a risky business for a Marula tree in Africa. Marula has separate male and female trees, and females rely on the heavyweights of the animal kingdom?African elephants?to spread their fruits. Browsing elephants are far from dainty and can cause mega damage to the trees.