Too good to be true: Could a 15-minute essay on your personal values improve school performance among minority students? A new study says yes.

It’s a fact of life: Hurricanes and floods happen. So why are people rebuilding in the path of storms and floods? Is there a smarter way to plan development?

As kids spend more times indoors, experts wonder what is being lost. Do humans need nature?

Science shows a correlation between happiness and health, success and fulfillment. But do they make us happy? Or are we healthy and wealthy because we are happy?

If (gasp!) the subject is too big for a Whyfile, hit the books. Here, we review four great science books, on evolution, environment, fighting nature, and discovering motherly love.

In sarcasm, words don’t mean what they seem. How does the brain interpret sarcasm? Where does it figure out that “You’re doing great” is meant as an insult?

Researchers marvel at the traps set by ingenious ants to capture flying and jumping prey that might otherwise escape.

Deaf Bedouin people invent a new sign language, studies show that standard word order develops quickly.

Preacher, politicians: Some have a truthiness problem. Human lie detectors use close observation and wide experience to spot clues. How?

With autism rates on the rise, researchers are trying to uncover the biological keys to the disorder.