Why do we laugh? The obvious answer is that something is funny. But if we look closer at when and how laughter occurs in ordinary social situations, we see that it's not so simple.

A hospital known for pioneering face transplant surgery has carried out its most complex operation yet, reconstructing a man's lower face and neck.

A thousand-year-old medieval remedy for eye infections which was discovered in a manuscript in the British Library has been found to kill the superbug MRSA.

Scientists have mapped the features of the world's most beautiful men and women - and Natalie Portman and David Gandy are the closest real-life examples.

A new method that screens embryos for more than 200 disorders is already making dreams come true, reports Sarah Knapton from London.

Who volunteers to have sex in a laboratory? I was struck by this question when reading about an experimental study of ideal sexual positions for men with back pain.

On the quest to find true love, it is a well-used adage that one must kiss a few frogs before meeting a prince. And it would appear this theory is accurate.

"The matter is not as simple as plain stupidity. Some anti-vaxxers are not that stupid, and some stupid people are not anti-vaxxers. There is something more subtle going on."

Scientists believe the gene Plexin D1 tells fat to gather around the middle, rather than the bottom and thighs.

Dug out of a car park five centuries after his mutilated body was unceremoniously interred, England's Richard III will finally be given a burial fit for a king.

We may now be a step closer to discovering what love is, thanks to a scientific study that has obtained the first empirical evidence of love-related alterations in the brain.

What we eat and do today can have long-term consequences for the health of our descendants for generations to come, research shows.

The genes linked with autism are thought to promote higher intelligence, scientists believe.

A bizarre experiment which saw scientists keep the brains of fruit flies alive in a dish for six days may hold the key to explaining - and eventually treating - jet lag.

Why all hipsters look the same - scientists reveal the maths behind beards, bicycles and man buns.

Just about everybody has one raging narcissist to deal with, sooner or later - on the job, in social situations or (God forbid) in the home. How did he get this way, we wonder?

Benevolent sexism makes men more smiley when they interact with women, and that's bad news.

New British research linking hormone replacement therapy to ovarian cancer has caused Australian women to become concerned about the treatment, health experts say.

With such opposing looks it's hard to believe this striking pair are sisters. But they are much more than that - they are twins.

Watching TV for more than two hours a day increases the risk of raised blood pressure in children, a study has found.

Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero wants to take the head from someone with an incurable illness and graft it on to a healthy body.

It may seem too good to be true, but a guilt-free chocolate that promises to combat wrinkles and sagging skin has been developed by scientists.

Is there a link between certain diets and pregnancy complications?

Health authorities could gain an unprecedented picture of how the flu spreads with complex models that reveal how we move among each other.

People in their 20s could accurately be described as "kidults", according to research that suggests adolescent effects on the brain extend far beyond the early teens.

Kiwi scientists will this week unveil next-generation technology modelled on the greatest supercomputer known - the human brain.

Scientists are developing new contact lenses that could give wearers superhero-like vision.

Assisted reproductive technology has advanced significantly since the first healthy IVF baby was born more than 35 years ago.

Is love just a troublesome artifice we've created for ourselves, or a fundamental part of human existence, to be cherished even when it hurts us?