When you touch a hot stove, your hand pulls away via a spinal reflex before you feel the burn—and the brain may use a similar shortcut for sudden, threatening sounds.

Does watching someone else relieve a nagging itch spark the same impulse in you? A study in mice suggests contagious itching may have evolved as a reflex to protect animals from threats. Now, Chen and ...

Reflex arcs are your body’s built-in autopilot, allowing you to respond instantly to danger without conscious thought. From the knee-jerk test at the doctor’s office to pulling your hand away from a ...