Molly Bloom is a digital producer for MPR News. She is also the host and co-producer of Brains On! a science podcast for kids and curious adults.
You've heard it before: "I could eat you up!" "I want to pinch those cheeks!" "I just want to give that puppy a squeeze!" The same psychology that explains this "cute aggression" also explains why we cry when we're happy.
Despite an overall lag in representation, there are some cities this year where voters can vote for women from the top of the ticket to the bottom -- president, U.S. representatives, state senators, state representatives, mayor and city council.
Even though the prevalence of peanut allergies has been on the rise, there are no treatments beyond strict avoidance. But current clinical trials mean that could change in the not-so-distant future.
From a distance, snowflakes may all look the same, but they are not. In fact, there are lots of different shapes of snowflakes -- not just those classic star shapes you might try to replicate with paper cutouts.
What causes an El Nino winter? And how does this year's strong El Nino compare to others?
Thousands of Minnesotans show off their skills every year at the State Fair's Creative Activities building. We want to introduce you to a few of them.
Cats don't purr just when they're happy and content. Sometimes they purr when they're scared or in need of comfort. But they also do it to control the weak-minded humans they live with.
The trailer for the second season of "Fargo" is here, full of slow-talking small town cops, white-gray skies, and '70s fashion. Oh, and the accents? You betcha.
Babies can learn whatever language (or languages) they're exposed to. But how do they do it? It's a step-by-step process of learning that begins even while they're still in the womb.
As expected, the Timberwolves chose Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Towns with their first pick. There was a surprise, too: The Wolves landed local kid Tyus Jones.
When you think of camouflage in the animal world, you might immediately think of chameleons -- but it's really cephalopods that should get your attention.
It turns out that evergreen needles, like the leaves on deciduous trees, do actually turn color and drop to the ground. You just don't notice.
Minnesotans know: A beautiful summer day can suddenly turn treacherous at dusk. That's when the mosquitoes come out in force.
Vachon described his work for the Farm Security Administration as "documenting the land, the farmer, everything related to the farmer."
Photos by St. Paul native John Vachon showed Minnesotans at work across the state -- from the mines of Hibbing to the meatpacking plants of Austin.
St. Paul native John Vachon captured the boarding houses, pawnshops and billboards of Twin Cities streets.
St. Paul native John Vachon captured Minneapolis' breweries, mills and grain exchange in 1939.
John Vachon, a St. Paul native who documented the U.S. for the Farm Security Administration, was back in his home state in 1939 to capture life in Minnesota.
The question of why the sun makes some people sneeze has been a mystery for millennia. Turns out there's a name for the phenomenon: photic sneeze reflex.
This time of year, Minnesotans are very ready to shed some winter layers and get outdoors. But it's also the same time of year that ticks are very ready to find hosts.