Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. In terms of evolution, reflexes like scratching an itch may not seem as important as developing an opposable thumb. But ...

Every dog seems to have one—that special spot on his belly or flank that, when scratched, sends his back leg kicking like crazy. It’s odd and amusing, especially because some dogs seems to be as ...

I HAD lately the opportunity of examining in a young cat eight weeks old the conditions of the scratch-reflex, and the results would seem to be worth noting. The animal had been through an unusually ...