Fact Check

Big Question

Why Do People Get Emotional When They Drink?

At one time or another, though, we’ve all been the emotional drunk, a condition typically marked by ill-timed espousals of affection (or reprisal), acute introspection, and an incontrollable urge to cry in the middle of a crowded bar.... READ ON

Big Question

Will We Ever Be Able to Clone Dinosaurs?

When I was a little dinosaur fan, all I wanted was a pet dinosaur. An Apatosaurus would have been choice—big enough to be impressive, but not especially likely to eat me. But that’s never going to happen. As much as I hate to say that science will never solve a particular question or problem, the barriers to a real life Jurassic Park are insurmountable.... READ ON

Big Question

Could Cockroaches Really Survive a Nuclear War?

Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice; still others say in a nuclear apocalypse that will annihilate humanity while leaving cockroaches intact. It’s an unhappy picture, homo sapiens being completely wiped out by its own technology as the little pests inherit the Earth, but is the possibility fact, or just science fiction?... READ ON

Food

Why Are Whole Foods Typically More Expensive Than Processed?

Close perusal of a Wonder loaf’s list of ingredients reveals some 29 tongue-tying components, while the whole grain loaf has five or six, none over two syllables. So why are more heavily processed foods and those with more ingredients typically less expensive than whole foods?... READ ON

Big Question

Why is Chicago Called the "Windy City"?

Travelers to Chicago may experience the wind gusts that come off Lake Michigan, get tossed around a bit and think, “So this is why it’s called the Windy City.” The nickname, which dates back to the late 1870s, is deceiving because, literally, Chicago is a windy city, but that’s not what the original coining of the phrase was referencing.... READ ON

Big Question

Is There Such a Thing as Photographic Memory?

The best early ‘90s children’s bookshelves were full of books about child detectives, including Cam Jansen, the fifth grade super-sleuth with a photographic memory. She was called “Cam,” short for “camera,” because she would close her eyes and say, “click!” to instantly memorize every detail of a scene. It’s the kind of thing that seems too good to be true, but does anyone really have a memory as accurate as a camera?... READ ON

Big Question

Has There Ever Been a Female Pope?

Any information about a female ever controlling the papacy remains shrouded in mystery, but all available signs point to a woman named Joan — Pope Joan... READ ON

Big Question

Does Hand Sanitizer Actually Work?

Good news, sanitizer fans: Those gels and foams do quite a number on the critters crawling on your skin.... READ ON

Big Question

Does Thinking Hard Actually Wear You Out?

The brain, though a small organ, is responsible for a lot of things. It makes your body move, tells your heart to beat, and keeps you breathing without conscious effort. So it might make sense that using our brains for strenuous mental activity tires us out—when the brain is tired, so is the body. ... READ ON

Big Question

What's the Difference between Churches, Chapels, and Cathedrals?

For every world religion, there is a place to worship. For Christianity, there are a confusing variety of names for these places, which are frequently—but incorrectly—used interchangeably. Church, chapel, and cathedral are the trio of terms most commonly used to denote a religious space, but how are they different?... READ ON