Big Questions Answered, How and Why

A grain of salt a day keeps the misinformation away.

‘Take it with a grain of salt’ all (probably) started with Pliny the Elder, but he was talking about literal poison.

Genetics, seasonal changes, and Earth's magnetic field all play a role.

Do you know your leopards from your jaguars?

You won't confuse a moth and a butterfly or an alligator and a crocodile again.

Birds are a noisy bunch, and there's a lot of variation when it comes to avian vocalizations.

Michigan maintains one of the most successful bottle return programs in America.

The abbreviations are widely understood as “morning” and “afternoon,” but what do the Latin translations actually mean?

Surprisingly, there is truth in this advertising.

When you spritz some Febreze into the air, it actually uses compounds called cyclodextrins to trap those odor-causing molecules.

People are still torn over the belief that the ninth president died of pneumonia after not wearing a coat to his inauguration.

Cats love to lurk around tubs like feline voyeurs. What causes this behavior?

Your pooch probably won’t stare at the sun during the total solar eclipse.

Humans will gaze in awe at the sun during the Great North American total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, but for your pets, it will be just a normal day.

The bagpipe is a tradition at first responder services. How did that happen?

Once upon a time, there used to be B batteries, but they’re not manufactured anymore. Here’s why they disappeared from shelves.

Wendy's isn't afraid to show off their beef.

The shape of Wendy’s square burgers has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with marketing.

Though they’re technically the same animal, there’s an important difference between pigs and hogs. Boars are a different story altogether.

The key to a brighter smile? Hydrogen peroxide.

The main ingredient for a whiter smile? Hydrogen peroxide.

You know it's a distress signal, but what does it actually stand for? A lot of people think it's an abbreviation for “save our souls.” (It's not.)

Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin described the guillotine's effect as being “Like a cool breath on the back of the neck.” Anne Boleyn would likely disagree.

Everybunny wants to know why we call rabbits “bunnies.”

When it comes to abbreviations for animal names, doggy for dog makes sense, as does kitty for cat, when you think about it: Kitty comes from the word kitten. But where does bunny for rabbit come from?