Big Questions Answered, How and Why

Notable southpaw Tommy John pitching for the New York Yankees in the 1980s.

Southpaws are most often talked about in baseball and boxing. But which sport (if either) coined the term?

Cold brew and iced coffee are often lumped together, but there are major differences between the recipes that affect the taste and the price of the drink.

Butter and margarine are made from different ingredients, but that doesn't automatically make one product healthier than the other.

Many restaurants keep a basket full of carbs on the table. Why are so many eateries eager to serve up filling—and free—food?

View of the World, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

The shingled, domed-shaped salt storage structures you see on the side of the highway are an example of clever design.

Coats and jackets living together in harmony.

Though not everyone recognizes the technical difference between coats and jackets, Lands’ End definitely does.

The color of an egg's shell says nothing about its quality. The only difference between brown eggs and white eggs lies in the breed of the chicken that laid them.

Men's razors aren't necessarily better than women's razors, but they are different (and not just because they aren't pink).

In March 2021, digital artist Beeple sold a JPG of Everydays: The First 5000 Days for a record-setting $69.3 million.

There are three kinds of people in the world: those who know what an NFT is, those who don't, and those who don't care.

A hairy situation in more ways than one.

The FDA Food Code recommends food service employees wear “hair restraints,” but it might be more for appearance’s sake than safety.

A big yawn doesn't necessarily mean your pup is ready for a nap. If your dog yawns excessively, they could be signaling stress.

Spots on eggs are a common--and usually harmless--occurrence.

Despite rigorous quality control, eggs can sometimes arrive in stores with strange bumps or discolorations. Here's how to tell when it's cause for concern.

An image of the March equinox taken by the GOES-13 satellite in 2013.

‘Vernal equinox’ isn’t just the technical term for the first day of spring, and 'summer solstice’ means something beyond ‘first day of summer.’

Those black lines do more than give a basketball its distinctive look—they actually make the sport easier to play.

Bird droppings on cars are not only unsightly, they're actually little chemical attacks that can seriously damage the paint finish.

He's a little lukewarm about baths in general.

If you’re talking yeast activation or baby bath temperatures, ‘lukewarm’ might be more specific than “not hot or cold.”

Some call it a 'furp,' or the passing of air and gas from both ends simultaneously. Can it happen, or has nature forbidden it?

Naming a cat "Whiskers" is like naming a baby "Fingertips."

Apart from being the feline equivalent of a fancy mustache, what are cat whiskers for? As it turns out, multiple things.

“Cut to the chase” is a slightly friendlier way of telling someone to get to the point, but old Hollywood filmmakers meant it literally.

If you're a human of average size, taking a bath isn't always as relaxing as it sounds—especially when your legs are sticking halfway out of the water. The problem? Bathtubs are too small. But why?