Mental Floss

BIG QUESTIONS

Birds are not respectful of cars.

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

Jake Rossen
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.”

Ellen Gutoskey


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.

Ellen Gutoskey


Charlie Chaplin in The Circus (1928).

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

Ellen Gutoskey




Honey can last pretty much forever.

Honey can spend years in a pantry without spoiling because bees are very diligent when it comes to food safety.

Jake Rossen




As potholes go, this one is pretty photogenic.

Potholes are the bane of drivers everywhere. Unfortunately, not much can be done to prevent them from forming.

Jake Rossen


A photo you can practically hear.

Your favorite ASMR playlist probably isn’t true white noise—or brown noise or pink noise, for that matter.

Ellen Gutoskey


National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), NOAA

Nor’easters have earned their reputation for wreaking havoc on land. But what qualifies a storm as a nor’easter?

Ellen Gutoskey








Andy Hay, Unsplash

Bagels and bialys are often lumped together. They're both round, chewy, and are sold in shops around New York City. But these two staples of Jewish delicatessen cuisine differ in some major ways.

Michele Debczak