BIG QUESTIONS

Why Is Junk Food So Addictive?

Short answer: Because food companies have designed it to be that way.

How Do Astronauts Scratch Their Noses on Space Walks?

Astronauts can use the microphone in their helmet, or sometimes they attach patches of velcro to the inside of their helmets, so they can scratch their nose.

How Many Spaces Should There Be at the End of a Sentence?

The question of whether you should put one or two spaces after the period at the end of a sentence elicits strong reactions on both sides.

What Exactly is Ricin?

Here’s what you need to know about the toxin everyone is talking about.

Why Are They Called "Barbershop Quartets"?

Who Are Harry and David?

If you’ve ever been enrolled in the Fruit-of-the-Month Club or gotten a Tower of Treats as a gift, you’re probably familiar with the names Harry and David, but don’t know much about them. Are they real people? Do they have last names?

If You Fell Into a Volcano, How Would You Die?

Either way, it isn't going to be pleasant.

How Do You Renounce Your Citizenship?

Renouncing your citizenship involves a little more than just saying you’re doing it.

How Does an Exception Prove a Rule?

Wouldn’t it do just the opposite? Doesn’t it prove that the rule does not hold for all cases and is therefore not a rule at all?

Why Does the Road Look Wet on Hot Days?

When this refracted light reaches you, your brain and eye don’t account for all the bending it did along the way. What you see is an inferior mirage where the mirage is under the real object.

Why Do You Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice?

When you speak, vibrations from your vocal cords resonate in your throat and mouth, and some get transmitted and conducted by the bones in your neck and head. The inner ear responds to these just like any other vibrations, turning them into electrical sig

Where Did Tennis Get Its Scoring System?

Love? 15-30...40? What's the deal with tennis scoring? Here are a few theories, with input from Mary Carillo.

Why Do the Chinese Farm Cockroaches?

How Does a Celebrity Get a Star on the Walk of Fame?

The process of getting a star is actually more complicated than you might think.

Is It True That Elephants Never Forget?

While it may be an exaggeration, there's more truth to the adage than you might realize.

Why Do They Call It Trinidad AND Tobago?

Christopher Columbus did a lot of naming in his day. As it turns out, he had a hand in naming four of the five island-nations with two names. Is that an obscure enough fact for you? Still, this is definitely the kind of fact that shows up on pub trivia ni

Where Do the Clothes at Discount Stores Come From?

Sometimes when clothing retailers love bargains (and bargain shoppers) very much, they forgo the traditional department store route and venture off-price.

What's the Origin of the Phrase "Run Amok"?

If you've ever found yourself using the phrase “run amok” and wondered, “What’s an ‘amok’?” look no further, because here’s your answer.

New Orleans bounce artist 5th Ward Weebie raps as women from the audience twerk onstage at Tipitina's in 2014.

What is the Origin of Twerking?

Though twerking may have gone viral—and been added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013—thanks to Miley Cyrus, the dance's origins date back nearly two centuries.

Is it OK to Shower in a Thunderstorm?

A reader wrote in to ask, “Is it safe to shower in a thunderstorm? Were my parents messing with me?”

What Causes Nightmares?

When you're waking up from a nightmare, your first question might be, “Was that a bagel chasing me through my house with a sledgehammer?” And after the shock of dreaming about a homicidal, anthropomorphic breakfast dish wears off, your next question is pr

How Effective is the Eye Black that Athletes Wear?

Sometimes it’s literally a glob of grease, other times it’s a synthetic sticker. We’ve all seen baseball and football players with the black rectangles under their eyes on sunny days, which is thought to help reduce the sun’s glare and allow athletes to b

Was Singapore’s Independence an Accident?

In 1963, Singapore declared its independence from Great Britain. Without much land area or natural resources of its own, the new nation secured some protection and economic help by joining Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia. But

What’s the World’s Longest Running Science Experiment?

Between our look at the longest prison sentences the other day and the 69-year-old pitch drop experiment finally getting caught on camera last month, reader Justin got curious and wrote in to ask, “what’s the longest experiment that scientists have filled

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