BIG QUESTIONS

How Do Noise-Canceling Headphones Work?

Noise-canceling headphones seem like an oxymoron: a piece of audio technology that creates silence, rather than noise. They’re useful on planes, in crowded offices, and for light sleepers trying to catch some shut-eye in a thin-walled apartment, but how c

Why Do We Feel Hot in Temperatures Lower Than Our Body Temp?

There's a major difference between your body and your environment.

What is the Origin of the Phrase "Come Out of the Closet"?

This week, NBA center Jason Collins announced he was gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated. In other words, he "came out of the closet." This expression for revealing one's homosexuality seems natural. Being in the closet implies hiding from the out

What Determines What Your Voice Sounds Like?

As a marker of singularity, our voices are as effective as our fingerprints. Though people may share a similar pitch or certain vocal characteristics, under close examination, no two voices are alike. Height, weight, hormones, provenance, allergies, struc

Why Did Egyptian Pharaohs Wear False Beards?

Pharaohs were normally meticulous shavers, according to most archaeologists and historians. So why did they wear false beards while eliminating real ones?

What Do Chechens Have Against Russia?

The Boston Marathon bombing suspects are ethnic Chechens. Did their homeland's plight help radicalize them?

How Does a Plastic Bag Fix a Buggy Credit Card?

Reader Amanda writes, “I was a cashier for a few years and when the register wouldn’t read a credit card, we would wrap the card in a plastic bag and run it through again and it would work. What makes the register read the card when it’s wrapped with a pl

How Did Caesarean Sections Get Their Name?

Named after the great Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, yet he was not the first baby born by the procedure.

How Does the FCC Find Naughty Language?

It was a banner weekend for F-bombs. In Boston last Saturday, Red Sox designated hitter David “Big Papi” Ortiz dropped one into a pre-game speech, saying “This is our f***ing city. And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

Why Don’t Cell Phones Have Dial Tones?

Matt Soniak answers today's Big Question.

Who Was "Miranda" of the Miranda Warning?

Even if you’ve never had your own brush with the law, you no doubt know the Miranda warning. But who was it named after?

What Do Those Recycling Symbols and Codes Mean?

Earth Day is here again, serving as an annual reminder of the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle our way to a better planet.

When and Why Did People Start Saying "Um"?

Reader Darren wrote in to ask, "When and why did people start saying um when they are talking?"

Where Do the Words “Mom” and “Dad” Come From?

Even the Oxford English Dictionary admits they have no evidence of the actual origin.

Can Stress Really Cause Hair Loss?

People have long been known to willfully pull out their own hair owing to anxiety, but it’s widely believed that chronic stress can cause inadvertent hair loss as well.

What Does a Foreign Service Officer Do?

The unfortunate and untimely death of a young Foreign Service Officer in a suicide bombing on April 6 in Afghanistan’s Zabul province has drawn attention to the careers of U.S. diplomats.

How Can US Citizens Legally Travel to Cuba?

Musical power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z jetted down to a tropical and somewhat-forbidden destination last week for their fifth wedding anniversary: Cuba. Because of travel restrictions to the country, the couple’s trip raised the eyebrows of some U.S. lawm

What's the Real Origin of "OK"?

It's amazing that we ever got along without "OK." But we did. Until 1839.

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.

Why is English Spelling So Messed Up?

If you're a kid learning how to write, English spelling can seem like a cruel prank.

Where Did the Phrase “Dressed to the Nines” Come From?

Whatever significance the number nine had to the phrase, it doesn’t seem to have always been specific to clothing.

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 s

How Much Does a Cloud Weigh?

It's time to pull out those calculators and do the math with the density and volume to determine the total water content of the cloud.

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 li

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