Big Questions

Big Question

Why Do Crabs and Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them?

While they might be bright red when they hit your dinner plate, crabs and lobsters are usually brown, olive-green or gray when alive and in the wild (at least in the mid-Atlantic U.S.; crustaceans farther south come in a variety of vibrant colors). The dramatic color change during cooking has to do with the way certain biochemicals inside the shellfish react to... READ ON

Big Question

Why Are Dalmatians Linked to Firefighting?

Sure, his coloring makes him look good against a red background, but it turns out that in the early days of firefighting, the Dalmatian served an important... READ ON

Big Question

Why Aren't There B Batteries?

Reader Donna wrote in wondering why there are AA, AAA, C and D batteries, but no B. Well, there used to be, but they’re not really needed... READ ON

Big Question

How Do Cats Purr?

Biologists used to think that purrs were the sound of blood surging through cats’ inferior vena cava, the large vein that carries blood from the lower half of the body into the heart. More recent research suggests that the sound is actually produced by laryngeal muscles, which are responsible for moving the vocal cords and opening and closing the glottis (space between the... READ ON

Big Question

Why Can't You Remember Being a Baby?

There are probably blackout periods you can’t remember at all from your childhood, and the memories you do have are likely hazy and garbled. Although pretty much everyone experiences this phenomenon known as childhood amnesia, its causes are still somewhat of an enigma. Here are 4 hypotheses that might explain why you can’t remember much from your pre-kindergarten days.1. Your Brain Was UnderdevelopedMany neuroscientists argue that infants can’t lay down long-term memories because their brains... READ ON

Big Question

How Does Aspirin Help During a Heart Attack?

The heart is the most important muscle in the body, so it seems like something of a marketing ploy by the folks at Bayer to suggest that something so simple as a humble aspirin tablet can be of any use when this life-sustaining organ goes into epic fail mode. But it’s true: next to calling 911 immediately, taking an aspirin is one of your best bets when it comes to surviving a cardiac event. As Ben Affleck once said in a shampoo commercial, here comes the science.We all have platelets in our blood... READ ON

Big Question

Can I Deposit That Giant Novelty Check From Publishers Clearing House?

Win a golf tournament, a sweepstakes or the lottery, and you usually get two things: One regular check for your winnings and one oversized cardboard one for photo opportunities and framing above your fireplace. What if you wanted to take the big one down to the bank, though? Could you deposit that behemoth?Hypothetically, yes, if it’s got the right stuff on... READ ON

Big Question

How Did the Chicken Cross the Ocean?

At some point in the last few thousand years, someone in India or Southeast Asia decided to try catching one of the wild fowl than ran through the jungles and roosted up in the trees. We don’t know exactly what that person was intending, but the bird probably wasn’t destined to be stuffed and roasted or battered and fried. Archaeological evidence suggests that the birds were first caught for cockfighting (pit matches between wild partridges and quails were already common), and the idea of eating them... READ ON

Big Question

Why Do All Dental Offices Smell the Same?

Eugenol, the active ingredient in clove oil, is the culprit. Clove oil has been used to numb toothache pain since Medieval times. The ancient Chinese also routinely chewed cloves to freshen their breath before talking to the emperor.Cloves are the unopened, dried buds of the myrtle tree. The bud oil is the premium product and is used as a food seasoning and in perfumes. The leaf oil is not usually used in its crude form, but is further processed to isolate the eugenol. Eugenol is still used as a... READ ON