Big Questions

Big Question

How Do Baby Birds Breathe Inside Their Eggs?

David De Lossy/ThinkstockYou might not realize it while you’re frying them sunny side up on a Sunday morning, but chicken eggs (and those of other birds, and reptiles) are some pretty sophisticated pieces of... READ ON

Big Question

Do You Own The Space Above Your House?

Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos means "whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to Heaven and down to Hell." This property right principle asserts that a person who owns a particular piece of land owns everything directly above and below that piece of land, no matter the distance, and can prosecute trespassers who violate their border on the surface, underground and in the sky. But has that held up in court over the... READ ON

Big Question

Why is the Retirement Age 65?

In the early 1880s, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck of Germany had a problem. Marxist unrest was spreading across Europe and some of his own countrymen were calling for socialist reforms. To take the wind out of their sails and stave off more radical policies, Bismarck concocted a first-of-its-kind social insurance program wherein the national government would contribute to the pensions of nonworking older Germans.Along with German Emperor William the First, Bismarck announced the idea in 1881, and the... READ ON

Big Question

What Happened To All Those Chargers Destroyed in Dukes of Hazzard?

CBS/LandovOver seven seasons, the General Lee went airborne more than 150 times. Although it seemed fine on screen, the General rarely survived a jump. Warner Brothers totaled an average of two Chargers per episode. By the time filming ended, an estimated 300 Chargers had starred as the General Lee. What happened to all those... READ ON

Big Question

Why Does 60-Degree Water Feel Colder Than 60-Degree Air?

A question from reader Josh: "Why does 60-degree weather feel warm to us, but if we get in the ocean or pool and it's also 60 degrees, we feel... READ ON

Big Question

When Will URL Shorteners Run Out of Links?

More than 250 million messages are tweeted daily. Approximately 290,000 status updates are posted to Facebook every minute. And who knows the number of instant messages that contain hyperlinks. Probably a lot.One thing is for certain: A good number of those hyperlinks aren't in their original form. Thanks to URL shortening services, such as lnk.co and TinyURL, what's normally 56 characters in length for a YouTube clip can be cut down to 20, omitting all kinds of URL clutter from your Gchat message... READ ON

Big Question

Was There Really an Earl Grey?

As a matter of fact, there have been several. This particular Earldom was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, who was the 1st Baron Grey. After Charles died, the title was passed on to his son Charles, making him the 2nd Earl Grey. The title has passed from father to son over the years and they’re up to Earl Number Six right now, but it was Number Two for whom the famous tea was... READ ON

Big Question

How Does Glow-in-the-Dark Stuff Work?

If you’re a member of my generation or the one that raised it, your house was probably full of all sorts of glow-in-the-dark stuff in the 80s and 90s. Yo-yo's, stickers, action figures, clothing, you name it. As a kid, I thought it was just short of magic. The effect is less impressive to adult me, but the chemistry behind it is pretty cool.Your average glow-in-the-dark doodad gets its glow from a phosphor, a member of a group of substances that radiate visible light after being energized. Some... READ ON

Big Question

Can You Really Tell How Close Lightning is by Listening for Thunder?

Lightning image via ShutterstockIt sounds a bit like an old wives' tale, but you actually can use the speeds of light and sound to get a rough estimate of how far away a storm is.Scientists have come up with various devices and methods for determining the distance of lightning, but you can estimate it right in your head with just a little counting and a little math, using what’s called the "Flash to Bang"... READ ON

Big Question

Why Do People Feel Phantom Cellphone Vibrations?

Let’s picture a typical moment in my day: I’m minding my own business, with my iPhone in my back pocket. Suddenly, my left cheek is shaking as the phone vibrates and does the bzzt, bzzt, bzzt-ing dance of its people on my backside. I check the phone, and there’s nothing. No call. No text. No email. No one has moved in Words With Friends or liked my pictures on Instagram. Nothing that would have made the phone vibrate, but I swear I felt it.I don’t suffer these mysterious vibrations alone. In... READ ON