Mental Floss

BIG QUESTIONS

The All-Nite Images, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

The furry sentinels ward off vermin. They also sleep in empty stock boxes. But are they a health hazard?

Jake Rossen








iStock.com/InaTs

Here's what goes into your favorite candy bars.

Michele Debczak




iStock

Fruitcake is a shelf-stable food unlike any other. So what is it that makes the holiday treat so freakishly hardy?

Shaunacy Ferro


Feeling sleepy? Don't be so quick to blame the tryptophan.

Why do people have such a hard time staying awake after Thanksgiving dinner? Most people blame tryptophan, but that's not really the main culprit.

Matt Soniak


iStock/MichaelSvoboda

Think of it as a big, wet, sloppy way of saying "I love you."

Natalie Zamora