Mental Floss

BIG QUESTIONS

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How Do Tsunamis Work?

The earthquake-triggered waves are both destructive and unpredictable.

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Does Einstein's Theory of Relativity Imply That Interstellar Space Travel is Impossible?

The answer is slightly counter-intuitive.

House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Donald Trump arrive for a meeting with the House Republican conference.

What Does the Sergeant at Arms Do?

Both the House and the Senate have their own Sergeant at Arms, and their visibility is highest during the State of the Union address. But what do they do the other 364 days of the year?

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What Makes a Cat's Tail Puff Up When It's Scared?

Felines wear their emotions on their tails.

Laplandish, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

How Are Rooms Cleaned at an Ice Hotel?

It's surprisingly easy—though it sometimes necessitates an ice pick.

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Why Did We Start Wearing Pants?

We turn to a 3000-year-old corpse for answers.

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If Our Brains Are So Active During Infancy, Why Don’t We Remember Anything From That Time?

This universal phenomenon is known as "infantile amnesia."

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What Are Quarks?

We know what they are, but will never see one in the macroscopic world.

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Why Do Passports Only Come in Four Colors?

The reason behind the limited color choice is simple.

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Why Is the University of Georgia's Mascot a Bulldog?

And when did Uga start showing up on the sidelines?

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Why Do Honeycrisp Apples Cost So Much?

We get to the core of the issue.

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Why Don't Paramedics Run to Emergency Patients?

It's not due to a lack of concern.

What Did LaVar Ball Do for a Living?

He has garnered plenty of controversy over the past few years, but how did he enter the mainstream?

By AilieHM - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

What Gives Qizai the Brown Panda His Unique Color?

He's just one of a handful of brown giant pandas in the world. Researchers want to know why.

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Where Are Extra Calories Stored in the Body?

It's complicated.

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What Could the Repeal of Net Neutrality Mean for Internet Users?

Inflated pricing, hindered access to knowledge, and slower connections are just the beginning.

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Can It Ever Be Too Cold to Snow?

It sounds like nonsense … but is it?

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What Causes Turbulence?

It's a lot less scary than it feels.

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What is Friction?

It's not as complicated as it sounds.

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Why Don't We Eat Turkey Tails?

One of the most delicious parts of the bird was once banned from import to the Pacific Islands. We investigate.

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Why Do We Dive With Sharks But Not Crocodiles?

There are a couple of reasons—one of them being that sharks don't like the way people taste.

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Why Do We Wish on the Turkey’s Wishbone?

The tradition comes from Europe, and is thousands of years older than Thanksgiving.

ANTTI T. NISSINEN, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

Why Does Japan Have Blue Traffic Lights Instead of Green?

It’s a matter of language.

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Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap To Some People?

It might be the most polarizing leaf in the culinary world.