BIG QUESTIONS

Why Do Women Tend to Talk More Than Men?

Why Don’t Bats Get Disoriented By Each Other's Sonar?

Why is Charles Schulz in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

He wasn’t a Star or a Blackhawk or a Bruin, but the cartoonist did make some important contributions to the American sport of ice hockey.

Why Does Poop Stink?

What's the Difference between Churches, Chapels, and Cathedrals?

For every world religion, there is a place to worship. For Christianity, there are a confusing variety of names for these places, which are frequently—but incorrectly—used interchangeably. Church, chapel, and cathedral are the trio of terms most commonly

Where Exactly Did the Russian Meteor Come From?

A scientific team from Colombia was able to trace back the explosive space rock's origins using "simple trigonometry."

Why Did Eating Horsemeat Become Taboo?

Despite the notion of horses as pets and companions, horsemeat is widely and willingly consumed in countries ranging from Mexico to China to Italy. So how, exactly, did eating horsemeat become taboo for the rest of us?

How Many Languages is it Possible to Know?

There are millions of people, even in the mostly monolingual US, who speak more than one language at home. Competence in three languages is not unusual. But what about 10, 20, 30, 100 languages? What's the upper limit on the number of languages a person c

Why Aren't You Supposed to Wake a Sleepwalker?

Despite urban legends claiming that waking a sleepwalker will send them into shock or give them a heart attack, it’s pretty much harmless. While you can wake them up, you probably shouldn’t, and that’s for both your benefit.

What Did People Use Before Toilet Paper?

Using the bathroom has come a long way from when ancient Greeks used stones and pieces of clay as toilet paper.

How Was the Top-Secret Coke Formula Determined to Be Kosher?

Few products in civilized history can match the mythology and ubiquity of Coca-Cola. In the 1930s, Coke’s inscrutability found itself at odds with a niche, but rapidly growing consumer base: Orthodox Jewish immigrants whose dietary restrictions prevented

Why Don't We Celebrate Washington's Birthday On His Birthday?

Happy Washington's Birthday! Oh, did you think we were celebrating Presidents' Day? In fact, the federal holiday on the third Monday in February is officially known as Washington's Day to celebrate the birthday of the first president.

Are Snails Born With Shells?

Snails are objects of fascination for kids playing outside. Lucky for the snails, they have their hard shells to protect them from children and predators alike. But are they born with that natural armor, or do they have to find it or grow it for themselve

What Happens to Your Brain When You Fall in Love?

Falling in love is one of the best feelings in the world. The tools available to biologists have advanced immensely in the last few decades, and they're using that technology to decipher the physiology involved in falling in love.

How Long Does DNA Last?

What Do the Words of the Mardi Gras Song Mean?

Why Do Filthy Insects Spend So Much Time Grooming?

fastidious self-care is reflected in human routines—brushing teeth, combing hair, clipping nails—but also in the habits of scuttling, scream-inducing cockroaches. There’s a certain irony in the hygienic customs of insects whose presence often connotes fil

What is Gaslighting?

The term itself was popularized by the 1944 film Gaslight, an adaptation of the 1939 play Angel Street.

Why Do Diet Coke and Mentos React?

Combine Diet Coke and Mentos, and the result is explosive—Diet Coke shoots out of the bottle like a miniature, sticky Old Faithful. The reaction is so intense, you can make a rocket propelled by the resulting geyser. But what's the science behind this rea

Is it Kitty Corner, Katty Corner, or Kattywumpus?

Inquisitive reader Janet asked us: “Kitty Corner, Katty Corner or Kattywumpus? Everyone here as a different way to say this. Where did they come from and which one is correct?”

Where Did High Heels Come From?

High heels, though a staple of nearly every woman’s closet these days, aren’t exactly the most reasonably designed footwear. We wobble and slip and turn our ankles on every uneven stone, but refuse to trade them in for more sensible flats and sneakers. Wh

How Can Owls Rotate Their Heads 270 Degrees Without Dying?

For humans, sudden gyrations of the head and neck—whether they’re from car accidents, rollercoaster rides, or chiropracty gone awry—can tear blood vessel linings in the neck, leading to clots that can cause stroke. Not so in owls, which can quickly rotate

Why Are School Buses Yellow?

Has a U.S. River Run Backwards Before?

Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that if water in Lake Michigan drops below the level of the Chicago River, the River could reverse course and begin flowing backward to its source. Has an American river ever done an about-face like t

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