BIG QUESTIONS

Who Writes the Messages in Fortune Cookies?

Two of the world's largest producers of baked-in aphorisms don't even have someone on the payroll dedicated to full-time fortune writing.

Why Do Black Shirts Get Hot in the Sun?

No doubt most of us have heard that black and other dark objects are more absorbant and white and light objects are more reflective, but let’s start out by clarifying just what’s being absorbed and reflected.

What is the Most Complex Chinese Character?

Chinese characters are made up of strokes. Learning to write them involves not only learning where all the strokes go, but also the order in which they are supposed to be written and the direction of each individual stroke (left to right, up to down, etc.

How Would Carnies Rig "Tubs of Fun"?

What Becomes of Bad Guys' Bodies?

It took more than two weeks after Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed to find a grave for his body.

Why Do Students Dissect Frogs?

There are many surgeons who say that they first discovered their life’s passion standing over a dissected frog in a middle or high school biology class. But, apart from inspiring the medical professionals of tomorrow, what is the purpose of dissection? An

How Can You Get Better at Remembering Names?

Everyone has heard people say that they are “bad at remembering names,” or maybe you are one who claims it. If so, you're not alone. “Most people are bad at remembering names,” says Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of

How Do Noise-Canceling Headphones Work?

Noise-canceling headphones seem like an oxymoron: a piece of audio technology that creates silence, rather than noise. They’re useful on planes, in crowded offices, and for light sleepers trying to catch some shut-eye in a thin-walled apartment, but how c

Why Do We Feel Hot in Temperatures Lower Than Our Body Temp?

There's a major difference between your body and your environment.

What is the Origin of the Phrase "Come Out of the Closet"?

This week, NBA center Jason Collins announced he was gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated. In other words, he "came out of the closet." This expression for revealing one's homosexuality seems natural. Being in the closet implies hiding from the out

What Determines What Your Voice Sounds Like?

As a marker of singularity, our voices are as effective as our fingerprints. Though people may share a similar pitch or certain vocal characteristics, under close examination, no two voices are alike. Height, weight, hormones, provenance, allergies, struc

Why Did Egyptian Pharaohs Wear False Beards?

Pharaohs were normally meticulous shavers, according to most archaeologists and historians. So why did they wear false beards while eliminating real ones?

What Do Chechens Have Against Russia?

The Boston Marathon bombing suspects are ethnic Chechens. Did their homeland's plight help radicalize them?

How Does a Plastic Bag Fix a Buggy Credit Card?

Reader Amanda writes, “I was a cashier for a few years and when the register wouldn’t read a credit card, we would wrap the card in a plastic bag and run it through again and it would work. What makes the register read the card when it’s wrapped with a pl

How Did Caesarean Sections Get Their Name?

Named after the great Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, yet he was not the first baby born by the procedure.

How Does the FCC Find Naughty Language?

It was a banner weekend for F-bombs. In Boston last Saturday, Red Sox designated hitter David “Big Papi” Ortiz dropped one into a pre-game speech, saying “This is our f***ing city. And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

Why Don’t Cell Phones Have Dial Tones?

Matt Soniak answers today's Big Question.

Who Was "Miranda" of the Miranda Warning?

Even if you’ve never had your own brush with the law, you no doubt know the Miranda warning. But who was it named after?

What Do Those Recycling Symbols and Codes Mean?

Earth Day is here again, serving as an annual reminder of the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle our way to a better planet.

When and Why Did People Start Saying "Um"?

Reader Darren wrote in to ask, "When and why did people start saying um when they are talking?"

Where Do the Words “Mom” and “Dad” Come From?

Even the Oxford English Dictionary admits they have no evidence of the actual origin.

Can Stress Really Cause Hair Loss?

People have long been known to willfully pull out their own hair owing to anxiety, but it’s widely believed that chronic stress can cause inadvertent hair loss as well.

What Does a Foreign Service Officer Do?

The unfortunate and untimely death of a young Foreign Service Officer in a suicide bombing on April 6 in Afghanistan’s Zabul province has drawn attention to the careers of U.S. diplomats.

How Can US Citizens Legally Travel to Cuba?

Musical power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z jetted down to a tropical and somewhat-forbidden destination last week for their fifth wedding anniversary: Cuba. Because of travel restrictions to the country, the couple’s trip raised the eyebrows of some U.S. lawm

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