BIG QUESTIONS

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

How Many Words Do "Eskimos" Really Have for Snow?

There are three answers: A heck of a lot, not that many, and a whole heck of a lot. Or, if you want specifics: 5, 2, and at least 99.

How Are Shrunken Heads Made?

Head shrinking is rumored to have occurred all over the world, but documented only among a few indigenous South American tribes living in Peru and Ecuador. How do you take a flesh-and-bone head and shrink it?

Why is a Fake Doctor Called a Quack?

Quack, in the sense of a medical impostor, is a shortening of the old Dutch quacksalver (spelled kwakzalver in the modern Dutch), which originally meant a person who cures with home remedies, and then came to mean one using false cures or knowledge.

Are Pubic Lice Really Going Extinct?

Where Did the Phrase "Caught Red Handed" Come From?

Why Do We Measure Engines in Terms of Horsepower?

From your car, to your lawn mower, to your snow blower, to your chainsaw—the power of almost every engine you deal with is measured in terms of horsepower. None of these things seemingly have anything to do with horses, so where did that measurement come

Why Do Whales Beach Themselves?

Humans have observed marine mammals stranding themselves on land since at least the first century CE, when the ancient Romans and Greeks recorded beaching incidents. Modern marine biologists are only able to determine the cause of a beaching about 50 perc

Why Is a Baker's Dozen 13?

nicescene/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Where Did the Looney Tunes “Acme Corporation” Come From?

Reader Brian wants to know: Why is Acme the stock company name used in cartoons and other pop culture?

PREV NEXT