FACT CHECK

A Physicist Weighs In On Whether Scrooge McDuck Could Actually Swim in a Pool of Gold Coins

We asked a physics professor to explain how the loaded duck can swim in a pile of gold. After he was done laughing, he enlightened us.

Time-Restricted Eating: The One Simple Trick That Might Help You Lose Weight

Losing weight might be about when, not what, you eat.

Are Santa's Visits Legal?

When that jolly old elf shimmies down your chimney, is he actually breaking the law?

What Do the Numbers on Your Credit Cards Mean?

Let's break it down.

Does Drinking Alcohol Kill Brain Cells?

No, but it does cause temporary damage that can become permanent with alcoholism.

Do Rabbits Really Love Carrots?

Carrots are essentially junk food for rabbits.

Is It Possible to be Scared to Death?

Is Kansas Really "Flatter than a Pancake"?

The Earth certainly isn't flat, but is the state of Kansas close to it?

Did Pirates Really Make People Walk the Plank?

Are Bees Really All That Busy?

Some bees don’t really do any work at all.

How Does a Fan Work to Cool You Off?

since temperature is a feature of the molecular properties of a substance, the air itself isn't made any cooler by movement—it just makes us feel cooler when it blows by.

Is it a Bald-Faced or Bold-Faced Lie?

When a child with chocolate smeared on his face assures Mom that he didn't steal his brother's candy bar, is he telling a bald-faced or bold-faced lie?

How Does the Farmers' Almanac Work?

Does Moss Only Grow on the North Side of Trees?

The idea that moss grows on the north side of trees is an old one, says Dan Johnson of the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, "and it makes a lot of sense."

Is the Five-Second Rule Real?

Fans of MythBusters will point out that Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage proved several years ago that five seconds on the floor was enough for tasty morsels to attract all sorts of bacteria—but a new study finds that, depending on the type of food and the f

Why Does Inhaling Helium Make Your Voice Sound Funny?

Helium's atomic number is 2 and its atomic weight is 4.002602. Its boiling and melting points— -452.1°F and -458.0°F, respectively—are the lowest among the elements. It is the second most abundant element in the known universe (after hydrogen). And it mak

Do Cows Moo in Different Accents?

Reader Erica emailed to say, “I heard on Twitter, from one of those 'amazing facts' accounts, that cows moo in regional accents. Is that true?”

Did the Pentagon Really Ban Furbys?

Furbys were all the rage in the late nineties—1998 alone saw the sale of a whopping 27 million units—and remain popular to this day. But did you know that they’ve actually been cited as a national security threat?

How Do You Pronounce "Sochi"?

Before Sochi was selected as the host of the 2014 winter Olympics, not many people had heard of it, so it didn't have a widely known English pronunciation.

Can You Actually Be Bored to Death?

Kind of. Boredom won’t directly kill you on its own, but it does make it more likely that a handful of other things will put you six feet under.

Do You Really Have to Wait an Hour to Swim After Eating?

No one knows when, exactly, parents began terrifying their children with the prospect of a post-lunch drowning. But there are a few theories as to why.

Can You Catch Up On Sleep?

When we pull an all-nighter to study for a test or put together a presentation, we assure ourselves we’ll just make it up later—but can you really catch up on lost sleep?

Disney on Ice: The Truth About Walt Disney and Cryogenics

Here's how that persistent rumor was started.

Do Animals Dream?

If you’ve ever seen a cat wiggling around in its sleep, or come across three different-sized beds after eating porridge in a bear family’s inexplicably furnished home, you’ve probably wondered if animals are capable of dreaming.

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