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Why Do Mentos and Diet Coke React?
If you’ve ever wondered why Diet Coke and Mentos react so strongly to one another, well, wonder no more. To start, it should be noted that it’s not just Diet Coke and Mentos that
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Is it Safe to Eat Moldy Bread or Moldy Cheese?
For the quick answer to your question: no and sometimes. While not all molds are bad for you to eat, many are, and unless you want to whip out a microscope and meticulously identify
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What Makes Peanut Butter Sticky?
Mark. K. asks: Why does peanut butter stick to the top of my mouth? Arachibutyrophobia is a proposed humorous name for the fear of peanut butter getting stuck to the top of your mouth,
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A Brief History of the Gold Standard in America
Jeremy R. asks: Why did America stop using the gold standard? To begin with, if you’re not familiar, “the gold standard” is a monetary standard where the basic unit of currency is gold. Of
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Is the “New Car Smell” Toxic?
Rene I. asks: What makes the new car smell and is it true that it is toxic to humans? That “new car smell” is romanticized and beloved by many people. In fact, it is
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Why Do Zombies Eat Brains
Mar.W asks: Why are zombies always depicted liking to eat brains? Zombies have been a pop culture staple for decades, and in that time the concept of the dead coming back to life somehow to feast
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The Origin of the Phrase “A Penny For Your Thoughts”
Mark C. asks: Where did the expression “a penny for your thoughts” come from? The word “penny” may have come from the English ruler Penda, King of Mencia (an Anglo-Saxton kingdom in today’s English
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The Truth About Snakebites and Sucking Out the Venom
Karen C. asks: True or false, you should suck the venom out of a snakebite after someone gets bitten? There are a number of productive things you can do to help a snakebite victim;
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When Did People Start Smoking Tobacco?
John A. asks: When did people start smoking tobacco? While who exactly was the first to smoke tobacco has been lost to history, Jordan Goodman, in his book Tobacco in History, theorizes that tobacco
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Mailboxes and the Postmaster General
James I. asks: I was at Lowes and noticed mailboxes say “approved by the postmaster general”. What specifications do a mailbox need to reach to be approved in this way? I mean, it’s a
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How Do Clams Reproduce?
F. Whisten asks: Is it true that all clams are male? If so, how do they reproduce? Encased in a hard shell, brainless and possessing only a single limb (a retractable foot that looks
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How Were Kamikaze Pilots Chosen?
Pat A. asks: Were Kamikaze pilots all just volunteers or how exactly did they get selected? During WWII, thousands of Japanese pilots made the ultimate sacrifice for their country by becoming, essentially, flying suicide
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Why Sugar Doesn’t Spoil
Mark U. asks: Why doesn’t sugar ever seem to go bad? Two foods are left out on the counter – fresh tomatoes and a bowl of sugar. Within a week or so, one will
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Why Don’t Birds’ Legs Freeze?
Eddie C. asks: How do ducks and other birds keep their feet from getting frostbite in the winter? How a bird reacts to the cold depends on what kind of a bird it is
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Does Canadian Beer Really Contain More Alcohol Than Beer Made in the United States?
Paul E. asks: Is it true that Canadian beer has a lot more alcohol in it than American beer? Canadians boast longer lives, safer communities, free nationalized healthcare, a cleaner environment, the most gold
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Why Don’t Hot Dogs and Hot Dog Buns Come in Packs of Equal Number?
Jason H. asks: Here’s one for you I’ve never found a satisfactory answer on. Why don’t hot dogs and hot dog buns come in packs of the same number? Has it always been this
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Why Tattoos Don’t Fade as Skin Regenerates
Ryan C. asks: How do they make tattoos permanent? In other words, how do they get tattoos to remain even as your skin is constantly regenerating? Depending on the source you consult, anywhere from
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The Origins of the Mathematical Convention of Using “X” as the Unknown
Linda P. asks: Why do we always use “x” for everything in math? For hundreds of years, x has been the go-to symbol for the unknown quantity in mathematical equations. So who started this
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