Science »
Why Nuclear Bombs Create Mushroom Clouds
Susan K. asks: Why do nuclear bombs make mushroom clouds? This phenomenon all comes down to a little something called the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, and by extension, convection. I’ll begin with the somewhat longer, but
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The Color Pink Doesn’t Exist? So Why Can We See It?
Absent from the visible spectrum and neither a wave nor a particle, the color pink is, for many, a scientific enigma: how can a shade that doesn’t even appear in the rainbow exist? The
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Why Squinting Helps You See Better
Luke asks: Why when I squint does it help me see things clearer? Squinting causes two reactions that help you visualize the world around you in better detail. First, it changes the shape of
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Why Your Palms Get Sweaty When You’re Excited, Scared, Or Nervous
Today I Found Out why your palms get sweaty when you’re nervous. Ever been on the edge of a cliff or looking out the window at the top of a skyscraper and your hands
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The Amazing Antikythera Mechanism
Just over a century ago in the Mediterranean Sea in between Greece’s Peloponnese and the Isle of Crete, a sponge diver came across an amazing discovery: an ancient shipwreck from classical times, filled with
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How Long a Person’s Heart Has To Be Stopped Before Medics Wouldn’t Try to Revive Them
Ken Laha asks: How long would someone’s heart have to be stopped before you’d stop trying to revive them? The question of how long someone’s heart would have to be stopped for before you
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The Acoustic Shadow and the American Civil War
Where sound goes to die, acoustic shadows are areas where sounds, from a certain direction and on a given day, will not penetrate; these acoustic phenomena occur either because the sound waves are absorbed,
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Mind Control: From the Inside Out
The term “mind control” conjures up visions of someone manipulating people from the outside, such as an evil, brainwashing scientist or a supernatural being that takes dominion of a person just with the power
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Medical Oddities Part 2: You Can Brew Beer In Your Digestive Tract
For part 1 of this series, see: How Pilates Caused a Woman’s Body to “Swallow” Her Breast Imagine- your wife begins to think you’re a closet alcoholic, so she purchases a breathalyzer to test
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Hollywood Medical Myth Part 2: Injecting Medication Straight Into The Heart Is Beneficial
Myth: Injecting medicine straight into your heart can be beneficial in some way. Ah, the dramatic scene that ends with an actor stabbing a needle straight into their heart, narrowly escaping death and magically
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How One of the Most Beautiful Women in 1940s’ Hollywood Helped Make Certain Wireless Technologies Possible
Did an exotic actress from Vienna, considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood in the 1940s, really invent wireless? Not exactly, but the non-sensationalized facts of the matter are no less fascinating,
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Why Do Vitamins Make Urine Bright Yellow?
Andy asks: After I eat vitamins or vitamin enriched cereal, my pee turns bright yellow. What’s going on here? If you’ve ever taken a daily multivitamin you too might have noticed your urine turning
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There are More than Three States of Matter… Many More
Myth: There are only three states of matter. I remember growing up and learning all about solids, liquids and gases. My science class in elementary school never talked about other states or phases of
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Egg Whites Do Not Make a Good Burn Treatment
Craig asks: Do chicken egg whites really help heal burns? Craig, I’ve actually had a couple of people try and convince me of this in the past. A quick Google search will yield several,
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Bumblebee Flight Does Not Violate the Laws of Physics
Myth: Bumblebee’s shouldn’t be able to fly. There’s an oft repeated “fact” that the humble bumblebee defies all known laws of physics every time it flaps its tiny little bee wings and ascends to
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Why Doesn’t Wood Melt
Jesse asks: Why doesn’t wood melt? Jesse, I love this question. It seems like everyone knows things are solid at certain temperatures. If you heat them up, they will become a liquid. Heating it
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Why is Nicotine Addictive
Ken asks: Why is nicotine so addictive? When someone says a substance is addictive, they can mean two separate things. Physically addictive, more accurately physically dependent, is when your body begins to depend on
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What Do Tonsils Do?
Dale asks: What do tonsils actually do? What most people refer to as “tonsils” are known as Palatine tonsils. These are the two large protruding tissues that reside on the sides of the back
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