Prettier at Closing Time: How Beer Goggles Work
AISPIX / Shutterstock.com One of my all-time favorite songs, for which my girlfriend always calls me a redneck, is Mickey Gilley’s “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.” As the title...
View ArticleWhy Do People Say “Holy Mackerel”?
Stephanie and her curious two-year-old want to know why we sometimes say “Holy Mackerel!” Unfortunately, the answer is about as clear as the tomato sauce Brits like to douse the fish in. Mackerel image...
View ArticleWhat Do Chickens Have to Do With Chicken Pox?
Chickens image via Shutterstock The birds themselves? Not a whole lot. Chickens don’t even get infected by the virus — varicella zoster, a member of the herpes family — that causes the rash. (They can...
View ArticleWhy Don’t Woodpeckers Get Brain Damage?
Woodpecker image via Shutterstock If you or I bump our heads hard enough on a hunk of wood, it might smart for a while. But to get through an average day, a woodpecker might ram its head into a tree...
View ArticleWhat Exactly Is the Heat Index?
Is it really not the heat, but the humidity? With temperatures spiking around the country, we thought it might be a good time to answer some questions about the heat index. © BRIAN...
View ArticleWhy Did People Used to Wear Powdered Wigs?
For nearly two centuries, powdered wigs—called perukes—were all the rage. The chic hairpiece would have never become popular, however, if it weren’t for a venereal disease, a pair of self-conscious...
View ArticleIs It Really Illegal to Remove Your Mattress Tag?
Spoiler Alert: It is not. But here’s why that warning is on there in the first place. At some point, most of us have heard that we’re not supposed to remove the tags from our mattresses, under penalty...
View ArticleThe Science of “Breaking the Seal”
If you like beer, and like it in large quantities, this might be a familiar scenario: You sit down at the bar, get a beer and drink it. You drink another one. Maybe a third. Things have gone well up...
View ArticleWhy People Vomit
We don’t mean the triggers — though that could be a fun post — but the actual physical process. What is it about our physiology that occasionally makes our tummy say, “Come on up, Chuck”? Vomiting is...
View ArticleWhy Does Alcohol Cause the Spins?
You lie down to get some sleep after a long night of drinking, and the room seems to be spinning uncontrollably. What gives? The spins happen because of an odd effect alcohol has on your ears —...
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