Life's Little Mysteries Home Archives
Strategies Won't Help You Win Mega Millions
March 30, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Statistical analysis shows that there are no winning strategies when it comes to tonight's Mega Millions jackpot.
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Video: The Oceans' Swirling Currents Look Like a Van Gogh Painting
March 30, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Ocean currents are formed by forces like wind, gravitational pulls that create tides, water temperature, the coriolis effect and others.
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Too Much Homework Is Bad for Kids
March 30, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Australian researchers say that homework tends to hurt schoolchildren's test performance. Experts say the same holds true in the U.S.
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7 Things You Didn't Know About Pencils
March 30, 2012, Ned Smith, BusinessNewsDaily Senior Writer
There's a point to these pencil facts.
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The Best Media-Fueled April Fools' Day Pranks of All Time
March 30, 2012, Katharine Gammon, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
In true April Fools' Day nature, media outlets and companies have pulled some of the best pranks of all time.
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Can Animals Commit Suicide?
March 29, 2012, Katharine Gammon, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Do animals have the ability to commit suicide?
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The Lottery: Should You Take the Cash, or the 26-Year Full Payout?
March 29, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
The two payment options have the same monetary value, but each has its advantages.
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What Are the Odds of Winning the Mega Millions Jackpot?
March 29, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
You're much more likely to be struck by lightning during your lifetime, but less likely to be struck by falling space debris.
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If We Discover Aliens, What's Our Protocol for Making Contact?
March 29, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
There are three main scenarios for how a human-alien encounter might play out.
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Video: Foot Fossil Suggests Two Human Ancestors Could Have Co-Existed in Africa
March 29, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Scientists have found 3.4 million-year-old foot bones from Ethiopia that could prove several species of hominins co-existed in the region.
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Modern Physics in 200 Words
March 28, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
From the Higgs boson to chaos in nature, here's a quick run-through of contemporary physics.
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Bigfoot Hunter Fined by National Parks Service
March 28, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Bigfoot hunters scoured the Arkansas woods without a permit. Even with the fine, hunt organizers raked in a huge profit.
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Video: Red Laser Pointer Pops Blue, Not Red, Balloons
March 28, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
This occurs because the laser works on a certain (fixed) wavelength.
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Why Does Iced Coffee Cost More than Hot?
March 27, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
The bottom line is much higher for iced coffee, so coffee shops charge more to make up the difference.
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Why Do Joints 'Pop'?
March 27, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries
You've probably noticed that stiff fingers, knees and necks make a crackling sound from time to time. What causes that to happen, and is it a sign of bad joint health?
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The Weirdest Glow-in-the-Dark Creatures
March 27, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Deep in the ocean, 90 percent of organisms have evolved the ability to glow. These are the coolest and weirdest among them.
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Video: What Earth Would Look Like With Saturn's Rings
March 27, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
People who live near the equator would see thin bands, but people who live far away would see thick rings in their sky.
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Was D.A.R.E. Effective?
March 27, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Most 20-somethings went through the D.A.R.E. drug resistance program in elementary school. Did we say no to drugs?
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Think Room-Temperature Coffee Tastes Bad? Blame Cavemen
March 26, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Though little research has been done on the subject, experts on taste perception have three main theories on the temperature-dependent deliciousness of coffee.
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Why Do People Talk In Their Sleep?
March 26, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Sleep-talking is the product of a confused mental state, but it happens to the best of us.
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Video: Female Acorn Worms Have Ovaries Outside Body
March 26, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
The odd worm was observed floating 3000 meters beneath the surface off the coast of California by the remote-operated marine vehicle Tiburon.
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Video: Robot Jellyfish Never Runs Out of Fuel
March 25, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
The robot is made of shape memory alloys (materials that can remember their original shape), wrapped in carbon nanotubes and coated with platinum.
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Video: Sandfish Lizard Movements Studied for Search-and-Rescue Robots
March 24, 2012, Nina Sen, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
The lizards dig into the sand by using their limbs to make a wave motion.
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How do Digital Cameras Work?
March 23, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries
Digital cameras have overtaken film by using clever technology.
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How Do Smoke Detectors Work?
March 23, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries
There are two types of smoke detectors, and they use different technologies to spot a fire.
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