Life's Little Mysteries Home Archives
What's the Deepest Canyon?
March 23, 2010, Andrea Thompson
Are you looking on Earth, or in the vast solar system?
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What's the Deadliest Natural Phenomenon?
March 23, 2010, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Hurricanes may have a ferocious bark, but the bite of floods and droughts is worse.
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What's So Special About Darwin's Finches?
March 23, 2010, Robin Lloyd
People refer to "Darwin's finches" from time to time as a symbol of evolution in the Galapagos Islands, but the father of evolutionary theory actually dropped the ball on those birds, collecting better...
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What Makes Food Taste Sweet?
March 23, 2010, Corey Binns
A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down with some fancy tricks on your tongue, and your eyes.
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What Makes Ice Cubes Cloudy?
March 23, 2010, Benjamin Radford
Water free of minerals and impurities freezes first, pushing the cloudy parts containing the sediment (and tiny trapped air bubbles) toward the center.
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What Makes Wheels Appear to Spin Backward?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
Two competing theories are currently rolling around the academic journals for acceptance.
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What Makes Us Fart?
March 23, 2010, Dave Mosher
Swallowed air and happy intestinal bacteria turn us all into gas factories.
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What Makes Us Burp?
March 23, 2010, Corey Binns
The only thing grosser than a burp is what causes it: bacteria deep in your belly. And, of course, extra gas and fizzy drinks.
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What Makes My Ears Ring?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
That ringing or buzzing in the ear is a symptom of hearing loss resulting from excessively loud noises.
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What's a Penny Made Of?
March 23, 2010, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
A penny is not what you think. Indeed, from 1783 to 1837, a cent was pure copper. But newer pennies are have a much different composition.
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What Was the First Museum?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
The history of the public museum.
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What Was the Deadliest Day in American History?
March 23, 2010, U.S. Census Bureau
On Sept. 17, 1862, the battle of Antietam took thousands of lives.
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What's Sexsomnia?
March 23, 2010, Stephanie Pappas, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Sexsomnia is the act of having sex while you sleep. But sleep sex isn't all fun and games.
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What's the Doppler Effect?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
The Doppler effect describes the difference between a sound and its source.
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What's the Average American Woman's Bust Size?
March 23, 2010, Jeanna Bryner
The average bra size has increased from 34B to 36C.
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What's Smog?
March 23, 2010, Andrea Thompson
Just what is in that brown, hazy layer of air around you?
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What's Perfect Pitch?
March 23, 2010, Scott Fields
Those rare musicians who have perfect pitch can name any note just by hearing it.
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What's the Smallest Dinosaur?
March 23, 2010, Corey Binns
The world's most diminutive dinosaur is... a hummingbird!
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What's the Largest Known Star?
March 23, 2010, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
The Pistol Nebula holds the most massive star.
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What's the Fate of Earth?
March 23, 2010, Robert Roy Britt
Even if we survive the looming 90-year drought and the unknown ultimate consequences of climate change, and even if anti-aging research pans out and you can hang in there a couple more billion years, e...
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What is Whiplash?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
The head's jerking action (not to be confused with the jerk who rear-ended you) pulls muscles and ligaments beyond their typical range of motion, causing fibers to tear.
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What is a Theory?
March 23, 2010, Monica Heger
The word theory is frequently misused and misunderstood when applied to a range of ideas from evolution to gravity.
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What is Fire?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
Prometheus stole fire from the gods and bequeathed it to humans. Aristotle defined it as one of the four essential elements.
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What is Blood Doping?
March 23, 2010, Jeanna Bryner
Blood doping increases an athlete's red blood cell count and boosts performance.
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What is Antimatter?
March 23, 2010, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Antimatter particles have features that are opposite normal matter.
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