Life's Little Mysteries Tech Archives
What Is Nuclear Fusion?
March 29, 2013, Elizabeth Palermo, LiveScience Contributor
And how is nuclear fusion different from nuclear fission?
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Why Is Quartz Used in Watches?
February 21, 2013, Benjamin Radford, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
It's also used in radios, microprocessors and other technologies.
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Why Do Air Traffic Control Towers Have Slanted Windows?
January 29, 2013, Benjamin Radford, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Many people assume that they are designed that way to prevent the sun's reflection or glare from blinding incoming pilots. But this explanation doesn't fly.
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Why Are Manhole Covers Round?
January 25, 2013, Sara Goudarzi, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Round covers are also easier to manufacture, and they can't slip into the hole.
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Why Are Construction Cranes So Dangerous?
January 24, 2013, Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor
Construction cranes can be lethal in the wrong hands.
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What Makes Wheels Appear to Spin Backward?
January 10, 2013, Ben Mauk, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Two competing theories are currently rolling around the academic journals for acceptance.
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Is Flying Safer Than Driving?
December 11, 2012, Heather Whipps, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
For flying to become as risky as driving in the United States, a packed commercial jet would have to go down once a month.
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How Was the First Battery Made?
December 07, 2012, Corey Binns, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
This was no Energizer Bunny.
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How Does Cloning Work?
November 23, 2012, Andrea Thompson, OurAmazingPlanet Managing Editor
Using cells from an adult animal, scientists can create an exact genetic replica.
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How Does an MRI Work?
November 23, 2012, Ben Mauk, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Learn how one machine probes the brain.
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How Does a Microwave Oven Work?
November 21, 2012, Ben Mauk, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
The frozen burrito in your microwave oven sits in an electromagnetic field, bombarded on all sides by high-frequency microwaves.
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How Do Post Office Machines Read Addresses?
November 20, 2012, Ben Mauk,
Mail-reading machines reveal progress made in artificial intelligence field.
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How Do Scientists Date Ancient Things?
November 20, 2012, Ben Mauk, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Love-hungry teenagers and archaeologists agree: dating is hard. But while the difficulties of single life may be intractable, the challenge of determining the age of prehistoric artifacts and fossils i...
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How Are Diamonds Made?
November 13, 2012, Dave Mosher, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Natural diamonds come from the Earth, but they can also come from a machine.
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How Are Utensils Made?
November 13, 2012, Ben Mauk, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
General-purpose forks, knives and spoons are made from steel, an alloy whose main ingredient is iron.
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Will Hydrogen Fuel Really Work?
November 06, 2012, Scott Fields, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
The expense and effect on the environment may not be worth it.
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Does Recycling Plastic Cost More Than Making It?
November 03, 2012, Christopher Intagliata, Scienceline
Economic success or failure of plastics recycling relies various costs.
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Do Microwaves Rob Food of Nutrients?
November 02, 2012, Corey Binns, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Edison Voice Recording Is Old, but Not Oldest
October 26, 2012, Eli MacKinnon, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
What was the first sound recording?
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How do They Build Underwater Tunnels?
October 12, 2012, Ben Mauk, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Modern underwater tunneling and the world's longest tunnels.
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Do Lie Detectors Work?
October 09, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Polygraphs don't actually out a liar.
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Does Lightning Hit Airplanes?
October 03, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
A handful of jets have been blown up by lightning. But modern designs deal with the strikes.
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Can Ball Lightning Be Created in Microwave Ovens?
September 24, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Are glowing orbs in a reheating appliance the same thing as ball lightning?
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Can Airplanes Fly into Outer Space?
September 21, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
First you have to travel at seven miles per second.
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What Is the Future of Computers?
September 10, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
For the past half-century, computers have become twice as powerful every two years. If this trend continues, what will the future hold? Will computers eventually outsmart humans?
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