Straight Dope Archive

Welcome to the Straight Dope Archive, featuring the collected works of Cecil Adams and his online auxiliary, the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board. You can view all columns or a subset, listed in reverse chronological order (most recent columns on top):

Do high heels put 100 times more stress on your feet?
By Cecil Adams
April 5, 2013
Has a big corporation ever conspired to kill someone?
By Cecil Adams
March 29, 2013
What’s up with the zombie apocalypse?
By Cecil Adams
March 22, 2013
How common is pedophilia?
By Cecil Adams
March 15, 2013
Are hurricanes getting worse?
By Cecil Adams
March 8, 2013
Why do we itch?
By Cecil Adams
March 1, 2013
Do pads and helmets increase rather than prevent football injuries?
By Cecil Adams
February 22, 2013
Have virgins ever been tossed into volcanoes to appease the gods?
By Cecil Adams
February 15, 2013
How can I access the deep, dark Web?
By Cecil Adams
February 8, 2013
Are large-breasted women more likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome?
By Cecil Adams
February 1, 2013
Has a passenger ever landed a plane after the pilot was incapacitated?
By Cecil Adams
January 25, 2013
Is a bullet wound in the shoulder as harmless as the movies make it seem?
By Cecil Adams
January 18, 2013
Why are images from space probes always in black and white?
By Cecil Adams
January 11, 2013
Do 98% of women hover over public toilet seats?
By Cecil Adams
January 4, 2013
Does a guy’s mood synchronize with his girlfriend’s menstrual cycle?
By Cecil Adams
December 28, 2012
Do antidepressants only work because of the placebo effect?
By Cecil Adams
December 21, 2012
Do some cultures perform sex acts on babies to help them sleep?
By Cecil Adams
December 14, 2012
Do you burn more calories when you think hard?
By Cecil Adams
December 6, 2012
Why do humans have so little body hair?
By Cecil Adams
November 30, 2012
Has an important battle ever been decided by single combat?
By Cecil Adams
November 23, 2012
What’s the moon worth?
By Cecil Adams
November 16, 2012
What’s the latest on peak oil?
By Cecil Adams
November 9, 2012
Are women better at multitasking than men?
By Cecil Adams
November 2, 2012
How does the Queen answer the phone?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by SDSTAFF Elendil’s Heir
October 30, 2012
Are vampires susceptible to blood-borne diseases?
By Cecil Adams
October 26, 2012
Why doesn’t the President freeze gas prices?
By Cecil Adams
October 19, 2012
Why aren't two-by-fours two inches by four inches?
By Cecil Adams
October 12, 2012
Can I seek sanctuary in a church?
By Cecil Adams
October 5, 2012
Are shrinks nuts?
By Cecil Adams
September 28, 2012
How many ice cubes would it take to put out the sun?
By Cecil Adams
September 21, 2012
Could an attacking 50-foot woman actually exist?
By Cecil Adams
September 14, 2012
Does asteroid mining threaten the earth?
By Cecil Adams
September 7, 2012
Does castration = longer life?
By Cecil Adams
August 31, 2012
Can we now transmute base substances into gold?
By Cecil Adams
August 24, 2012
Are transsexuals mentally ill?
By Cecil Adams
August 17, 2012
How can water be wasted? Doesn’t it automatically recycle?
By Cecil Adams
August 10, 2012
If evolution is all about survival of the fittest, why are we attracted to the cutest?
By Cecil Adams
August 3, 2012
Why is the letter Z associated with sleep?
By Cecil Adams
July 26, 2012
Will Coke and asparagus cure kidney stones?
By Cecil Adams
July 20, 2012
Is Wikipedia more reliable than the Encyclopaedia Britannica?
By Cecil Adams
July 13, 2012
Could an electromagnetic pulse disrupt civilization?
By Cecil Adams
July 6, 2012
Are college students promiscuous?
By Cecil Adams
June 29, 2012
Can alien beings listen in on TV and radio broadcasts from earth?
By Cecil Adams
June 22, 2012
Can I avoid paying a tax bill by writing “accepted for value” on it?
By Cecil Adams
June 15, 2012
Is a cruise ship a cheap alternative to an old folks’ home?
By Cecil Adams
June 8, 2012
What’s up with obnoxiously loud TV shows and commercials?
By Cecil Adams
June 1, 2012
Was Jesus copied from the Egyptian god Horus?
By Cecil Adams
May 25, 2012
What’s the likeliest doomsday scenario?
By Cecil Adams
May 18, 2012
Did the creator of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index volunteer to get stung by everything on earth?
By Cecil Adams
May 11, 2012
What purpose do allergies serve?
By Cecil Adams
May 4, 2012
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