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):

Does meditation make your brain work differently?
By Cecil Adams
October 4, 2013
Are people in the Central time zone more productive because TV schedules let them sleep more?
By Cecil Adams
September 27, 2013
Are the Olympics one giant orgy?
By Cecil Adams
September 20, 2013
If that meteor strike hadn’t killed off the dinosaurs, how would life be different for the human race?
By Cecil Adams
September 13, 2013
Should I adjust my diet based on my blood type?
By Cecil Adams
September 6, 2013
Corrected for inflation, have prostitution prices been essentially the same for thousands of years?
By Cecil Adams
August 30, 2013
Could I knit a sweater from navel lint? Plus: Why do animals like being stroked?
By Cecil Adams
August 23, 2013
Are there still unexplored parts of the world where unknown animals may lurk?
By Cecil Adams
August 16, 2013
Is bitcoin the future of money?
By Cecil Adams
August 9, 2013
Has anyone gotten hurt or killed following bad GPS directions?
By Cecil Adams
August 2, 2013
Is being a beauty queen a route to success?
By Cecil Adams
July 26, 2013
Why can’t I buy a jet car?
By Cecil Adams
July 19, 2013
If a big meteorite struck the moon, would we notice it here on earth?
By Cecil Adams
July 12, 2013
If a goat ate dynamite, could it explode?
By Cecil Adams
July 5, 2013
Can I catch an STI from oral sex?
By Cecil Adams
June 28, 2013
Could the energy from gym workouts be harnessed?
By Cecil Adams
June 21, 2013
How many houseflies would it take to lift me?
By Cecil Adams
June 14, 2013
Are electronic cigarettes noncarcinogenic?
By Cecil Adams
June 7, 2013
Do secret societies control everything?
By Cecil Adams
May 31, 2013
How many people get hit each year by contract killers?
By Cecil Adams
May 24, 2013
If I fired a pistol and then stuck it in my waistband like on TV, wouldn’t I get burned?
By Cecil Adams
May 17, 2013
Followup: Getting killed by falling objects (pianos, anvils, etc) happens more often than you might think
By Cecil Adams
May 10, 2013
If I traveled back in time, would I get ancient diseases?
By Cecil Adams
May 3, 2013
Can you be bored to death?
By Cecil Adams
April 26, 2013
Does riding a motorcycle reduce your sperm count?
By Cecil Adams
April 19, 2013
Has anyone ever been killed by a falling piano or anvil?
By Cecil Adams
April 12, 2013
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
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