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):

Are scientists trying to clone a woolly mammoth?
By Cecil Adams
February 10, 2012
Why are eco-fascists trying to ban incandescent bulbs?
By Cecil Adams
February 3, 2012
Why video games are good for you.
By Cecil Adams
January 27, 2012
Are blue states smarter than red states?
By Cecil Adams
January 20, 2012
What’s the best animal to slice open and crawl inside to stay warm?
By Cecil Adams
January 13, 2012
Why can’t we use lasers as ray guns?
By Cecil Adams
January 6, 2012
Know any good recipes for endangered prehistoric fish? Plus: Do caribou like the Alaska oil pipeline?
By Cecil Adams
December 30, 2011
Should I worry about bugs in my Christmas tree?
By Cecil Adams
December 23, 2011
Is setting yourself on fire a good way to treat snakebite?
By Cecil Adams
December 16, 2011
Why is there no blue food?
By Cecil Adams
December 9, 2011
Is there a God (revisited)?
By Cecil Adams
December 2, 2011
Can we fight global warming with artificial global cooling?
By Cecil Adams
November 25, 2011
What’s that smell right before it rains? Plus: Will spinning around too much kill you?
By Cecil Adams
November 18, 2011
Is there such a thing as death by halibut?
By Cecil Adams
November 11, 2011
Is there a God?
By Cecil Adams
November 4, 2011
Is the stench of massed zombies toxic?
By Cecil Adams
October 28, 2011
Are poor spellers stupid?
By Cecil Adams
October 21, 2011
Whatever happened to that plan to grow square trees?
By Cecil Adams
October 14, 2011
Is the government spraying stuff into the atmosphere to protect us?
By Cecil Adams
October 7, 2011
Could I take down a T. rex with my Beretta 9mm pistol?
By Cecil Adams
September 30, 2011
How much would I have to hollow out the earth to make the days longer?
By Cecil Adams
September 23, 2011
Why does everybody get so worried about radiation levels in milk?
By Cecil Adams
September 16, 2011
What's worse for your health, bacon or cigarettes?
By Cecil Adams
September 9, 2011
When secretaries switched from manual typewriters to electrics, did they gain 20 pounds?
By Cecil Adams
September 2, 2011
What would it be like walking around on a cube-shaped planet?
By Cecil Adams
August 26, 2011
Does the average American use more energy than a blue whale?
By Cecil Adams
August 19, 2011
Are smaller elementary-school class sizes better?
By Cecil Adams
August 12, 2011
How are you supposed to use hand sanitizer?
By Cecil Adams
August 5, 2011
Is your basement the best shelter from a tornado?
By Cecil Adams
July 29, 2011
Is Australia the deadliest place on earth?
By Cecil Adams
July 22, 2011
Whatever happened to the "paperless office"?
By Cecil Adams
July 14, 2011
Did firemen once use nets to rescue people from burning buildings?
By Cecil Adams
July 8, 2011
Can I become a Scottish laird for £30?
By Cecil Adams
July 1, 2011
Did the Chinese really practice "death by a thousand cuts"?
By Cecil Adams
June 24, 2011
How do doomsayers cope when the world doesn't end?
By Cecil Adams
June 17, 2011
Followup: Why don't we ditch nukes and coal?
By Cecil Adams
June 10, 2011
How can I make my own spaceship?
By Cecil Adams
June 3, 2011
Do the Japanese lubricate new cars with whale oil?
By Cecil Adams
May 27, 2011
How do I drill for oil in my back yard?
By Cecil Adams
May 20, 2011
Could we have saved money by buying out slave owners rather than fighting the Civil War?
By Cecil Adams
May 13, 2011
Are bananas about to become extinct?
By Cecil Adams
May 6, 2011
Is there a Planet X after all?
By Cecil Adams
April 29, 2011
If somebody ignores my "no trespassing" signs, can I make a citizen's arrest?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor and guest contributor pravnik
April 26, 2011
Did the middle ages not really happen?
By Cecil Adams
April 22, 2011
Will hookworms relieve my asthma?
By Cecil Adams
April 15, 2011
Can I legally get myself tattooed with a pro sports team's logo?
By Cecil Adams
April 8, 2011
Is nuclear power safe?
By Cecil Adams
April 1, 2011
Do shadows weigh anything?
By Cecil Adams
March 25, 2011
Was Monopoly originally meant to teach people about the evils of capitalism?
By Cecil Adams
March 18, 2011
Has Viagra helped endangered species by reducing demand for rhino horn, etc?
By Cecil Adams
March 11, 2011
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