Straight Dope Archive

If you handle baby birds, will their parents shun them?
By Cecil Adams
August 31, 2001
Did the Aum Shinrikyo cult detonate an atom bomb in Australia?
By Cecil Adams
August 17, 2001
What are the mysterious lyrics in "Lady Marmalade"?
By Cecil Adams
August 3, 2001
What are the words to "La Cucaracha"?
By Cecil Adams
July 27, 2001
Does voice-activated eavesdropping technology listen in on phone conversations for suspicious "keywords"?
By Cecil Adams
July 20, 2001
Was the Mir space station being eaten by a mysterious fungus?
By Cecil Adams
July 13, 2001
Is there such a thing as a sneeze fetish?
By Cecil Adams
June 29, 2001
Who was the stupidest U.S. president?
By Cecil Adams
June 22, 2001
What's the story on prions, which supposedly cause mad cow disease?
By Cecil Adams
June 15, 2001
In Nintendo's "Duck Hunt," how does the TV know when you've hit a duck?
By Cecil Adams
May 11, 2001
Why do U.S. radio call letters start with W in the east and K in the west (revisited)?
By Cecil Adams
May 4, 2001
Will suppressing a sneeze give you a brain aneurysm?
By Cecil Adams
April 27, 2001
Do dentists have the highest suicide rate?
By Cecil Adams
April 20, 2001
Can a noise be loud enough to kill you?
By Cecil Adams
April 6, 2001
Did Wile E. Coyote ever catch the Road Runner? Plus: How do they get the fortunes inside Chinese fortune cookies?
By Cecil Adams
March 30, 2001
Why does Swiss cheese have holes in it?
By Cecil Adams
March 23, 2001
Is "different than" bad grammar?
By Cecil Adams
March 16, 2001
Do worms exit via the nose when their human host is anesthetized (revisited)?
By Cecil Adams
February 23, 2001
What's the story on that weird medieval cult, the flatulents? Plus: do the Chinese use Chinese water torture?
By Cecil Adams
January 12, 2001
How do I go about making a voodoo doll?
By Cecil Adams
December 29, 2000
Paper or plastic? Plus: more on fish farts
By Cecil Adams
December 22, 2000
Are deadly germs the latest terrorist weapon?
By Cecil Adams
December 8, 2000
What are the seven basic literary plots?
By Cecil Adams
November 24, 2000
Who invented the cocktail umbrella--and why?
By Cecil Adams
November 17, 2000
Do fish fart? Plus: angels dancing on the head of a pin (cont.)
By Cecil Adams
November 10, 2000
I plan to destroy the moon. What effect would this have on the earth?
By Cecil Adams
October 27, 2000
Is it possible to straighten and lengthen the penis?
By Cecil Adams
October 20, 2000
How do Muslims know which way to face when praying?
By Cecil Adams
October 13, 2000
Does Tylenol + alcohol = liver failure? Plus: Is the CN Tower the tallest building?
By Cecil Adams
September 29, 2000
In Australia, do dingoes really eat babies?
By Cecil Adams
September 22, 2000
Did Harley-Davidson patent the sound of its motorcycles? Do plants get cancer?
By Cecil Adams
September 15, 2000
Can transsexuals have orgasm after sex reassignment surgery?
By Cecil Adams
September 8, 2000
Is sunscreen ineffective in preventing skin cancer?
By Cecil Adams
August 25, 2000
Is recycling worth it?
By Cecil Adams
August 4, 2000
Is the world's tallest building in North Korea?
By Cecil Adams
July 21, 2000
What's the world's largest commercially available bra size (revisited)?
By Cecil Adams
July 14, 2000
Followup: Does second-hand smoke cause heart disease?
By Cecil Adams
July 7, 2000
Does nonoxynol-9 protect against HIV?
By Cecil Adams
June 30, 2000
Are jet contrails the latest threat?
By Cecil Adams
June 16, 2000
Does second-hand smoke really cause cancer?
By Cecil Adams
June 2, 2000
Can the candirú fish swim upstream into your urethra?
By Cecil Adams
May 19, 2000
Can some people have orgasms without genital stimulation?
By Cecil Adams
May 5, 2000
Does giving blood reduce your chances of getting heart disease?
By Cecil Adams
April 28, 2000
Do 1.5 to 5 million lesbian moms have children living at home with them?
By Cecil Adams
April 21, 2000
Does violence against women rise 40% during the Super Bowl?
By Cecil Adams
April 14, 2000
Does a mattress double its weight due to dust mites and their debris?
By Cecil Adams
April 7, 2000
Does lipstick contain fish scales?
By Cecil Adams
March 31, 2000
Is "squaw" an obscene insult?
By Cecil Adams
March 17, 2000
What's up with homeopathy?
By Cecil Adams
February 25, 2000
What's equus eroticus all about?
By Cecil Adams
February 11, 2000
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