Straight Dope Archive

Is it dangerous to eat magic mushrooms before they have dried out? What mushrooms are safe to eat?
By Cecil Adams
December 29, 2006
What's the truth on trans fat?
By Cecil Adams
December 22, 2006
Did native Americans learn scalping from Europeans?
By Cecil Adams
December 15, 2006
Have people actually survived being hit by lightning multiple times?
By Cecil Adams
December 1, 2006
Was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden an apple?
By Cecil Adams
November 24, 2006
Is there poison in auto air bags?
By Cecil Adams
November 17, 2006
Nearly half the U.S. population believes the earth is less than 10,000 years old? Say it ain't so!
By Cecil Adams
November 10, 2006
Are titanium batteries really better than alkaline? Are lithium batteries subject to "charge memory?"
By Cecil Adams
November 3, 2006
What happens if a werewolf bites a vampire? What's the minimum daily requirement of blood for a vampire? Can you get zombified by having sex with a zombie?
By Cecil Adams
October 27, 2006
Designated drunk: Can you get intoxicated without actually drinking alcohol?
By Cecil Adams
October 20, 2006
Did the ancient Romans use a natural herb for birth control?
By Cecil Adams
October 13, 2006
Guns don't kill people, frying pans kill people: Is the frying pan the #1 domestic weapon?
By Cecil Adams
October 6, 2006
Why is spermicide in my shaving cream? Can you get lead poisoning from eating chocolate grown in Africa?
By Cecil Adams
September 29, 2006
What is the zebra mussel doing to Lake Michigan?
By Cecil Adams
September 22, 2006
How is the market price established for crude oil?
By Cecil Adams
September 15, 2006
Did an American Indian tribe descend from early Welsh explorers?
By Cecil Adams
September 8, 2006
Hold it! What happens if you don't urinate?
By Cecil Adams
September 1, 2006
Why does gasoline go stale so quickly?
By Cecil Adams
August 25, 2006
Do unborn babies urinate/defecate in the womb? Plus: Was "here be dragons" ever really inscribed on maps?
By Cecil Adams
August 18, 2006
How long are dams like Hoover Dam engineered to last? What's the largest dam ever to fail?
By Cecil Adams
August 11, 2006
Can high-pressure steam cut a body in half?
By Cecil Adams
August 4, 2006
If Irving Berlin could not read or write music, how did he compose?
By Cecil Adams
July 28, 2006
Is there an effective way to get rid of chilblains?
By Cecil Adams
July 21, 2006
Can herbal supplements increase breast size?
By Cecil Adams
July 14, 2006
When the rubber meets the road, where does it go?
By Cecil Adams
July 7, 2006
Have any millionaires ever been executed in the United States?
By Cecil Adams
June 30, 2006
Is consuming vinegar to excess dangerous?
By Cecil Adams
June 23, 2006
Does a refrigerator cool more efficiently when full?
By Cecil Adams
June 16, 2006
Who was the first to reach the north pole?
By Cecil Adams
June 9, 2006
Who was the first to reach the north pole?
By Cecil Adams
June 9, 2006
I hate shaving my face every day. What else can I use?
By Cecil Adams
June 2, 2006
How do you donate your body to science?
By Cecil Adams
May 26, 2006
Is garlic oil lethal?
By Cecil Adams
May 19, 2006
Did oil really come from dinosaurs?
By Cecil Adams
May 12, 2006
How easy is it to knock someone out with a smack to the back of the head? What causes a person to lose consciousness?
By Cecil Adams
May 5, 2006
Why do some people have that one extra-long fingernail on the pinkie finger?
By Cecil Adams
April 28, 2006
Thank you for dying: Did 250 million people worldwide die from smoking over 10 years?
By Cecil Adams
April 21, 2006
Still smokin': What are the long-term effects of marijuana?
By Cecil Adams
April 14, 2006
Is global warming for real?
By Cecil Adams
April 7, 2006
How can waves be crashing on all sides of an island at once?
By Cecil Adams
March 31, 2006
Are people living near graveyards at increased risk of exposure to biohazards?
By Cecil Adams
March 24, 2006
How was ice made and sold in pre-industrial times?
By Cecil Adams
March 17, 2006
Does fasting rid the body of toxins?
By Cecil Adams
March 10, 2006
"A plane is standing on a runway. . ." No, it's not. Here's why.
By Cecil Adams
March 3, 2006
Everybody's getting into the act: More tales of supernatural strength.
By Cecil Adams
February 17, 2006
Is cell phone use in cars really dangerous?
By Cecil Adams
February 10, 2006
An airplane taxies in one direction on a moving conveyor belt going the opposite direction. Can the plane take off?
By Cecil Adams
February 3, 2006
If cat poop is so toxic to pregnant women, why aren't there more birth defects? Can cat poop cause schizophrenia?
By Cecil Adams
January 27, 2006
SuperMom: Could a mother actually lift a car to save her child?
By Cecil Adams
January 20, 2006
Did the ancient Greeks routinely practice incest as well as homosexuality?
By Cecil Adams
January 13, 2006
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