Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It’s taking longer than we thought.) | 
Friday, January 27, 2023
810220.gif
A note from Cecil Adams about The Straight Dope
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_161021_asylum_online.gif
Politics
The U.S. goes fascist. How do you escape?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180601_pardons_online.gif
Crime, police and the law
Can Congress override a presidential pardon?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180413_postalabbr_online.gif
Where did two-letter postal abbreviations come from?
By Cecil Adams
 
061229.gif
Drugs
Is it dangerous to eat magic mushrooms before they have dried out? What mushrooms are safe to eat?
By Cecil Adams
 
All Latest Stories
dope_180629_brainsupplements_online.gif
Drugs
Do brain supplements do anything?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180622_travelimpact_online.gif
Is flying really worse for the environment than driving?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180615_asymmetry_online.gif
Why aren’t internal organs symmetrical?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180618_ticks_online.gif
Do dogs have better protection from ticks than people do?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180525_earwax_online.gif
Why is Asian earwax different from black and white people’s earwax?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180518_nuts_online.gif
Origin Stories
How did “nuts” and “bananas” come to mean “crazy”?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180511_coca_online.gif
Drugs
Why does South America grow all the coca?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180504_emergency_online.gif
Crime, police and the law
How often do emergency vehicles get into accidents?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180427_zika_online.gif
Is there a link between the Zika virus and toxoplasmosis?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180420_cowdanger_online.gif
How dangerous are cows?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180406_talcumpowder_online.gif
Is there a link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180330_processedfoods_online.gif
Food
What’s so bad about processed foods?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180323_woodpeckers_online.gif
If head trauma is so bad for humans, how do woodpeckers manage?
By Cecil Adams
 
Most Read
Why is the “missionary position” called that?
Why do some people have that one extra-long fingernail on the pinkie finger?
What is the origin of the song “There’s a place in France/Where the naked ladies dance?” Are bay leaves poisonous?
What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean?
The Straight Dope
The best of The Straight Dope, delivered to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree with Revue’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
dope_180316_gavel_online.gif
How did the gavel end up in American courtrooms?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180309_phages_online.gif
Will bacteriophages save us from the antibiotics crisis?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180302_legalization_online.gif
Politics
What do we know about the effects of marijuana legalization?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180223_roadsalt_online.gif
What’s the environmental impact of road salt?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180216_extinction_online.gif
Animals
When animals disappear, how are humans affected?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180209_skyscrapers_online.gif
What’s the life span of a skyscraper?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180202_birdshurricanes_online.gif
Animals
What happens to birds during a hurricane?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180126_fatbergs_online.gif
Is the fatberg apocalypse upon us?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180119_musicuniversal_online.gif
Is music universal?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180112_bloodpressure_online.gif
Drugs
How credible are the new blood-pressure guidelines?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_180105_blackdogs_online.gif
Animals
Do black dogs experience prejudice?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_171229_yawning_online.gif
Animals
Do all animals yawn and stretch?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_171222_bikers_online1.gif
What’s the connection between outlaw bikers and ball-peen hammers?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_171215_infectious_online.gif
Drugs
Are infectious diseases becoming untreatable?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_171208_venison_online.gif
Food
Why isn’t venison a major industry in the U.S.?
By Cecil Adams
 
dope_171201_tag_mailing.gif
Sports
Why does everybody in the world play tag?
By Cecil Adams
 
More Stories