Why Is It?

Cold Car Start

December 3, 2002

Why is it that an automobile left outside in subzero is hard to start, but not one in an unheated …

November 14, 2002

What the heck is a nectarine? (A mutant peach that doesn't have fuzzy skin)

November 7, 2002

What caused the Ice Age? (cooler summers)

October 31, 2002

How do mood rings work? (they're made of liquid crystals that change color by temperature)

October 24, 2002

Is there a use for maggots in modern medicine? (Yes, to clean out wounds and aid healing.)

October 22, 2002

Why didn't humans adapt to have good eyesight? (Eye adjusts to keep things in focus, but sometimes …

October 17, 2002

What does spit do for a baseball pitcher's spitball? (makes the ball slippery so it doesn't spin)

October 15, 2002

Why are yawns contagious? (They signal a change in state, so our brain detects them.)

October 1, 2002

How did the ocean get salty? (from rocks on land that get dissolved by rain and washed into the sea)

September 26, 2002

How come cats don't bark? (Barking is meaningless, and cats have a clear set of vocal signals.)