Why does Swiss cheese have holes? It has holes for the same reason soda is carbonated, bread rises, and beer is fizzy: carbon dioxide. The distinctive oval holes in Swiss cheese, about the size of a cherry, are called ‘eyes.’ They typically measure 1 to 3 centimeters across. The eyes are a byproduct of the…
It’s been called an enigma, a beautiful mistake, and the ultimate civil engineering challenge. Today, the Italians are just trying to keep her standing, after nearly 850 years. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, a relic of medieval Europe, still stands on the old cathedral lawn in the provincial Italian town. The structure regularly attracts gawkers,…
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” This famous quip from Shakespeare’s Hamlet draws attention to people who overact their opposition to a point of betraying their underlying sympathies. The idea is that some people hide who they are by flaunting the very opposite identity, as loudly and publicly as possible. The tactic is designed…
Despite being the most commonly used drug in the world, alcohol is also one of the most dangerous and destructive substances available today. Alcohol is a potent neurotoxin and known carcinogen, a risk factor for dozens of chronic and acute conditions, up to and including psychosis and death. As a depressant chemical agent, it affects…
Pouring a sack of sugar into someone’s gas tank is almost a revenge cliche. We have all heard stories of friends of friends doing it and seen it in fiction. However, most of us have probably never seen its effects in real life and many people have doubts that sugar can, in fact, damage an…
In earlier centuries, there were cultures that practiced cannibalism as either a religious ritual or as a means for survival. Most of these cultures were located in parts of Africa, South America and island cultures found in places like New Guinea and Fiji. Over the years, the practice of cannibalism has all but vanished. However,…
Most measurements are absolute. How many inches in a yard? The answer is 36 inches. How long is a football field in feet? The answer is 300 feet. But how many steps are in a mile? The answer to that question is subjective. When trying to answer this question, it is clear that accuracy will…
For many decades, children have been given advice about what to do or not to do in order to survive everyday life. They are told things like “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” “don’t play with sharp objects or you might poke your eye out” and “study hard, get good grades and you…
Have you ever experienced the embarrassment that comes with a bad case of the hiccups? Hiccups always seem to appear at the most inopportune time adding to the embarrassment. No matter how hard people try, it is always difficult to suppress that silly sound. As for remedies, there are as many recommendations as there are…
One of the deadliest maritime disasters in history was the sinking of the Titanic. This tragic event occurred April 15, 1912 after the passenger vessel collided with a iceberg in the middle of a foggy North Atlantic Ocean. The accident took the lives of approximately 1,500 people who perished in the cold icy waters. Though…