Strange But True


STRANGE BUT TRUE- Safe passage: Where we got our lovin' feelin' Published on Mar 4th, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. From an evolutionary standpoint, what's the nub of romantic love? –J. Keats A. When human moms began walking upright long ago, the size of the pelvis...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Love match: Why zero makes the world go 'round Published on Feb 25th, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. It's a "duck" in cricket, "love" in tennis, and the number of goal keepers in a game of badminton; it's also the number of cabbages on Mars, hedgehogs that can...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Unless cooped: Elephants are boxy but fast Published on Feb 18th, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. How does the largest animal still walking the Earth today cope? –J. Merrick A. An elephant needs pillars for legs, an acre of lung surface for...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Cracked rib: When movie magic goes awry Published on Feb 11th, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What would happen if cinematic illusions seemed too real? –A. Hitchcock A. Many familiar movie sounds are simple audio illusions, such as crunchy snow...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Cat-egories: Why felines just aren't into you Published on Jan 21st, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. An estimated one-third of American households have feline members, and more than 600 million cats live among humans worldwide. Whereas other animals have been...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Recent invention: What's behind the baby's crawl Published on Jan 14th, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What do our babies do today that they didn't used to do so much and still don't in parts of the world? –D.Spock A. They crawl. In a key study of...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Cremation station: How to burn bodies for science Published on Jan 7th, 2010 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. The fire spread across the man's bed and began consuming his nightclothes, then his body. Several people were close enough to help but no one lifted a hand. Why...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Year's end: The best and strangest... and truest Published on Dec 24th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. In an unfamiliar restaurant, could an understanding of economics help you decide which menu items to order?–W. Puck A. Despite the daunting plentitude of...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Brainworms: As old as the sands of time Published on Dec 10th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. In his 1876 story "A Literary Nightmare," Mark Twain described his narrator as rendered helpless by his obsession with certain jingle rhymes: "They took instant...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Yawn, baby: Helping babies and limbs come alive Published on Nov 26th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Your nostrils and bronchial tubes just dilated, larynx and pharynx widened, diaphragm sank, tongue drifted back, heartbeat accelerated, tears and saliva welled...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Mood swings: Feelings peak after about seven hours Published on Nov 26th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. When you need to ask a big favor of your spouse, friend or co-worker, you want to find the person in a good mood. Does it matter what time of day you choose,...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Rich pour: Brain balances physics of the drink Published on Nov 19th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. You don't ordinarily think of lifting a glass of beer to your lips as a triumphant human act. Think again. –S. Addams A. Complex hand-eye coordination...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Food-centric: Why Sheba always picked the most Published on Nov 12th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. A chimpanzee named "Sheba" learned to recognize numbers one through eight. But did she know five gumdrops are better than two? –J. Goodall A. Gumdrop...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Wordy inquisition: How a familiar puzzle got its start Published on Nov 5th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. "The fans they chew their pencils,/The fans they beat their wives./They look up words for extinct birds–/ They lead such puzzling lives!" Fans of what, as...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Beer pour: How to reduce your 'fobbing' Published on Oct 29th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Beer drinkers of the world, are you guilty of "fobbing" your brew? –C. Conklin A. You may already know better than to "create excessive foam when pouring...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Geriatric tip: Always look on the bright side Published on Oct 22nd, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK A. What can you do today about your health 30 years from now, and for this one there's no need for pills, diets, special exercise regimens? –A. Pontuso B....
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Germophobes, beware: Your toilet spews nasty clouds Published on Oct 15th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Do germophobes have good reason to worry over a toilet flush? –K. Robbins A. Don't tell 'em, but the maelstrom of down-rushing water creates a top layer...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Enemy bugging: Military may tag along with insects Published on Oct 8th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Imagine you're a psychology PhD student taking your oral exams when the professor quizzes out of the blue: "How far can an ant see?" Quick now, what do you...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Hideous parents? Your newborn won't mind Published on Sep 24th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. New Moms and Dads, what does Baby think of your face? How could you tell? –J. Fariello A. Innocent-looking Big Eyes peering back up at you from the crib...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Dream strangers: They say a lot about you Published on Sep 17th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Who on Earth are those complete strangers that keep making their way into my dreams? I never saw these people before. Where do they come from? –S. Freud...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Kicking space: Why unborn babies drive mom wild Published on Sep 10th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. You wouldn't want to do this, but if you could ultrasound scan a developing baby 24/7, what fetal gyrations would it record? –S.S. Thiagaraja A. For many...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- In the jungle: Why the lion sleeps two nights Published on Sep 3rd, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. "Bedtime" in the animal kingdom: How crazy can things get? –L.E. Mur A. With fish, so primitive are their nervous systems, you can't even be sure they...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Leaping lizards: Well, there really are flying snakes Published on Aug 27th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Warning: If you're afraid of snakes, this one could cause you nightmares for a lifetime. What's the decidedly eye-catching trick of "Chrysopelea paradise"?...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Dry mouth: What happens with your peanut butter Published on Aug 20th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. "Arachibutyrophobia" is a mouthful of a word and a sticky one at that. What kind of fear does it signify? –M. Esselman A. It's related to eating peanut...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Not new math: How a few good angles save roaches Published on Aug 13th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What's the mathematical curiosity behind the survival of those pesky household cockroaches, despite humans' efforts to swat them out of existence? –J....
STRANGE BUT TRUE- ANNUAL MANUAL- Porpoise-ful: How dolphins are just like us Published on Aug 6th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What were some bottlenose dolphins spotted doing recently off the coast of Australia, moving them into our own celebrated category right along with chimpanzees...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Non-stop flight: Could you fly for eight days? Published on Jul 30th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What was all the excitement about in monitoring the recent flight of the female bar-tailed godwit from the bird's breeding ground in Alaska?—A. Hale...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Dimensional treat: Why worms will crawl a wall Published on Jul 23rd, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. A reader once noticed that the south side of her was house covered with earthworms from the ground all the way up to the roof. She tried to convince her husband...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Bathe annually: Whether you need it or not! Published on Jul 16th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. In medieval Europe, chamber pots were emptied at day's end by dumping the contents out the window into the street below. When was indoor plumbing finally...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Heavy headed: Does size matter in brains? Published on Jul 9th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Pregnant women who crave pickles may unconsciously be trying to make up for a mineral deficiency. But how about pregnant women who eat dirt, clay, laundry...