Strange But True


STRANGE BUT TRUE- Heavy headed: Does size matter in brains Published on Jul 2nd, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. If the brain is the seat of intelligence, do people with bigger brains top the smarts chart? –S. Hawking A. After the death of the brilliant English poet...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Loose frogs: How bursting bags affected this flight Published on Jun 25th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. How did a colony of New York frogs fare when flown via commercial airline to a biology lab in California, back in those looser security days a while ago?...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- China syndrome: Peddling can't beat one-kid policy Published on Jun 18th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Sometimes even everyday eco-dilemmas can raise pretty offbeat questions, like "Why can't the machines in my gym be used to generate electricity?" or "Can I save...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Twin gapers: Yawn, and your dog may follow Published on Jun 11th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. When man yawns, what does "man's best friend" do?—A. Pontuso A. Dogs watching a person repeatedly yawn will yawn themselves, reports Atsushi Senja of the...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Old Pitt: Learn from his shocking death Published on Jun 4th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What's the lightning-season lesson to be learned from The Shocking Death of Old Pitt? –A. Jolie A. Few people realize that lightning also inflicts...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Pro-life: Why dying people won't let go Published on May 28th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What's the most blessed gift any of us can receive, as do thousands of folks for their birthday every year? –Methuselah A. Extra days of life on planet...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Large snarge: Why snakes and rabbits hit airplanes Published on May 21st, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What is "snarge,"and how are the good folks at the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory working to make your next plane flight safer?...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Toilet test: How Thomas Crapper did his business Published on May 14th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Don't laugh. It was hard work developing the flush toilet. For instance, careful thought had to go into what test materials to use in simulated flushings, for...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Pop-ups: Why that baseball goes 'to-and-fro' Published on May 7th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Why have sports scientists begun referring to baseball's "paradoxical pop-ups"?–M. Ramirez A. Because these seemingly routine infield fly balls that go...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Mitey crowded: What happens inside your vacuum Published on Apr 30th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Buried deep in your living room carpet, hidden amid the thick fibers like clans of forest tribesmen, are legions of dust mites, too small to be seen with the...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Pointless explosion: Why the galaxy is like a yo-yo Published on Apr 23rd, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. There was something almost comforting in the old idea that after all the outracing galaxies emanating from the Big Bang 15 billion years ago finally "run out of...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Wag language: Your dog speaks with its tail Published on Apr 16th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What's the real point of a dog wagging its tail? –L. Stuart A. Just as hidden cameras show people smile little when alone, a dog won't wag to a lifeless...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Tongue-tied: Why your taster sticks to cold metal Published on Apr 9th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. When the authors were kids in winter wonderland Rome, NY, a foolishly brazen schoolchum stuck his tongue to an outdoor railing at recess and lost more than just...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Romantic love: Think of the evolutionary possibilities! Published on Apr 2nd, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. "I'm stone in love with you," crooned the Stylistics. "Love is a drug, and I need to score," intoned Bryan Ferry. If music comes close to the metaphoric love "...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Puppy loathe: When canines realize a rip-off Published on Mar 26th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Do dogs have a sense of fairness, of getting a good deal or a raw one?–L. Helmsley A. Surprisingly, they do when they feel they're not being treated...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Pinkie fingers: How to tell if a shot will drop Published on Mar 19th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. In pro basketball, who makes use of the amazing "pinkie finger" prognosis?–R.Sampson A. Elite players often do, even if unconsciously. As reported...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Dogged help: How Spot helped win the war Published on Feb 26th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. They were commonly sentries, also scouts, pack carriers, gun and ammunition haulers, artillery or gun spotters, layers of telephone wires, even reducers of rat...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Body farms: Where the cadavers sink and swim Published on Jan 29th, 2009 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Ever heard of the world-renowned "dead body farm"?–D. Frankenstein A. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on secluded parts of the campus, bodies...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Big shock: Elephant took 6,600 volts Published on Dec 25th, 2008 2 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What was probably the biggest animal ever to undergo capital punishment?–G. Gilmore A. In 1903, an elephant named Topsy killed her trainer after he fed...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Killer bees: Stingers on steroids can be deadly Published on Dec 18th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What puts the killer in "killer bees"?–B. Melon A. A single Africanized honeybee releases no more venom than other bees but does react more vigorously to...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Weird scientist: What if they don't really wear lab coats? Published on Dec 11th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Why does Hollywood tend to depict scientists as nerds, villains, or occasionally heroes instead of the more realistic types they obviously are?–S. Hawking...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Arched back: And other sexy reasons for heels Published on Dec 4th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. If high heels are uncomfortable and make walking more difficult, and prolonged use can injure the feet, knees and back, why do women keep wearing them?–N...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Pushing tadpoles: This is not your father's trike Published on Nov 27th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. A bicycle is of course a bike and a tricycle a trike. When does a trike become a "tadpole"?– K. Frog A. "Tricycle" comes from the Greek "treia" for 3 and...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Penguin push: How the killer whale gets his meal Published on Nov 20th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What strategy do penguins use to avoid being attacked and devoured by a killer whale?–Shamu A. They "play a waiting game akin to killer-whale roulette,"...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Lucky socks? Why baseball players love placebos Published on Nov 13th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Why so much superstition among baseball players? What do psychologists have to say?–S. Freud A. Athletes in many sports will wear lucky socks or engage in...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Pat him? Like poker players, dogs have a tell Published on Nov 6th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Next time you come face-to-face with an unfamiliar dog wagging its tail, could you determine whether to reach out to pet it or step back?– L. Helmsley A....
STRANGE BUT TRUE- On the rebound: Why you'll be happy in your golden years Published on Oct 30th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Across the life cycle, who should be happy about the recently publicized "u-shaped curve of happiness," and who might be unhappy?–E. Kelly A. Obviously,...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Dead snakes: They're riskier than you think Published on Oct 23rd, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. What's quite likely the most surprising deadly snake of the venomous lot?–B. Kidd A. A rattlesnake isn't the answer but rather a dead rattlesnake!...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Juiced game: These beer goggles are for the fans Published on Oct 9th, 2008 0 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Can you name the major league baseball performance-enhancing drug of choice, that works by exciting certain of the brain's neurotransmitters while inhibiting...
STRANGE BUT TRUE- Trash talk: Why's the can so hot? Published on Oct 2nd, 2008 2 comments DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Puzzled Bakersfield, California, coworkers ask, "In the women's bathroom, there's an enclosed garbage can with a swinging door on front. Mostly, all that's in...