Most Popular
1500 questions
31
votes
2 answers
Do cats have a notable dislike of water compared to other animals?
The common knowledge goes that cats, in general, have a particular dislike of water compared to other animals. Is this true?
RomanSt
- 3,779
- 3
- 26
- 46
30
votes
2 answers
Is a glass of red wine a day beneficial for the heart?
It has been stated that drinking a glass of red wine per day is good for the heart. There has been a lot of discussion surrounding this issue; two examples are this article from the Guardian and this CNN article.
I am wondering whether there is a…
Lover of Structure
- 563
- 4
- 9
30
votes
2 answers
How much does wet sponge matter in electrocution process?
In Stephen King's novel The Green Mile and its film adaptation one of the characters (Eduard Delacroix) is getting electrocuted. Before the execution one of the correction officers instead of wetting the sponge placed under electric chair's cap left…
default locale
- 2,079
- 3
- 24
- 26
30
votes
2 answers
Is biting a gold coin a working method to verify its authenticity?
Julia Murray & Kelsey Serwa
In movies you commonly see treasure hunters, pirates, thieves, ...
bite down on a gold coin to verify it's real gold.
(Gold Medal winners often pose with the medal between their teeth, and I'm guessing it derives from…
Oliver_C
- 47,851
- 18
- 213
- 208
30
votes
2 answers
Is drinking tea after a meal unhealthy?
There is a popular belief that drinking tea shortly after meal can cause health problems and is also dangerous to anemic people.
Drinking tea just after a meal restricts the body's absorption of iron (Fe) consumed with the meal. [...] Tea or coffee…
2hamed
- 715
- 2
- 8
- 12
30
votes
1 answer
Are psychopaths more intelligent than people in general?
A common trope in popular culture regarding psychopaths is that they are above average to extremely intelligent. Granted, smart psychopaths make for a more interesting villain (or anti-heroes), but this seems to be a common assumption even in…
Zano
- 3,045
- 4
- 26
- 40
30
votes
1 answer
Do dairy products cause phlegm to build or thicken?
It is a common advice, perpetuated by many parents, and even some doctors, that if you have a cold, you should avoid dairy products, because they cause phlegm to build up or thicken. See e.g. Foods that cause mucus buildup.
Do they (and if they do,…
Suma
- 6,086
- 5
- 36
- 57
30
votes
1 answer
Is it dangerous to throw a coin off a building?
A long time ago I had this discussion with some people if throwing a coin of a building is dangerous (potentially deadly) if it hits someone. The height of the building should be skyscraper-like so the coin could reach 'terminal velocity'.
From the…
Baarn
- 1,538
- 17
- 26
30
votes
2 answers
Was NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter lost because engineering teams used different measuring units?
I read in a book that NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter was lost on September 23, 1999, at a cost of $125 million, because one engineering team used metric units, while another one used inches for a key spacecraft operation.
Was it really a conversion…
splattne
- 409
- 3
- 10
30
votes
1 answer
Was it common to perform surgeries on babies without anesthesia because doctors felt they weren't "conscious enough to feel pain"?
The claim was made on parenting.se that "not so long ago, babies were operated on without anaesthetic because they weren't considered 'conscious' enough to feel pain".*
A Google search revealed several other references to this claim.
I've heard of…
Beofett
- 9,363
- 4
- 57
- 84
30
votes
3 answers
Did Marcus Aurelius say "Live a good life"?
Is the attribution of this quote to Marcus Aurelius correct?
Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods,…
Sven
- 561
- 1
- 5
- 10
30
votes
3 answers
CSI image resolution enhance: How real is it?
So I watched the following 1 minute long Youtube clip from CSI New York. In the clip, using what seems to be the recording from a standard bank camera, they zoom in at least 100, and see the image of the culprit in the reflection of the eye of the…
user3260
30
votes
2 answers
Is it illegal in the U.S. for legal professionals to answer legal questions on public Internet forums?
A SE moderator said:
[I]n the US, at least, legal professionals are not permitted to answer questions on a site like this.
It seems odd that a law would prohibit someone who has passed a Bar exam from answering questions in a public forum. It also…
Flimzy
- 15,520
- 14
- 63
- 132
30
votes
1 answer
Do you use only 14 muscles to smile but 43 to frown?
I have heard this claim many times
You use 14 muscles to smile and 43 to frown
But I have never seen any actual proof of this and always assumed it was just one of those midwest folksy sayings.
Is there any truth too it?
Chad
- 9,099
- 6
- 49
- 96
30
votes
2 answers
Can you be suffocated from being smothered by a pillow?
We've all seen it in movies. A villian suffocates one of his/her victims with a pillow while they sleep, killing them in a matter if a minute or so.
Whenever I've pushed my head into a pillow as far as it will go, I can still breathe. I even asked…
OghmaOsiris
- 421
- 1
- 4
- 8