The Supermarket Numbers Game Have you ever gone to the store just for milk, but walked out with eight sale-priced cans of something youd never tasted and eight candy bars? How does that happen? Brian Wansink and colleagues have studied how people mak...
The Surprising Truth: Doctors Are Not Washing Their Hands Since the beginning of time, or at least for a good long while, mothers have exhorted their kids to wash their hands. Its a lesson most of us learn and carry with us into adulthood. And youd t...
How Rocks Appear In Your Garden I wonder how many of us went out this past spring to get our gardens ready for planting, smug in the thought that last year we got rid of all the rocks. Theres that nice big mound of them in the corner of the garden wh...
Whats So Special About A Sharp Knife? Everyone knows that a sharp knife cuts better than a dull one, but do you know why, exactly? The purpose of the cutting edge of a knife is to concentrate the force thats being applied at the handle. When you push...
Do Violent Video Games Change Our Brains? Video games are a huge industry kids and young adults spend more time playing them than watching movies or TV. And some of the most popular video games are ultra realistic war and fighting games featuring mas...
What Do Pupils Tell Us? The size of our pupils can give clues to our interest, emotions, attitudes, and thought processes. If youve seen a magician tell which card someone picked from a deck, youve probably been amazed. Well, the pupils often open up...
Is There A Connection Between The Brain And The Gut? Most people realize there is a brain gut connection. Nervous tension can aggravate irritable bowel syndrome and common dyspepsia, or stomach upset. If the brain can upset the gut, can the gut upset...
What Is The GABA Chemical? What would it be like if wearing a soft cotton t-shirt felt like your skin was being scrubbed with a Brillo pad? For people who suffer from a condition called central pain, such pain is all too familiar. Central Pain on thi...
Scientists Use Ancient Shells To Learn About The Past If you were traveling from the United States to Singapore, a guide book could tell you what sort of climate to expect. But if, like paleontologists and geologists, you needed to know what the weat...
High Inflation Fairs, carnivals, festivals or anywhere you can buy helium-filled balloons, youre sure to see at least one balloon rising into the sky after someone accidentally lets it go off. What happens to the balloon after it rises out of sight?...
Does Exercise Trigger Headache? Dear A Moment of Science, I like to exercise, but I suffer from migraines and worry that getting my sweat on at the gym could trigger a headache. Am I right to be cautious? Good question. For some people, exercise can...
Why Does Altitude Cause Headache? Mountain climbers face many dangers as they brave the cold winds and icy slopes and jagged cliffs of the peaks they climb. But one of the most serious dangers they face is all in their headsliterally. Why does altitu...
Beware Of Text Neck! Remember when the Blackberry was all the rage, and people worried about straining their thumbs typing on that tiny keyboard? Well, now that the iPhone and other smart phones have taken center stage, theres another malady gaining...
What Is Whipped Cream? It adorns ice cream sundaes, pumpkin pie, gingerbread, and hot chocolate. Its sweet creaminess tantalizes taste buds and sends dieters running from the scale. Did you ever wonder why heavy cream whips into soft, light peaks? Yo...
Did You Know That Moose Can Have Arthritis? Its easy to tell, even at a glance, that people and moose are pretty different. Moose, at least males, have big, wing shaped antlers. People have no antlers. Moose are herbivores, eating only plants. We eat...
