It's a familiar sight: you're driving along one of those long, dry stretches of highway in any of the southwestern states, and you keep coming across snakes that have been run over by cars. Why should snakes have worse luck with cars than any other d...
If you read dog-training books or watch dog trainers on television, you've probably learned that to control your dog, you have to display dominance. It's commonly thought that because dogs are pack animals, they live according to dominance hierarchie...
Several years ago, I was standing at a bus stop when suddenly a couple emerged from a nearby alley, arguing loudly. More or less in unison, we at the bus stop all turned and looked them. Then the man grabbed the woman by the shoulders and, yelling, b...
I recently read an article in which one of my favorite columnists, William Safire, explores the use of generation in a litany of literary references to American writers. He begins with Hemingway's quotation of lost generation and then explores other...
During times of war or danger, nations who fear that their country could be attacked or invaded try to seal their borders against any unwanted intruders. For landlocked countries, that means heightening passport checkpoints and strengthening fences....
Most people searching for buried treasure would be looking for silver and gold, ancient coins or rare artwork. But scientists studying the extinct giant moa bird and its environment are looking for a different kind of artifact. Poop. That's right. A...
worms seem like strange animals to send to the International Space Station. It's not like astronauts are going to take time off to go fishing and need to bait their hooks. So why send worms? Believe it or not, scientists are using a microscopic worm,...
Mike: Want to come see my new Guitar Hero game? Amanda:I can't. I have to go home and practice the piano. I'm playing in a recital next week. Mike: You'll be good enough without practice. You're a natural. Amanda: I can read music pretty well, but I'...
Revolutionary Road, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is no Titanic－it's a thousand times sadder. There is at least love in Titanic, but in Revolutionary Road, there is no love. The plot centers around Frank Wheeler and his wife April wh...
Imagine a friend of yours has invited you over for dinner to share a gourmet meal and an expensive bottle of wine. You really enjoy the meal and the wine and ask your friend where she got the stuff. She confesses that the gourmet meal was really a TV...
Don: Arghh. Stupid bees! Yal: Are you sure those are bees Don? D: Well I'd say they're either bees or wasps. But I'm not sure. Y: Well I think most people couldn't tell wasps or bees apart by sound. And we're not alone! A study shows that some leaf-e...
Yal: What's with the ten-gallon hat, Don? Don: Haven't you heard, Yal? Males with big heads are better fighters. Y: I'm sure males with big heads think they are better fighters. D: It's true. The Chinese have been betting on cricket fights since the...
Members of the Calorie Restriction Society call themselves CRONies. They believe they can add years to their lives by eating 1800 calories per day. But is cutting calories the key to a long life, or just another fad? Studies on mice and rats, give CR...
Playing dead doesn't seem like much of a strategy, but it works for the opossum, commonly known as the possum. The possum is a rather unglamorous creature. It has big, black eyes, a pale pointy face and a hairless tail, like a rat's. Possums aren't f...
Don: Hey Ya?l, have you ever heard that old wives' tale about how elephants are afraid of small rodents like mice and rats? Ya?l: Yeah, Don. But like many old wives' tales this one is incorrect, as the experiment has been done several times. For exam...
