http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/articles.sec-8400-1-the-straight-dope.html By Cecil Adams

Some of the highest-profile hits nowadays happen in Russia]]> By Cecil Adams

In TV shows and movies, we often see someone shoot a revolver and then immediately place it inside the front waistband of their pants. Wouldn’t they get burned in a very sensitive place from the extremely hot barrel?]]> By Cecil Adams

“A young man named George Snyder was instantly killed at Grand Rapids Monday. He was employed at Chase Bros’ [sic] piano manufactory, and as he was passing out of the factory on his way to dinner, a piano which was suspended]]> By Cecil Adams

Everyone hops into a time machine with a madman at the controls]]> By Cecil Adams

Is there a scientific explanation for the phenomenon of boredom? Can you be bored to death? ]]> By Cecil Adams

Nonetheless, your mother may not be too far off base. Motorcycle exhaust greatly reduces sperm count...]]> By Cecil Adams

Have there been any confirmed deaths by falling pianos? How about anvils? —Stephen, Acme Industrial Products ]]> By Cecil Adams

When I worked in the corporate world, I had to wear mid- or high-heeled shoes. But now that I’ve changed jobs I get to wear flats, and in retrospect I don’t know how I ever put up with the discomfort of wearing heels every day.]]> By Cecil Adams

If Hollywood has taught me anything, it’s that working for a multinational corporation (or investigating one as a journalist) carries the risk you’ll uncover damning information revealing a vast criminal conspiracy, ]]> By Cecil Adams

What’s the deal with the so-called zombie apocalypse? It’s all over the Web, in movies and on television, and there are even books about how to survive when the shambling hordes come for you. Did I miss something? —Anonymous ]]> By Cecil Adams

The Sandusky horror is just the latest in a seemingly endless stream of pedophile scandals. Is there any reliable information on the incidence of these kinds of crimes? —Stan Kaplan]]> By Cecil Adams

Whenever there’s a really bad storm, environmentalists on the left and apocalypse enthusiasts on the right act as though it’s self-evident that hurricanes and other storms are becoming more frequent and intense. Environmentalists cite global warming, while apocalypse enthusiasts blame sinners for incurring God’s wrath. But I never see any statistics showing the hurricane situation is actually, quantifiably getting worse. Does anyone have solid facts on this? Are there more (and worse) hurricanes than in the past? —Geoffrey Card ]]> By Cecil Adams

As bodily defense mechanisms go, pain makes sense: Put your hand on a hot stove and your body screams “Get out of here!” But what’s the purpose of itching? Chicken pox, mosquito bites, hemorrhoids and rashes]]> By Cecil Adams

A rugby player friend of mine says one reason for the serious injuries in American football is pads and helmets. He says players can hit harder because of protective equipment and do so knowing they will suffer less injury ]]> By Cecil Adams

My query concerns the common conception of primitive cultures sacrificing virgins by throwing them into the maw of an active volcano. Many people seem to think this actually happened, but I can’t find even one reliable report ]]> By Cecil Adams

How would I gain access to the deep Web (dark Web)? Supposedly it’s a site that promotes illegal activities. I understand you can hire serial killers, assassins and things of that sort. ]]> By Cecil Adams

On Hollywood Squares the other night, one of the questions was: “What medical problem are women with a D-cup or larger more likely to get?” The answer was carpal tunnel syndrome! What’s the connection? ]]> By Cecil Adams

I watched the film Turbulence the other day. In the movie, after a shootout on a flight transporting prisoners, a stewardess must outwit a serial killer and land the airplane herself. ]]> By Cecil Adams

In many movies and books where the protagonist needs to be injured for dramatic effect but not killed, he’s shot in the shoulder (usually about 3 or 4 inches down from the top surface of the shoulder and a few inches ]]> By Cecil Adams

Why are images from our space program always in grayscale instead of color? I know NASA needs to extract data from those images, and I also know the cameras aren’t $9.99 specials from the corner drugstore. ]]>