How & Why

1999

Why does our breath smell like garlic days after we've eaten it, no matter how many times we brush our teeth?, 3/01/99

Why does your stomach growl?, 3/01/99

In searching forextra-terrestrial life, should we be sending light into space and looking for those same transmissions coming back, instead of listening for radio or electric signals? , 2/22/99

What is the smallest planet in the solar system? , 2/15/99

Is the red spot on Jupiter part of the planet or part of its atmosphere? , 2/15/99

Why is water in the gas tank a problem particularly in winter, and how does adding moisture (dry gas) to two liquids (gas and water) remove moisture from the tank? , 2/8/99

How does de-icer on planes work?, 2/8/99

Besides bears, what other animals hibernate? , 2/1/99

Why is it that we can hear FM radio when going through a tunnel, but we can't hear AM radio? , 1/25/99

Why does where I stand in my room affect my FM reception?, 1/25/99

The moon has been up to some unusual behavior recenty, prompting question from several readers, including J.B in Groton, and C.C., who didn't provide a hometown,1/18/99

Why is our atmosphere so different from that of Venus, which is 90 times thicker than ours? ,1/18/99

How is plastic made?, 1/4/99

1998

Like snowflakes, are raindrops unique? , 12/28/98

I am looking at a star that is 200 light years away. I know light travels at 186,000 miles per second, which would put this star 1,173,139,200,000,000 miles away. When I look at that star, just how far am I really looking?, 12/21/98

If I had a dollar bill for every atom in a one-dollar bill, would I be richer than Bill Gates? , 12/21/98

Why is it that lighting a match seems to dispel the odor of flatulence? , 12/14/98

How are the calories on food packages figured? , 12/7/98

Do all living things share the same basic DNA? What determines that something will turn out a jellyfish or a human?, 12/7/98

Why do kids see and hear better than adults? , 11/30/98

Why have humans developed different blood types? , 11/23/98

How do turtles necks work, to let them extend their heads or withdraw them into their shells?, 10/16/98

Why don't spiders get entangled in their own web? , 10/16/98

What makes the crackling noise in the ocean that divers hear? , 11/09/98

Why does my dog howl and moan at the sound of a harmonica? , 11/09/98

Why can't a missile be exploded in the eye of a hurricane to break it up? , 11/2/98

How old is the Earth?, 10/26/98

In 150 years, will the United States become separated physically? , 10/26/98

Why do leaves change color? , 10/19/98

Moral issues aside, since humans and chimpanzees are so genetically similar, can human sperm impregnate a chimp's egg? , 10/12/98

Are more boy babies born, or more girls?, 10/12/98

How old is the universe, and will it continue to expand or eventually contract back in, like a bungee cord? , 10/5/98

If there is no oxygen in space, then how do the sun and other stars burn with apparent flames? , 9/28/98

How is wind formed?, 9/21/98

How do tornadoes start?, 9/21/98

Why do owls `whoo'? Why don't they `caw'? , 9/7/98

Why do humans need the ability to taste sour and bitter things? , 9/7/98

What's in a skunk's juice that makes it smell so bad?, 8/31/98

Why do volcanoes erupt?, 8/24/98

How do hearts beat?, 8/17/98

Why does the ocean smell the way it does?, 8/10/98

Why do fireflies light up at night?; I thought fireflies appeared in late June or early July. We haven't seen one this year?, 8/3/98

Why do we get goosebumps, 7/27/97

What makes helium change the tone of your voice?, 7/27/98

In New York City, I understand there are two houses heated by heat drawn up from deep underground. Can I do this to my house?, 7/20/98

Why do golf balls have dimples?, 7/13/98

What is the lava in lava lamps?, 7/13/98

What causes motion sickness? Is there anything people can do to make themselves less susceptible to the problem?, 7/6/98

How do spiders control eight eyes? What kind of vision would that be like? Do they have good vision or just simple contrast change? 6/29/98

We all know that there are good and bad bacteria that live in the body. Are there good viruses, too, or are all viruses bad? 6/15/98

When your foot ``falls asleep'' because you sat on it too long, what exactly is happening inside, and what causes that tingling feeling? 6/15/98

What causes hot flashes? 6/6/98

Why do people sometimes get headaches when they eat ice cream? 6/6/98

Does exercise sap energy needed to fight off a cold? 6/1/98

How big and old must our native swordfish be to breed successfully? 5/25/98

Are people more active during a full moon? 5/11/98

Why do different cloud types look different? 5/4/98

Why are the waters of the Caribbean so much more colorful and clear than, for example, the Atlantic? 5/4/98

How big does a meteorite have to be to make a crater? And what's the difference between an asteroid and a meteorite? 4/27/98

How do geese find their way back after they fly south? 4/20/98

What makes the Santa Ana wind in California hot? 4/6/98

What causes people to drool while they're sleeping? 4/6/98

Why do tornadoes seem to hit more trailer homes than other property? 3/30/98

How much salt is in the oceans? 3/30/98

Is there any chance the Mars Pathfinder carried bacteria to Mars? 3/23/98

If rainfall is pure and rivers and streams flowing into the oceans are fresh water, why do the oceans remain salty? 3/16/98

Does a Venus Flytrap have muscles? 3/9/98

The role of calcium in osteoporosis, 3/9/98

Why don't dogs get the intestinal infections a human would get from sniffing and licking at all kinds of nasty stuff on the ground? 2/23/98

Do dogs have belly buttons? 2/23/98

How do birds live through the winter in New England? 2/9/98

Why don't birds that perch on electrical wires get electrocuted? 2/9/98

Why do different people have different colored eyes, and why do they change from when you were a baby? 2/2/98

When we are born, do we have the same size eye as when we are adults, or do they grow? 2/2/98

What would happen if we had no ozone layer? 2/26/98

Why are the rocks redder in Arizona than in Massachusetts? 2/26/98

How can I obtain the calcium my body requires to offset bone loss? 1/19/98

What percentage of the human body is water, and how is this determined? 1/12/98

How do "Magic Eye" 3-D pictures work? 1/5/98

Has anyone been able to figure out what animal species makes up the largest percentage of population of animals on the Earth? Plants? 1/5/98

1997

How do sweet foods make your teeth hurt? 12/29/97

The resveratrol found in red wines is supposed to be helpful. Is it also found in raisins? 12/22/97

Why do people always close their eyes when they sneeze? 12/22/97

Why does the newspaper turn grayish-white after a couple of days, and then turn yellow after a longer period of time? 12/15/97

Why do Mexican jumping beans jump? 12/15/97

Why does a lobster's shell change from black to red when it is boiled? 12/8/97

What makes muscles tired? 12/1/97

Why are some people not ticklish? 12/1/97

Why were the Cassini mission and the Huygens Titan probe given the names they were? 11/24/97

Sometimes I see large bumps on tree trunks. What causes them? 11/17/97

Why does moss grow on the north side of a tree? 11/17/97

Why do morning glories bloom only when the sun hits them in the morning? 11/10/97

If a giant squid lives so close to the bottom of the ocean, how can it survive the pressure? 10/27/97

Is anyone working on a sunblock that you can take as a pill instead of having to slather on all that sun-block lotion? 10/13/97

1996

How do they know that the meteorite found in Antarctica came from Mars? 8/26/96

Does putting batteries in the refrigerator actually help them keep their charge or charge them better? 8/19/96

How does a geode form? 8/5/96

What is it in a jellyfish's skin that stings us? 7/29/96

Why do cats purr? 7/22/96

What causes the northern lights? 7/8/96

Are there otters in the Charles? 7/1/96

Why do birds seem to have no problem flying while people are being pushed around by the strong wind? 7/1/96

Have there ever been any major quakes in New England? 6/24/96

We were wondering about cataracts. Why can't the bad lens be removed, cleaned and then put back? 6/17/96

Why do dogs keep stopping to urinate, and why do they roll in animal carcasses? 6/17/96

Why can't you buy lobsters that are already dead? 5/20/96

Why are there holes in the prongs of standard electric appliance plugs? 5/20/96

Why do bats hang upside down? 5/13/96

How does a bat's radar work? 5/13/96

Where does phosphoresence come from and what causes it? 4/29/96

Ever since the MWRA changed the pH [acidity level] of the water, green stains appear quickly on out bathtub. What kind of chemical reaction is taking place? 4/15/96

What happens to contortionists' bones as they age? 1/15/96

How is cholesterol measured? 1/1/96

1995

What's the difference between a seed and a nut? 11/27/95

What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? 11/20/95

Why are there two high tides each day? 11/13/95

Why is it that eyes take so long to adjust to a dark room? 10/30/95

Why did all the dinosaurs die off, but lizards and other reptiles survive? 10/2/95

Why do humans get only two sets of teeth? 8/28/95

A second look at the streaks that airplanes leave across the sky, 8/28/95

What is the white streak you see in the sky behind an airplane on a clear day? 8/7/95

How and why does your skin tan when you are in the sun? 7/31/95

How does sunscreen lotion work? 7/31/95

Do you get the full benefit of the sun's rays through a window? 7/31/95

Will a bear hibernate if it lives in the tropics? 6/5/95

Do identical twin zebras have identical stripes? 5/22/95

Are there owls in the city? 4/24/95

How is coffee decaffeinated? 4/17/95

1994

Why don't birds and animals that eat fish have problems with the fish bones when they're eating? 11/21/94

What is the cause of nail fungus, and what cure is there, if any? 9/26/94

How does hamburger in supermarkets get gray on the inside and does it affect the meat? 9/22/94

Why do most rodents sleep during the daytime? 7/4/94

Can you explain why eating asparagus causes one's urine to have a strong, unique odor? 6/6/94

Why is it that we perspire profusely in 90-degree weather when our own body temperature is 98.6 degrees? 5/30/94

Are there any animals, other than humans, that experience an orgasm in sex? 5/16/94

Why do pipes make a big banging sound when the heat goes on? 3/21/94

Is the universe infinite? 2/7/94