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Skip to main content clock menu more-arrow no yes The Straight Dope homepage Wednesday, March 3, 2021 Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It’s taking longer than we thought.) The Straight Dope homepage Site search Search Search The Straight Dope main menu Message Boards Newsletter Animals Drugs Food Origins Politics Religion FAQ / About Ask The Straight Dope More Message Boards Newsletter Animals Drugs Food Origins Politics Religion FAQ / About Ask The Straight Dope ✕ Filed under: A note from Cecil Adams about The Straight Dope By Cecil Adams Filed under: Politics The U.S. goes fascist. How do you escape? By Cecil Adams Filed under: Crime, police and the law Can Congress override a presidential pardon? By Cecil Adams Filed under: Where did two-letter postal abbreviations come from? By Cecil Adams Filed under: Drugs Is it dangerous to eat magic mushrooms before they have dried out? What mushrooms are safe to eat? By Cecil Adams All Latest Stories Filed under: Drugs Do brain supplements do anything? By Cecil Adams June 27, 2018 Origin Stories What’s the origin of “the finger”? What’s the origin of Uncle Sam? What’s the origin of the skull and crossbones pirate flag? Filed under: Is flying really worse for the environment than driving? By Cecil Adams June 22, 2018 Filed under: Why aren’t internal organs symmetrical? By Cecil Adams June 15, 2018 Filed under: Do dogs have better protection from ticks than people do? By Cecil Adams June 8, 2018 Filed under: Origin Stories How did “nuts” and “bananas” come to mean “crazy”? By Cecil Adams May 18, 2018 Filed under: Drugs Why does South America grow all the coca? By Cecil Adams May 11, 2018 Filed under: Crime, police and the law How often do emergency vehicles get into accidents? By Cecil Adams May 4, 2018 Filed under: Is there a link between the Zika virus and toxoplasmosis? By Cecil Adams April 27, 2018 Crime, police and the law Can Congress override a presidential pardon? How often do emergency vehicles get into accidents? Do fitness trackers pose a privacy risk? Filed under: Food Why is there no blue food? By Cecil Adams December 9, 2011 Filed under: Drugs What happened to Mercurochrome? By Cecil Adams July 23, 2004 Filed under: How dangerous are cows? By Cecil Adams April 20, 2018 Filed under: Origin Stories Why is it called a restroom, anyway? By Straight Dope Staff June 2, 2009 Filed under: Is there a link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer? By Cecil Adams April 6, 2018 Filed under: Food What’s so bad about processed foods? By Cecil Adams March 30, 2018 Most Read What’s the origin of “coon’s age”? A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean? A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD What happened to Mercurochrome? A note from Cecil Adams about The Straight Dope Sign up for the newsletter The Straight Dope The best of The Straight Dope, delivered to your inbox. Email (required) By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. Subscribe Filed under: If head trauma is so bad for humans, how do woodpeckers manage? By Cecil Adams March 23, 2018 Filed under: How did the gavel end up in American courtrooms? By Cecil Adams March 15, 2018 Filed under: Will bacteriophages save us from the antibiotics crisis? By Cecil Adams March 9, 2018 Filed under: Politics What do we know about the effects of marijuana legalization? By Cecil Adams March 2, 2018 Filed under: What’s the environmental impact of road salt? By Cecil Adams February 22, 2018 Filed under: What’s the life span of a skyscraper? By Cecil Adams February 9, 2018 Filed under: Animals What happens to birds during a hurricane? By Cecil Adams February 2, 2018 Filed under: Is music universal? By Cecil Adams January 19, 2018 Filed under: Drugs How credible are the new blood-pressure guidelines? By Cecil Adams January 12, 2018 Filed under: Animals Do all animals yawn and stretch? By Cecil Adams December 29, 2017 Filed under: What’s the connection between outlaw bikers and ball-peen hammers? By Cecil Adams December 22, 2017 Filed under: Drugs Are infectious diseases becoming untreatable? By Cecil Adams December 15, 2017 Filed under: Food Why isn’t venison a major industry in the U.S.? By Cecil Adams December 12, 2017 Filed under: Sports Why does everybody in the world play tag? By Cecil Adams December 5, 2017 Filed under: Drugs What’s the skinny on artificial sweeteners like aspartame? By Cecil Adams November 17, 2017 Filed under: Food Why are there so few kinds of cutlery? By Cecil Adams September 29, 2017 Pagination More Stories Chorus Terms of Use Privacy Notice Cookie Policy Do not sell my info Accessibility Platform Status Adjust cookie preferences Contact Us Customer Support Masthead Send Us a Tip Author Login...