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Ask Us Anything

PopSci editors answer your most-outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall.

Latest Ask Us Anything Stories

What we can learn from baby black holes

By Rahul Rao

/ Nov 11, 2021

When you get a stitch in your side, what’s really going on?

By Nicole Wetsman

/ Nov 8, 2021

Why do marathon runners get the runs?

By Ellen Airhart

/ Nov 7, 2021

Will cracking my knuckles give me arthritis?

By Nicole Wetsman

/ Nov 5, 2021

Why your UTI keeps coming back

By Cassidy Mayeda

/ Oct 22, 2021

Why do my muscles ache the day after a big workout?

By Sara Kiley Watson

/ Oct 18, 2021

Did food taste better 50 years ago?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Oct 14, 2021

What would happen if the sun went out?

By Holly Otterbein

/ Oct 7, 2021

What happens when the sun burns out?

By Rahul Rao

/ Oct 7, 2021

How close can you get to the sun? Closer than you’d think.

By Alessandra Calderin

/ Oct 5, 2021

Why can’t we all touch our toes?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Sep 30, 2021

What does space smell like?

By Lizzie Schiffman

/ Sep 29, 2021

Kids are onto something: Homework might actually be bad

By Stan Horaczek

/ Sep 23, 2021

How much water should you drink in a day?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Sep 21, 2021

What would a dinosaur taste like?

By John Kennedy

/ Sep 16, 2021

What would happen if I ate my computer? Asking for a friend.

By Ellen Airhart

/ Sep 14, 2021

A complete guide on how to safely take, send, and store nudes

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

/ Sep 9, 2021

What is a hangover? And can you cure it?

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

/ Sep 7, 2021

How to eat sweet foods on a healthy diet

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Sep 7, 2021

Ask Us Anything: Can you survive on a single food forever?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ Mar 23, 2021

Can you live on bread and water alone?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Sep 6, 2021

What actually happens when you pull a muscle?

By Nicole Wetsman

/ Aug 11, 2021

How many hours of sleep do you actually need?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Apr 11, 2017

You can injure yourself stretching—but it’s not easy

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Jul 8, 2021

What Makes A Boomerang Come Back?

By Kirstin Fawcett

/ Oct 24, 2013

Why don’t we just throw all our garbage into volcanoes?

By Mary Beth Griggs

/ Nov 20, 2015

You might be overusing hand sanitizer

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Jun 27, 2021

Do animals have orgasms?

By Shaunacy Ferro

/ Sep 26, 2013

FYI: Do Fat People Stay Warmer Than Thin People?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jan 2, 2014

Is there a single food that you can survive on forever?

By Ellen Airhart

/ May 24, 2021

Peeing in the pool is actually really bad for you

By Claire Maldarelli

/ May 29, 2017

Ask Us Anything: Why do humans stop growing?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ Mar 18, 2021

Ask Us Anything: Why can’t we see more colors?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ May 6, 2021

Ask Us Anything: What are allergies?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ May 4, 2021

Ask Us Anything: What happens in your brain when you daydream?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ Apr 29, 2021

Ask Us Anything: Can viruses be good for us?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ Apr 27, 2021

Ask Us Anything: What happens to your body when you die in space?

By Shannon Stirone

/ Apr 13, 2021

Ask Us Anything: Why can’t we burn our trash in volcanoes?

By Claire Maldarelli , Jessica Boddy

/ Apr 22, 2021

How your tongue tells your brain what you’re tasting

By Alex Schwartz

/ Dec 11, 2019

FYI: How Many Different Ways Can a Chess Game Unfold?

By Natalie Wolchover

/ Dec 15, 2010

Why are crows and ravens such jerks?

By Nicholas Lund

/ Nov 12, 2019

How do we get our eye color?

By Jordan Blok

/ Mar 5, 2020

Nuking hurricanes out of the sky ‘doesn’t make sense at all’

By Erin Blakemore

/ Aug 27, 2019

Why don’t we grow to be 10 feet tall?

By Molly Glick

/ May 1, 2019

Why you’re more likely to cry on an airplane

By Lila Reynolds

/ Apr 26, 2019

If everyone became vegetarian, would the planet actually be better off?

By Sara Kiley Watson

/ Sep 8, 2017

Do men have hormonal cycles?

By Daniel Engber

/ Oct 30, 2015

FYI: Why Do You Lose Your Tan In The Winter?

By Keaton Thomas

/ Jun 4, 2013

Why Does Stale Bread Turn Hard, But Stale Chips Turn Soft?

By Daniel Engber

/ Dec 11, 2015

Why Does A Drop Of Water Confuse My Touchscreen?

By Daniel Engber

/ Nov 30, 2015

Why Does Bright Light Make Me Sneeze?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jan 4, 2016

I’ve Heard That The Earth’s Rotation Is Slowing. How Long Until Days Last 25 Hours?

/ Sep 30, 2008

Will We Run Out Of Breathable Oxygen If We Produce Too Much Carbon Dioxide?

By Amy Geppert

/ Sep 23, 2008

Earthquakes can cause serious psychological aftershocks

By Tammy Danan

/ Jul 20, 2020

Does It Feel Better To Give Or Receive A Gift?

By Daniel Engber

/ Nov 17, 2015

Could Tapping the Planet for Geothermal Energy Cool the Earth’s Core?

By Stuart Fox

/ Sep 10, 2008

What Fills the Space Left in Wells When Oil is Extracted From the Ground?

By Holly Otterbein

/ Nov 3, 2008

What Modifications Would I Need to Make to My Car So I Could Drive It On The Moon?

By Stuart Fox

/ Nov 5, 2008

Does Edible Deodorant Work?

By Martha Harbison

/ Dec 7, 2012

Why Do the Colorado Rockies Keep Their Baseballs in a Humidor?

By Stuart Fox

/ Nov 7, 2008

FYI: How Long Would It Take Santa To Deliver Presents To Every Kid On Earth?

/ Dec 11, 2012

FYI: What Do Forensic Chemists Do, And Why Would They Cheat?

By Krislyn Placide

/ Dec 3, 2012

FYI: What Makes Hair Curly?

By Daniel Engber

/ Dec 3, 2012

Why Do Stars Really Twinkle?

By Daniel Engber

/ Nov 9, 2015

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