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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

Why do I feel dizzy after spinning?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Oct 18, 2018

Do I have a cold or the flu?

By Nicole Wetsman

/ Oct 5, 2018

Why can’t I use my dog’s tick prevention medicine?

By Nicole Wetsman

/ Jul 25, 2018

What would happen if the moon suddenly disappeared?

By Morgan McFall-Johnsen

/ May 7, 2018

Why hasn’t the sun burned out yet?

By Emma Sarappo

/ May 3, 2018

Can my dog get me sick?

By Annie Cebulski

/ Apr 27, 2018

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

By Sara Kiley Watson

/ Sep 8, 2017

Does a fever always mean you have an infection?

By Cassidy Mayeda

/ Aug 18, 2017

What can genetic testing really tell you?

By Aparna Nathan

/ Aug 14, 2017

Does drinking hot liquids on a hot day actually cool you off?

By Marissa Shieh

/ Aug 10, 2017

Is it possible to sneeze while you are sleeping?

By Marissa Shieh

/ Jul 25, 2017

How worried should I really be about carcinogens?

By Aparna Nathan

/ Jul 19, 2017

Do probiotics actually do anything?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ May 23, 2017

What actually causes body odor?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ May 10, 2017

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ May 2, 2017

What’s the best way to crack an egg? Physics has the answer.

By Hanna Bolaños

/ Apr 24, 2017

What’s the healthiest way to eat a vegetable?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Apr 18, 2017

Does brushing your teeth affect your appetite?

By Claire Maldarelli

/ Mar 30, 2017

Can I use moss to navigate?

By Knvul Sheikh

/ Dec 30, 2016

Could you fertilize Martian crops with human poop?

By Michael Koziol

/ Dec 27, 2016

Can Being Cold Really Make You Sick?

By Melissa Klein

/ Oct 18, 2016

Who Blows A Lighthouse’s Foghorn?

By Melissa Klein

/ Oct 18, 2016

Why Is It So Hard To Get Rid Of Garlic Breath?

By Melissa Klein

/ Oct 17, 2016

Do Skunks Hate The Smell Of Their Own Spray?

By Melissa Klein

/ Aug 1, 2016

Why hasn’t the U.S. adopted the metric system?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jun 14, 2016

Why Does Sunlight Lighten Hair But Darken Skin?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jun 6, 2016

Does Giving Blood Harm Your Immune System?

By Daniel Engber

/ Apr 4, 2016

Why Do Shower Curtains Billow Inward?

By Daniel Engber

/ Mar 14, 2016

Do Beards Keep Men Warm?

By Daniel Engber

/ Mar 10, 2016

Which is More Powerful: A Giant Microscope or a Giant Telescope?

By Daniel Engber

/ Feb 29, 2016

Why Do I Feel Like Someone’s Watching Me?

By Daniel Engber

/ Feb 19, 2016

Should I Be Freaked Out By Backwash?

By Daniel Engber

/ Feb 17, 2016

Do People Who Grow Up In The Arctic See Better In The Dark?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jan 25, 2016

Why Does Bright Light Make Me Sneeze?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jan 4, 2016

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

Does It Feel Better To Give Or Receive A Gift?

By Daniel Engber

/ Nov 17, 2015

Why Do Stars Really Twinkle?

By Daniel Engber

/ Nov 9, 2015

Does ‘Bracing For Impact’ Really Protect You In A Crash?

By Daniel Engber

/ Nov 5, 2015

Do men have hormonal cycles?

By Daniel Engber

/ Oct 30, 2015

Does Coffee Give You A Different Buzz Than Tea?

By Daniel Engber

/ Oct 19, 2015

Will Practicing A Skill In Your Head Make You Better At It?

By Daniel Engber

/ Oct 5, 2015

What’s With All the Movie Mathematicians?

By Daniel Engber

/ Sep 22, 2015

Does Using The AC Make It Hotter Outside?

By Daniel Engber

/ Aug 31, 2015

How Much Exercise Do We Get From Talking?

By Daniel Engber

/ Aug 28, 2015

Could A Lion Live On Veggie Burgers?

By Daniel Engber

/ Aug 24, 2015

Can Hypnosis Kill You?

By Daniel Engber

/ Aug 18, 2015

Do Those Guys With Metal Detectors Ever Find Treasure?

By Daniel Engber

/ Aug 18, 2015

What’s the Deal with Paranormal Ectoplasm?

By Daniel Engber

/ Aug 5, 2015

Do Computers Die Of Old Age?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jul 22, 2015

Why is Candy Crush So Addictive?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jul 17, 2015

Does Hitting The Snooze Button Help Or Hurt?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jul 16, 2015

Can You Get A Smell Stuck In Your Head?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jul 8, 2015

Does Sugar Make Kids Hyper?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jul 1, 2015

Why Does Mold Come In So Many Colors?

By Daniel Engber

/ Jun 9, 2015

Can Two People Repopulate Earth?

By Morgan Kinney

/ May 20, 2015

Do Babies Express Emotions In The Same Way Adults Do?

By Daniel Engber

/ May 15, 2015

Do Mice Really Adore Cheese?

By Scott Brown

/ May 11, 2015

Ask Us Anything: Why Don’t Electric Eels Electrocute Themselves? [VIDEO]

By Daniel Engber

/ Apr 20, 2015

Ask Us Anything: How Common Is Scientific Fraud?

By Daniel Engber

/ Mar 30, 2015

Do Fish Get Out Of Breath?

By Daniel Engber

/ Mar 16, 2015

What’s The Worst Possible Password?

By Daniel Engber

/ Mar 11, 2015

Ask Us Anything: Are Aphrodisiacs For Real? [Video]

By Daniel Engber

/ Mar 7, 2015

How Big Would A Meteorite Have To Be To Wipe Out All Human Life?

By Daniel Engber

/ Feb 26, 2015

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