Podcast Episode #356: A Mind of Its Own

In this episode, you’re going to learn about a bizarre medical condition in which the suffers have a hand that, essentially, has a mind of its own at times, with those who suffer from this condition having little control over what the offending limb does, even in cases where it might try to strangle them. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes […]

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How Do Other Animals Deal with the Umbilical Cord and Placenta When the Baby is Born?

Brandi N asks: How do other primates deal with the umbilical cord and placenta when the baby is born when they don’t have any sort of medical help to make sure everything’s handled right? Other than certain modern humans, some marine mammals (like whales and dolphins), chimpanzees and a few domesticated animals, mammal mothers typically eat the afterbirth. While most […]

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The Truth About Ben Franklin’s Epigrams

Ben Franklin accomplished a lot of things over his 84 years on Earth. He was an influential newspaper editor and printer. He was an inventor, known for bifocals, the lightening rod, and Franklin stove. He was the governor of Pennsylvania for three years. He was an American founding father, who had a hand in drafting the Declaration of Independence. The […]

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When Pi was Almost 3.2

In this video, produced by the very talented Brady Haran over at Numberphile, which you can subscribe to here, Dr. James Grime tells a very fascinating story of how the state of Illinois almost officially made Pi 3.2.  If you like this video, please join us in supporting Numberphile on Patreon here. If you liked this video, you might also […]

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Origin of Lo and Behold

Richard G. asks: What does the “lo” in lo and behold mean? Like a wordy exclamation point, the two defining words in “lo and behold” mean basically the same thing. Specifically, the word lo!, meaning “look!” first appeared in Middle English (1100-1500 AD) in the 1200s, and essentially was clipped from the early English imperative word for “look,” lok. An […]

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Do Road Hazard Signs Like “Deer Crossing” and “Falling Rocks” Actually Prevent Accidents?

Sanvi F. asks: It costs thousands of dollars to install even one road sign, so why do they bother putting “warning deer” and “falling rock” warning signs when nobody pays attention to them? Warning of an upcoming curve, playing kids, falling rock, icy roads and, of course, deer, traditional static warning signs litter the sides of our roadways to the […]

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