Answers to your questions about the news.

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• Fake Out! How forgers made grime seem ancient.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 30, 2004
  
• Surviving the Tsunami What Sri Lanka's animals knew that humans didn't.
  Christine Kenneally Dec. 30, 2004
  
• Earthquakes vs. the Earth's Rotation How major tremors alter the planet's wobble.
  Sam Schechner Dec. 28, 2004
  
• How To Avenge a Shark Attack First, find your shark.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 17, 2004
  
• Can Lasers Really Bring Down Planes? Actually, yes.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 14, 2004
  
• What Is Dioxin, Anyway? Where does it come from? And are its effects reversible?
  Sam Schechner Dec. 14, 2004
  
• How To Rig a Ukrainian Election Five ways Yushchenko might have gotten screwed.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 9, 2004
  
• How High Can a Fire Hose Shoot? And is it a good idea to aim high in the first place?
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 7, 2004
  
• How To Govern From the Clink Lessons for Marwan Barghouti.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 2, 2004
  
• How Buddhism Got to Russia  Despite the best efforts of Stalin and Catherine the Great.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 30, 2004
  
• The $28K Sandwich That Grew No Mold How the Virgin Mary's grilled cheese stayed mold-free for 10 years.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 23, 2004
  
• Counting Poppies in Afghanistan How the United Nations did it.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 19, 2004
  
• How They Count the Enemy Dead Why's it so hard? Let us count the ways.
  Phillip Carter Nov. 18, 2004
  
• How Often Is Atlantis Discovered? The lost city that's always being found.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 17, 2004
  
• What's That Flower on Blair's Lapel? The bloomin' thing, explained.
  Dan Kois Nov. 15, 2004
  
• Flak Jackets vs. Bulletproof Vests What's the difference?
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 12, 2004
  
• How Deep Is Arafat's Coma? And how can doctors tell?
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 9, 2004
  
• Do Diplomats Still Use Telegrams? Don't they have e-mail like the rest of us?
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 6, 2004
  
• Could the Blue States Secede? Is there a legal way to opt out of the Union?
  Sam Schechner Nov. 6, 2004
  
• How To Move to Canada Will they take us in?
  Louisa Herron Thomas Nov. 3, 2004
  
• What Is Voter Intimidation? Is it one thing in Ohio and another in South Dakota?
  Josh Levin Nov. 3, 2004
  
• What Happens in a SCOTUS Tie? How the court operates with a justice out sick.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 2, 2004
  
• Whence "October Surprise"? How it got its name.
  Andy Bowers Oct. 29, 2004
  
• Who Got To Name the Tiny Humans? Species identification 101.
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 28, 2004
  
• How Does a Tracheotomy Work? Will Rehnquist be able to talk next week?
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 25, 2004
  
• What Are Stun Grenades? And when do they come in handy?
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 22, 2004
  
• How Fair Is Sinclair's Doctrine? Is John Kerry entitled to avenge his Stolen Honor?
  Drew Clark Oct. 20, 2004
  
• Skip Law School, Be a Lawyer Anyway Can law school dropouts really join the bar?
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 19, 2004
  
• Why Develop Vaccines In Space? What scientists have against gravity.
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 15, 2004
  
• How the Feds Define Poverty What's food got to do with it?
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 12, 2004
  
• I Want a Flu Shot Does the doctor have to give it to me?
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 8, 2004
  
• Can You Buy Votes With Underwear? How about ramen noodles and chicken?
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 7, 2004
  
• How To Predict a Volcanic Eruption Can they know when Mount St. Helens will blow?
  Louisa Herron Thomas Oct. 5, 2004
  
• Can Bush Stump With Troops? And when can Kerry?
  Phillip Carter Oct. 1, 2004
  
• Where Does Space Begin? Eighty kilometers above the Earth's surface? 100 km? 600 km?
  Dan Kois Sept. 30, 2004
  
• American Indian vs. Native American Which is the proper term?
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 24, 2004
  
• What Is Blood Doping? And how does it work?
  Dan Kois Sept. 23, 2004
  
• How Deadly Are Scorpions? Not very.
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 21, 2004
  
• What Is an Assault Weapon? At last, you can get a semiautomatic rifle with a bayonet.
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 16, 2004
  
• The (Other) NFL Blackout Rule Why you didn't see the Dolphins-Titans game live.
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 14, 2004
  
• How NASA Uses Sapphires in Space Precious gems with lofty ambitions.
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 8, 2004
  
• How Does Bypass Surgery Work? What they'll do to Clinton's heart.
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 3, 2004
  
• Why Do We Get Labor Day Off? Raise a glass to the desperate politicking of Grover Cleveland.
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 2, 2004
  
• What's a Stemwinder? A long speech? A rousing one? A speech that bores your pants off?
  Rachael Larimore Aug. 31, 2004
  
• How Long Do Cops Keep Evidence? Five years? Forty years? Until the end of time?
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 27, 2004
  
• Why Are Killer Bees So Slow? Aren't they supposed to be here already?
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 26, 2004
  
• What, Exactly, Is a Swift Boat? A vessel that hails from the Gulf of Mexico, of course.
  Andy Bowers Aug. 25, 2004
  
• How To Earn a Purple Heart Which injuries are medal-worthy?
  Sam Schechner Aug. 23, 2004
  
• What's With That Weird New Vault? Goodbye, horse. Hello, tongue!
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 20, 2004
  
• Is a $10 Bag of Ice Illegal? When it's price gouging, and when it's just really expensive.
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 18, 2004
  
• We Have How Many Troops in Europe? Plus, the skinny on what they do there.
  Phillip Carter Aug. 18, 2004
  
• Why Puerto Rico Has Its Own Team How the insular territory made it to Athens.
  Alexander Barnes Dryer Aug. 17, 2004
  
• How To Conduct a Prairie Dog Census First, round up some remote-control planes.
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 13, 2004
  
• Eleven Angry Men Who says juries have to be unanimous?
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 11, 2004
  
• How To Renounce Your Citizenship Tips from Bobby Fischer.
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 6, 2004
  
• Could You Run for Senate in Illinois? And where else is carpetbagging allowed?
  Alexander Barnes Dryer Aug. 6, 2004
  
• Who's a "Likely Voter," Anyway? How pollsters get you to admit you're a lousy citizen.
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 3, 2004
  
• The Third Black Sen. Since When? Barack Obama would be the third "since Reconstruction." What gives?
  Brendan I. Koerner July 28, 2004
  
• Who Gets the 9/11 Report Profits? The publisher's printing at least 800,000 copies. Where will all the money go?
  Brendan I. Koerner July 27, 2004
  
• How Would Insulin Help Marion Jones? Does it make athletes faster?
  Brendan I. Koerner July 23, 2004
  
• Who Are the Janjaweed? A guide to the Sudanese militiamen.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 22, 2004
  
• Who Pays Enron's Legal Bills? The bankruptcy has generated a $700 million tab.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 15, 2004
  
• Why Is Antifreeze So Delicious? Engine Fluid 101.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 13, 2004
  
• Why Does Saturn Have Rings? And how come Earth has none?
  Brendan I. Koerner July 9, 2004
  
• How the Dems Got Such Nice Teeth Could you get an equally campaign-worthy smile?
  Alexander Barnes Dryer July 9, 2004
  
• Who Gets Edwards' $728,968? Can he spend the money he raised during the primary on the general election?
  Brendan I. Koerner July 6, 2004
  
• Where Do Athletes Go to Court? Why, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, of course.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 1, 2004
  
• You're in the Army Now (and Forever) How long do you have to be all you can be?
  Brendan I. Koerner June 29, 2004
  
• What Makes Iraq a Sovereign Nation? No treaty power. An occupying army. What can the Iraqis do for themselves?
  Sudhir Muralidhar June 29, 2004
  
• When Do Papers Print the F-Word? How do newspaper editors decide?
  Dan Kois June 25, 2004
  
• Why Unseal Ryan's Divorce Papers? Neither Jack nor Jeri wanted them unsealed. What gives?
  Brendan I. Koerner June 23, 2004
  
• Why Did Gov. Rowland Resign? And is he a crook?
  Alexander Barnes Dryer June 22, 2004
  
• Can Foreigners Give Money to Kerry? Or Bush? Or your local Senate candidate?
  Brendan I. Koerner June 22, 2004
  
• What's the Point of a Byline Strike? How anonymity became a bargaining chip.
  Sudhir Muralidhar June 17, 2004
  
• Do Hindus Decry Homosexuality? A new Bollywood film features lesbians, but it's been met with protest. What gives?
  Brendan I. Koerner June 15, 2004
  
• How Long Can You Go Without Food? Hunger strikes 101.
  Brendan I. Koerner June 10, 2004
  
• What's a Catafalque? President Reagan's second-to-last resting place.
  Dan Kois June 9, 2004
  
• Who Can Declare a Holiday? And how is it done?
  Brendan I. Koerner June 8, 2004
  
• What Is a Companion Pony? For Smarty Jones, an animal named Butterscotch is both friend and foal.
  Jill Hunter Pellettieri June 4, 2004
  
• Why 3-Year-Olds Rule the Triple Crown And faster 4-year-olds don't get a shot.
  Brendan I. Koerner June 3, 2004
  
• What Is the War College, Anyway? Who attends? And what do they learn?
  Sam Schechner May 25, 2004
  
• Jeremy Sivits: Fired and Demoted? Plus, a primer: How do courts-martial work? What are the punishments? Can you appeal?
  Phillip Carter May 19, 2004
  
• Why Athletes Pee on Their Hands Does urine really toughen the skin?
  Dan Kois May 17, 2004
  
• Is Torture Against the Law? What Uncle Sam has to say about it.
  Brendan I. Koerner May 13, 2004
  
• What's That Gizmo on GI Helmets? The lowdown on the gadget affixed to their heads.
  Brendan I. Koerner May 11, 2004
  
• How Do You Pronounce "Abu Ghraib"? Hint: It doesn't rhyme with "babe."
  Sam Schechner May 10, 2004
  
• How Does a Sotheby's Auction Work? First, they let you touch the Renoir.
  Sean Rocha May 7, 2004
  
• How To Discipline Private Contractors What consequences do the companies involved in Abu Ghraib face?
  Phillip Carter May 4, 2004
  
• Who Protects David Souter? Do Supreme Court justices have bodyguards?
  Brendan I. Koerner May 3, 2004
  
• Where Did We Get Our Oath? The origin of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
  Brendan I. Koerner April 30, 2004
  
• Why Is Najaf So Holy? Because of the man who's buried in Ali's tomb.
  Brendan I. Koerner April 27, 2004
  
• What's With Our 15 Intel Agencies? The CIA, we know. But what are the other 14?
  Eric Umansky April 26, 2004
  
• How Do They Measure Calories? Did McDonald's have to torch its new Happy Meal?
  Sam Schechner April 21, 2004
  
• Your Planetary Protection Officer What on Earth does he do?
  Brendan I. Koerner April 20, 2004
  
• How Much Did The Alamo Really Cost? $100 million? Or $140 million? How to call a studio's bluff.
  Brendan I. Koerner April 14, 2004
  
• Can the Witmer Sisters Stay Home? One sister died in Iraq. Can the other two be reassigned?
  Phillip Carter April 13, 2004
  
• What Is Summer-Blend Gas? And if it's so clean, why don't we use it year-round?
  Sam Schechner April 12, 2004
  
• Which Are Safer, Trains or Planes? Explainer weighs the odds.
  Brendan I. Koerner April 9, 2004
  
• Why Eat Peeps at Easter? How the marshmallow chicks found Jesus.
  Rachel Deahl April 8, 2004
  
• So You Want To Be an Ayatollah How Shiite clerics earn the name.
  Brendan I. Koerner April 6, 2004
  
• What's With All the Dutch Ecstasy? Why it's not made in the USA.
  Brendan I. Koerner April 1, 2004
  
• When Can a Judge Declare a Mistrial? Whenever jurors drink beer with lunch.
  Jill Hunter Pellettieri March 31, 2004
  
• Who Vetted Clarke's Book? How the White House decided which tidbits were classified.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 30, 2004
  
• How Did Suharto Steal $35 Billion? Cronyism 101.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 26, 2004
  
• Do Unbuilt Architects Get Paid? How an architect who produces countless designs but few buildings can be a success.
  Sean Rocha March 25, 2004
  
• Prozac vs. Wellbutrin How do newer antidepressants work?
  Brendan I. Koerner March 23, 2004
  
• Why Is It Called "March Madness"? How did the NCAA tournament get its nickname?
  Brendan I. Koerner March 18, 2004
  
• Can an Army Volunteer Be a CO? Who's eligible to be a conscientious objector?
  Andy Bowers March 17, 2004
  
• How Do You Test for Mad Cow? First, kill Flossie. Then send her brain to Iowa.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 16, 2004
  
• How Do You Say Pres. Roh's Name? Korean Romanization demystified.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 12, 2004
  
• When Is Hockey Violence Illegal? Roughhousing versus assault.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 11, 2004
  
• Can an Opera Singer Be Too Fat? Do Pavarotti's extra pounds help make him great?
  Sean Rocha March 10, 2004
  
• The Gall of John Ashcroft How he'll live without a non-vital organ.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 9, 2004
  
• How's Choreography Recorded? Pirouette, port de bras, plié—is there a way to write it down?
  Sean Rocha March 5, 2004
  
• Could Kerry Pick McCain for VP? How a Democrat could choose a Republican running mate.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 3, 2004
  
• Same-Sex Marriage for Transsexuals? Why it's legal in Texas, but not California.
  Brendan I. Koerner March 3, 2004
  
• What's a Boston Brahmin? And has Kerry really earned the name?
  Andy Bowers March 1, 2004
  
• FAQ: Gay Marriage Your nagging questions answered.
  Jill Hunter Pellettieri Feb. 27, 2004
  
• Why Can't Arnold Be President? What the Founding Fathers were afraid of.
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 26, 2004
  
• How Do You Join an Indian Tribe? You might need to get a "white card" first.
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 25, 2004
  
• Why Is It Called The Passion? How Jesus' suffering got its name.
  Sam Schechner Feb. 25, 2004
  
• How Secret Service Agents Are Allotted And why some candidates prefer not to have them around.
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 20, 2004
  
• Is Aristide Still a Priest? What the Vatican thinks of the Haitian ruler.
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 17, 2004
  
• How Does Sweeps Week Work? Why networks roll out the big guns—and why advertisers put up with it.
  Sean Rocha Feb. 16, 2004
  
• Can the FCC Regulate HBO? Michael Powell promises to crack down on cable. Can he?
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 12, 2004
  
• What Happens to Clark's Delegates? One hundred and two are up for grabs.
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 11, 2004
  
• Why Are Poodle Haircuts So Weird? How their coifs once helped them hunt.
  Jill Hunter Pellettieri Feb. 10, 2004
  
• What's a Maoist, Anyway? How to tell Nepal's Maoist rebels from garden-variety Communists.
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 5, 2004
  
• How Do They Name New Elements? You can name them for mythical creatures, but you can't name one after your mom.
  Sam Schechner Feb. 3, 2004
  
• Who Gets Punished for Janet's Strip? What are the fines for baring a breast?
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 2, 2004
  
• Wait, Dean Has the Most Delegates? In this race, he's beating Kerry by 19.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 28, 2004
  
• Is President Bush a Deserter? How the military defines the crime.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 27, 2004
  
• Bush Aims To Raise Whose Budget? The skinny on the National Endowment for Democracy.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 22, 2004
  
• Who Pays $15,000 for a Dress? How couturiers turn a profit.
  Sean Rocha Jan. 21, 2004
  
• Who Gets Gephardt's Cash? Where war chests go when campaigns fold.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 20, 2004
  
• Why Does Iowa Get To Go First? How Iowans came by their kingmaker role in presidential elections.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 16, 2004
  
• Why Is Mars Red? Basically, the whole planet is rusty.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 12, 2004
  
• Why Is Kashmir So Hotly Disputed? The conflict began with a gift of goats.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 8, 2004
  
• What Does Civet Cat Taste Like? Why you'll find it in soups, sweets, and cigarettes.
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 6, 2004