Science Questions

Gravity dictates the structure of the universe, from the way cosmic bodies form to the way they orbit more massive planets or stars. Has it always played such a starring role in our cosmic history?

By Robert Lamb

Gravity is great, but if we could figure out how to selectively reduce its effects, we could cut the energy demands of travel and transportation. Don't cheaper airline tickets sound pretty good?

By Robert Lamb

Nuclear plants provide the world with much of its electricity. Learn why Uranium-235 is ideal for nuclear power, in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

How can my glasses change from transparent, when I'm inside, to dark when I go outdoors?

By Austin Henderson

How do trick birthday candles work -- the kind that re-light themselves after you blow them out?

Although technology is helping to make the world seem a lot smaller, there are still major differences between countries. Learn about electrical standardization around the globe.

How does a ball point pen work?

You know that bumper sticker that says "Shoot your TV"? Click here to find out what would happen if you actually tried it (it's best to let us do the dirty work).

By Marshall Brain

You stay behind at work and agree to close up alone. You go into the walk-in freezer to put away some food, and the door shuts behind you. You do everything you can think of, but you can't get it open. Now what?

By Katherine Neer

In movies, bad guys can take over an airplane and start shooting up the place. Wouldn't the plane explode or depressurize as soon as the bullet pierced its skin?

By Marshall Brain

A man has a gun. But this is no ordinary man, and this is no ordinary gun. This isn't a setup for a sci-fi thriller. It's the premise for quantum suicide.

By Josh Clark

Seven million (and counting) YouTube viewers can't be wrong. Nano quadrotors are tiny, autonomous flying machines that have the Internet buzzing.

By Chris Opfer

Time is of the essence when trying to rescue people trapped at sea or in a crumbling building. But finding the victims can sometimes be difficult. Thankfully, cutting-edge technologies are taking the "search" out of search and rescue.

By Laurie L. Dove

Bend but don't break: That's the idea behind many of these temblor-thwarting technologies. They may even allow a building's inhabitants to walk out unharmed and start picking up the pieces after the earthquake subsides.

By William Harris

You may have heard of Topsy the elephant and her sad demise at the hands of Thomas Edison. But what's the real story?

By Nathan Chandler

The genetic material from two parents combines to form a child. Can we throw a third set of genes into the mix?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Although spending time upside down can be good for overall health, doing so eventually can be fatal under the right conditions.

By Jesslyn Shields

Touch-sensitive lamps is explored in this article from HowStuffWorks. Learn about touch-sensitive lamps.

President Donald Trump has proposed cutting the agency's Earth science budget. But doing so could negatively impact construction, farming and infrastructure projects.

By Patrick J. Kiger

In 1915, the great physicist predicted the existence of ripples in space-time called gravitational waves. A century later, scientists finally have detected them on Earth.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The practice of clapping to show our approval is an ancient one. But recent research suggests that applause actually spreads like a contagious disease.

By Patrick J. Kiger

If you step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back. Surely you know this jingle from childhood. It's a silly example of a correlation with no causation. But there are some real-world instances that we often hear, or maybe even tell?

By Nicholas Gerbis & Melanie Radzicki McManus

Most loss of life in earthquakes comes from people being trapped inside crumbling buildings. And engineers have come up with many techniques to lessen the structural damage. But is there a way to make a building completely earthquake-proof?

By Laurie L. Dove

The blog Retraction Watch released an online database of more than 18,000 papers and conference materials that have been retracted since the 1970s.

By Oisin Curran

Humans routinely break the sound barrier in supersonic aircraft. Could everyone's favorite hedgehog do it, too?

By Robert Lamb