Skeptics Weekly Newsletter - Thursday, August 28, 2014

Top new questions this week: Is Starlite a hoax? About 40 years ago, Maurice Ward, a hairdresser and amateur chemist, developed a plastic that was said to be resistant to extreme heat. Able to withstand a laser beam that could produce a temperature … [ physics ] [ materials ]   asked by МикроПингвин 20 votes Can you determine the type or quality of illicit drugs by tasting them? This is a ridiculously common trope in cop shows and movies. I've seen movies where either a cop or a druglord was able to rattle off purity statistics after just a taste. The good guys bust into a … [ drugs ]   asked by MrHen 16 votes answered by user52306 -3 votes Are Americans more likely to be monolingual? From a comment on English Language & Usage, also mentioned in Wikipedia, and Chad Fowler's book The Passionate Programmer (Related blog post by the author: How Learning a Second Language Changed … [ united-states ] [ language ]   asked by Andrew Grimm 13 votes answered by MMPA 11 votes Does the Westboro Baptist Church get most of their funding from lawsuits? The Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for picketing things like funerals and they generate a lot of attention by doing so. A common trend in discussions about the church goes something like: … [ united-states ] [ politics ] [ law ] [ lawsuits ] [ organizations ]   asked by MrHen 11 votes answered by Gus 13 votes Is the Heimlich maneuver the most appropriate response to choking? The US National Institute of Health recommend (in some, limited circumstances) the use of the Heimlich maneuver as first aid for choking victims: How to perform the Heimlich maneuver: … [ medical-science ]   asked by Oddthinking 10 votes answered by georgechalhoub 4 votes Is there any benefit to leaving Animal Planet on when leaving a cat alone? I recently discovered that some people put Animal Planet (or similar nature channel) on the TV when leaving a cat alone all day. I'd never heard of this before, but I found many mentions of it while … [ animals ] [ television ]   asked by Bobson 7 votes answered by RedGrittyBrick 4 votes Did David Attenborough say that Israelis are more cruel than any animal? Did Sir David Attenborough say the following about Israelis? From Israel has lost both the battle and the war (Wikipedia article on Arab News), but the quote has been circulating elsewhere as well: … [ quotes ] [ israel ]   asked by Andrew Grimm 7 votes answered by Christian 9 votes Greatest hits from previous weeks: Are there lots worldwide filled with thousands of unsold new cars left to ruin? This link came in an email that was getting passed around the office today: http://www.vincelewis.net/unsoldcars.html The premise is that car manufacturers, not wanting to dilute their inventory to … [ economics ] [ cars ]   asked by DeeDee 11 votes answered by DJClayworth 17 votes Does putting salt into a wound make the wound worse? It's commonly believed that the idiom "rubbing salt into the wound" is derived from a literal action of making things worse. Wiktionary claims the literal act was done for torture: Derived from … [ medical-science ] [ chemistry ]   asked by Andrew Grimm 12 votes answered by Articuno 12 votes Can you answer these? Does text highlighting distract from reading comprehension? The other day my lecturer warned against underline or highlighting important lines in your textbook, as it increases your chances of distraction. Harvard Library makes a similar claim: Throw … [ reading ] [ concentration ]   asked by agha rehan abbas 7 votes Can a "brain-sensing headband" be used to train to be less stressed? Interaxon claim that their "brain-sensing headband", Muse, together with an iOS or Android app, can provide a user with some feedback that can be used to train the brain to become more calm and less … [ consumer-products ] [ neurology ]   asked by davitenio 2 votes Does the shape of a wine glass affect the taste of the consumed wine? Some people believe that the shape of a wine glass affects the taste of the wine inside. From a representative article: Believe it or not, even a modestly decent wine will taste different in every … [ alcohol ]   asked by Kevin Burke 6 votes

Subscribe to more Stack Exchange newsletters Unsubscribe from this newsletter or change your email preferences by visiting your subscriptions page on stackexchange.com. Questions? Comments? Let us know on our feedback site. If you no longer want to receive mail from Stack Exchange, unsubscribe from all stackexchange.com emails. Stack Exchange, Inc. 110 William St, 28th Floor, NY NY 10038 <3