# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=459 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 460 --- ## [Water formation from fossil fuels and sea level rise - maths check please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-formation-from-fossil-fuels-and-sea-level-rise-maths-check-please/834820)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-formation-from-fossil-fuels-and-sea-level-rise-maths-check-please/834820 "2019-05-31T20:32:02Z")
We were discussing oil the other day and it came up that the two products of combustion are CO2 and H2O - water - and we wondered how much that contributed to sea level rise. So please check my maths. I did some diggin… --- ## [X-rays created by fission stage of a hydrogen bomb?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-rays-created-by-fission-stage-of-a-hydrogen-bomb/834761)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-rays-created-by-fission-stage-of-a-hydrogen-bomb/834761 "2019-05-31T18:14:28Z")
I read that x-rays from the fission stage of an H-bomb are what sets off the fusion reaction. I thought fission primarily produced neutrons and gamma rays. How are x-rays produced and why do they (vs gamma rays) set of… --- ## [Animals that wont defecate or urinate in their drinking water or food supply](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-wont-defecate-or-urinate-in-their-drinking-water-or-food-supply/834815)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-wont-defecate-or-urinate-in-their-drinking-water-or-food-supply/834815 "2019-05-31T16:50:28Z")
Most animals do not care if they defecate or urinate in their own drinking water supply. Humans for most part will not except for very few idiots. I recall my pet hamster always did its business in just one corner but d… --- ## [What Property do minors own?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-property-do-minors-own/834677)
**Author:** [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-property-do-minors-own/834677 "2019-05-31T15:54:02Z")
This was a response to a post on Reddit, where a minor was saying that his or her father was taking her salary from work and was going to kick her out of the house as soon as he or she turned 18, and was wondering if he … --- ## [How are these simple animated videos made?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-simple-animated-videos-made/834812)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-these-simple-animated-videos-made/834812 "2019-05-31T15:45:27Z")
The internet is full of videos like these: Quantitative Easing Explained - YouTube They’re pretty much always two bears talking with computer voices about something. How are they made? Are the creators just dubbing ove… --- ## [Towel Rack - Silicone Adhesive or Premixed Grout? Or?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/towel-rack-silicone-adhesive-or-premixed-grout-or/834600)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/towel-rack-silicone-adhesive-or-premixed-grout-or/834600 "2019-05-31T15:17:42Z")
My towel rack that is mounted in the shower fell off. We did not put it on; it was there in 2007 when we got the house. Anyway, I posted on reddit about how to get it back up and there were two main answers: Silicone A… --- ## [how or when did goats become evil?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-or-when-did-goats-become-evil/834667)
**Author:** [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-or-when-did-goats-become-evil/834667 "2019-05-31T11:06:36Z")
How or when did goats become evil? In OT, goats were acceptable for sacrifices, and shepherds apparently also ate them, since they met kosher criterion along with sheep and cows. But in Matthew 25, goats are going to he… --- ## [What is VPN, anyway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vpn-anyway/808295)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [November 28, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-vpn-anyway/808295 "2018-11-28T13:41:18Z")
I’ve been using it on my work laptop to connect from home. What is it? --- ## [Are old, unused trademarks up for grabs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-unused-trademarks-up-for-grabs/834683)
**Author:** [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-old-unused-trademarks-up-for-grabs/834683 "2019-05-31T02:45:44Z")
For some reason, the old regional chain of Grandpa Pigeon’s discount stores popped into my mind today. I think they’ve all been closed for 25 years, and Wikipedia says the business is defunct. I’m sure someone bought th… --- ## [Walking down the hall](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walking-down-the-hall/834684)
**Author:** [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walking-down-the-hall/834684 "2019-05-30T23:14:55Z")
I grew up in the US of A, where we drive on the right side of the road and walk down the right side of the hallway. In the UK and other countries where you drive on the left side of the road, which side of the hallway do… --- ## [Do we know much about sea life during the age of dinosaurs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-know-much-about-sea-life-during-the-age-of-dinosaurs/833444)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-know-much-about-sea-life-during-the-age-of-dinosaurs/833444 "2019-05-30T21:34:06Z")
It seems we have a pretty good picture of what animal life was like during the time of dinosaurs. They dominated the animal kingdom for 150+ million years. They were the king of the jungle when jungle was all there was… --- ## [Phages vs antibiotic resistant bacteria:Will this solution hold up long term?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phages-vs-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-will-this-solution-hold-up-long-term/834388)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phages-vs-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-will-this-solution-hold-up-long-term/834388 "2019-05-30T19:48:29Z")
Antibiotics don’t work on increasing numbers of pathogenic bacteria. CRISPR modified bacteriophages are proposed as the next generation of antibacterial drugs. Will this work? Heavy use of antibiotics in agriculture and … --- ## [Does the US Post Office use temporary employees to deliver the mail?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-post-office-use-temporary-employees-to-deliver-the-mail/834708)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-post-office-use-temporary-employees-to-deliver-the-mail/834708 "2019-05-30T17:36:41Z")
Just happened to look out while my mail was being delivered, and it was done by a woman driving a standard PO truck, but she was wearing an orange t shirt and blue jeans. Our regular carrier is a woman (a different pers… --- ## [Do animals think of the future](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-think-of-the-future/834657)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-think-of-the-future/834657 "2019-05-30T15:37:37Z")
There is the idea that animals like dogs live in the present moment, hence can easily change owners as the present owner is the owner. This appears on the face of it right. Mist other domesticated animals like cows etc e… --- ## [The First Beep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-beep/834439)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-beep/834439 "2019-05-30T13:28:02Z")
I am thinking about my birthday in 1958. I was born on the same day as Michael Jackson. In any case, I doodling some words about what life was like then. It occurs to me that nothing beeped. Phones and doorbells rang,… --- ## [Vatican City demonym](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vatican-city-demonym/694443)
**Author:** [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vatican-city-demonym/694443 "2019-05-30T13:06:51Z")
What is the demonym of someone from the Vatican City? Vaticonian? --- ## [Cleaning a jacket with an iron-on design](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-jacket-with-an-iron-on-design/834752)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-jacket-with-an-iron-on-design/834752 "2019-05-30T03:37:17Z")
As I posted in the current MMP, I found the jacket I was given as part of the Space Shuttle Support Team. I appreciate the freebie, but it’s actually pretty cheap. The design on the back is ironed on, and after 35 year… --- ## [Pop-ups that show up for split-second in corner of screen and vanish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-ups-that-show-up-for-split-second-in-corner-of-screen-and-vanish/834682)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-ups-that-show-up-for-split-second-in-corner-of-screen-and-vanish/834682 "2019-05-30T01:15:03Z")
Since yesterday or so, I’ve had pop-ups that flash momentarily in the corner of my Chrome browser- not even like 1/4 of a second, and I can never see what they are - and then they vanish instantly, although they appear t… --- ## [Whole Food Multivitamins](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696)
**Author:** [@memeingtrillions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/memeingtrillions)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696 "2019-05-29T21:42:31Z")
I have looked this up in the past but am not really qualified to understand - are whole food multivitamins ie Alive! better than “synthetic” or extracts? Let’s be clear: can I eat a diet of just beans and pasta, and Aliv… --- ## [Ingesting a Tapeworm.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570 "2019-05-29T21:36:16Z")
Is there any advantage to ingesting a tapeworm today? I am not planning on doing it myself. And I am not saying anyone else should. It’s a purely hypothetical question. I don’t have a cite. But I saw an old ad for ‘ster… --- ## [How to route dehumidifier intake/outflow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-route-dehumidifier-intake-outflow/669310)
**Author:** [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-route-dehumidifier-intake-outflow/669310 "2019-05-29T20:52:03Z")
I’m putting together a DIY screenprinting shop in my basement, and one of the components is a drying cabinet for the screens. Blank screens are coated with a thick liquid called emulsion that has to be dried before the n… --- ## [Cell phones, VoLTE, 4g LTE and other confusions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones-volte-4g-lte-and-other-confusions/834671)
**Author:** [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones-volte-4g-lte-and-other-confusions/834671 "2019-05-29T18:00:41Z")
Apparently something is going to change with the Verizon network (I have a tracfone which uses it) that will render some cell phones useless after the first of the year. I have googled my brains out and still can’t figur… --- ## [Any evidence the US was prepared to fake the moon landing HAD IT BEEN NECESSARY?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-evidence-the-us-was-prepared-to-fake-the-moon-landing-had-it-been-necessary/834693)
**Author:** [@Helmut\_Doork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helmut_Doork)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-evidence-the-us-was-prepared-to-fake-the-moon-landing-had-it-been-necessary/834693 "2019-05-29T16:53:46Z")
Other than The Shining of course, which, while not on the level of Paul is Dead, does offer some fairly convincing clues, for the fairly open minded. We all know the landing did in fact happen, but is there any evidence… --- ## [How do they know my email address?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571)
**Author:** [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-know-my-email-address/834571 "2019-05-29T15:45:47Z")
For the second time in a week, I have received email receipts after making purchases at brick and mortar shops. Thing is, I never gave them my email address. I find this a bit disconcerting. Is this the ‘new normal?’ --- ## [What's the best way to edit a PDF document?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601 "2019-05-29T12:23:13Z")
So I’ve not had much experience with PDF files, except for reading them. But I am searching for the simplest way to edit such documents. So far I’ve tried the following: I used an online service that converts my PDF d… --- ## [What are the odds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds/834621)
**Author:** [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds/834621 "2019-05-28T23:14:59Z")
Back when I was in college, we did a thing in the week leading up to Christmas called “pixie week”. It’s the old secret Santa game where all the participating guys pull a girls name out of a hat and vice versa. You the… --- ## [Rigorous scientific definition of two objects being in contact](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rigorous-scientific-definition-of-two-objects-being-in-contact/834527)
**Author:** [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rigorous-scientific-definition-of-two-objects-being-in-contact/834527 "2019-05-28T22:42:45Z")
The cause of this line of thought is the drama surrounding the match between Tochinoshin and Asanoyama in the latest sumo tournament. The outcome on the match hinged on whether Tochinoshin’s heel had touched the sand on… --- ## [Muscle fatigue?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscle-fatigue/834674)
**Author:** [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscle-fatigue/834674 "2019-05-28T22:26:07Z")
I have started working out recently. Today I used a Hip Adducter at 85 pounds. My legs are sore but not a problem. Today when I was walking I felt my foot drag a little but I lifted it, then I fell. Is this a common thin… --- ## [Academics, what comes after peer review?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/academics-what-comes-after-peer-review/777888)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/academics-what-comes-after-peer-review/777888 "2019-05-28T22:23:52Z")
As I understand it, peer review simply means that the paper isn’t obviously hogwash and is of actual interest. Reviewers don’t try to replicate results etc. This may also be different in sciences like mathematics. So wha… --- ## [Physics/Astrophysics Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-astrophysics-questions/834411)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-astrophysics-questions/834411 "2019-05-28T21:57:01Z")
Physics/Astrophysics Questions The photon has NO mass. So why is its speed limited to 186 miles a second (or any other finite speed)? Whatever the reason, why is the speed limit 186 miles a second? Why not 199 or 370? … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=458) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=460)