# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=504 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 505 --- ## [Is it possible to outlive a DNA sample?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-outlive-a-dna-sample/827123)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-outlive-a-dna-sample/827123 "2019-01-03T19:22:46Z")
Possible stupid question alert If I understand correctly, every time your DNA replicates, it’s very very very slightly different than the previous replication. So compounded over decades, is it possible to outlive a DNA… --- ## [Impact of fireworks on animals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impact-of-fireworks-on-animals/826841)
**Author:** [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impact-of-fireworks-on-animals/826841 "2019-01-03T18:39:30Z")
It’s the time of year again where my Facebook feed fills up with admonishments not to light fireworks, so as not to disturb animals both wild and domestic. However, these posts are usually light on quantitative data. An… --- ## [Odd behavior when changing id3tags of mp3 files in Windows Explorer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-behavior-when-changing-id3tags-of-mp3-files-in-windows-explorer/827158)
**Author:** [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-behavior-when-changing-id3tags-of-mp3-files-in-windows-explorer/827158 "2019-01-03T17:43:57Z")
I’m forever tweaking property fields in MP3 files I’ve bought online because I prefer that artists names are Lastname, Firstname. I’ve been doing this for years with no problem. Lately an odd thing has been happening. … --- ## [Why don't hand dryers use warm air?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hand-dryers-use-warm-air/827079)
**Author:** [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hand-dryers-use-warm-air/827079 "2019-01-03T17:05:16Z")
I’ve noticed over the years that it’s almost a rule that a hand dryer in a restroom will use cold or lukewarm air, maybe warming up after a long time, making it difficult to dry your hands. It’s so annoying that if I se… --- ## [Why are some credit union transactions pending?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-credit-union-transactions-pending/827068)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-some-credit-union-transactions-pending/827068 "2019-01-03T16:15:51Z")
I look at my credit union account online and some of the charges for my checking account are listed as pending - used my debit card for them. The amount listed is correct. Why are these transactions in this “limbo” … --- ## [Can cops use their own cars as police vehicles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-use-their-own-cars-as-police-vehicles/826995)
**Author:** [@Bczar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bczar)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cops-use-their-own-cars-as-police-vehicles/826995 "2019-01-03T16:11:36Z")
On “Starsky & Hutch”, they sometimes used Starsky’s 1974 Ford Gran Torino (a.k.a.: “The Striped Tomato”), sometimes they used Hutch’s raggedy brown beater. On “Nash Bridges”, Bridges used his brother’s (who was supposed … --- ## [UK Supreme Court and lack of judicial review](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-supreme-court-and-lack-of-judicial-review/826872)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-supreme-court-and-lack-of-judicial-review/826872 "2019-01-03T15:36:35Z")
We’ve done the judicial review topic as it relates to the U.S. in other threads. As some of you may know, I support the concept but am suspect of it and think it should be restrained. But how does that work in countrie… --- ## [How to get Firefox to stop asking if I want to update](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-firefox-to-stop-asking-if-i-want-to-update/827128)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-firefox-to-stop-asking-if-i-want-to-update/827128 "2019-01-03T13:36:35Z")
I don’t care to update at this time, and the constant question asking me to is annoying as all get out. I have version 63.0; the only options I can find are “Automatically install updates” and “Check for updates but let … --- ## [Firefox profiles management app or add-on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-profiles-management-app-or-add-on/827137)
**Author:** [@Grim\_Render](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Render)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-profiles-management-app-or-add-on/827137 "2019-01-03T10:49:22Z")
So I’ve become more and more annoyed with stupid targeted adds and tracking. I am getting old and want that stuff off my digital lawn. I set up different profiles on Firefox for social media, google etc. But I can see t… --- ## [When and how did "clean your clock" become a euphemism for violence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-clean-your-clock-become-a-euphemism-for-violence/827055)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2019, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-clean-your-clock-become-a-euphemism-for-violence/827055 "2019-01-03T06:07:06Z")
“He is going to clean your clock!” How in the world did this phrase come into being? --- ## [Hiding comments in Excel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiding-comments-in-excel/827105)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiding-comments-in-excel/827105 "2019-01-02T19:32:09Z")
I have a file with a lot of comments on cells. I know I can hide them individually, and I’m guessing that they wouldn’t be a factor when I import the file to Access; but is there a way to hide or delete all comments in … --- ## [WTF is my iPhone doing? Battery issues coinciding with odd behavior](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-my-iphone-doing-battery-issues-coinciding-with-odd-behavior/826924)
**Author:** [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-my-iphone-doing-battery-issues-coinciding-with-odd-behavior/826924 "2019-01-02T18:15:57Z")
I have an iPhone 6S, and it recently started behaving strangely. Woke up last week to find it was down to 10% battery after having been fully charged before I went to bed. I shrugged and charged it up again. It went to 1… --- ## [Why did the CSA pick a capitol city so close to the front lines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-csa-pick-a-capitol-city-so-close-to-the-front-lines/826944)
**Author:** [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-csa-pick-a-capitol-city-so-close-to-the-front-lines/826944 "2019-01-02T17:26:43Z")
Wife and I are listening to a reading of Grant, by Ron Chernow. Excellent, btw. So it’s now 1864 and the Confederate capitol, Richmond, is being surrounded. Grant’s supply lines are nice and short, because Richmond is so… --- ## [Furnace inducer motor reading – problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/furnace-inducer-motor-reading-problem/827057)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/furnace-inducer-motor-reading-problem/827057 "2019-01-02T15:57:32Z")
The specs/ratings sticker on the motor reads 1.8 amps. A service tech measured it to be 1.83 while operating. He mildly suggested replacing the motor as it was out of spec. Was it really? Does running at or near the nomi… --- ## [Multiple Hepatitis C cures](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-hepatitis-c-cures/826905)
**Author:** [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-hepatitis-c-cures/826905 "2019-01-02T14:51:20Z")
Just curious on how we went from no cure to multiple medicines that cure Hep C in such a short time? Seems too coincidental that multiple pharmaceutical companies figured out how to combat this virus so close to each ot… --- ## ["Update Apple ID settings". Which ones?!?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-apple-id-settings-which-ones/827066)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-apple-id-settings-which-ones/827066 "2019-01-02T03:58:07Z")
Had to change my Apple ID password a while ago. Now I’ve got a little red and white 1 on my Settings Gear on my iPhone. I click on it, and there’s a message: “Update Apple ID Settings.” So I click on the little arrow… --- ## [Why is my highlight invisible here?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-highlight-invisible-here/827065)
**Author:** [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-highlight-invisible-here/827065 "2019-01-02T03:58:07Z")
When I mouse over a word or phrase to highlight and Google it, it’s invisible. Anyone has the same problem? --- ## [Tightest optical planetary alignment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tightest-optical-planetary-alignment/826956)
**Author:** [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tightest-optical-planetary-alignment/826956 "2019-01-02T01:22:46Z")
As seen from earth just before sunrise or just after sunset, what is the smallest possible region of sky that the five naked eye visible planets could encompass? A week earlier or later, how much larger would it be. Wh… --- ## [Car title question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-title-question/827049)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-title-question/827049 "2019-01-02T00:26:12Z")
Trading in car tomorrow and getting new one. Everything is all set up. The Dealership is 100 miles away. Just noticed that both my wife and I are on the title. I think this is an ‘In Kind’ type of thing where both my… --- ## [2006 Jeep Commander acceleration problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2006-jeep-commander-acceleration-problem/825643)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2006-jeep-commander-acceleration-problem/825643 "2019-01-01T23:45:10Z")
From the way my son describes the problem it sounds like a broken cable (but he says lifting up the accelerator it kind of starts to rev. Why can’t life be simple). I can fix it this weekend but I’ve seen references to… --- ## [When Did The Medical Community First Conclude That Drinking While Pregnant Is Bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-medical-community-first-conclude-that-drinking-while-pregnant-is-bad/826933)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-medical-community-first-conclude-that-drinking-while-pregnant-is-bad/826933 "2019-01-01T22:19:11Z")
Was it known/suspected in ancient times that pregnant women shouldn’t drink alcohol? --- ## [How was a pilot able to call his wife's telephone from a plane in 1969?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-a-pilot-able-to-call-his-wifes-telephone-from-a-plane-in-1969/827009)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-a-pilot-able-to-call-his-wifes-telephone-from-a-plane-in-1969/827009 "2019-01-01T21:10:28Z")
In 1969, a US Airman named Paul Meyer, stationed in England, commandeered a C-130 by impersonating a senior officer, and flew it towards the English Channel, crashing two hours later. Here’s the BBC article about it. The… --- ## [Origin of right = good / left = bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-right-good-left-bad/345071)
**Author:** [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-right-good-left-bad/345071 "2019-01-01T21:00:27Z")
I did a recent post on whether the idea of left = bad / right = good exists in different cultures, and I got a lot of responses that it exists at least in European, Asian, and Middle Eastern history/tradition. What is t… --- ## [How to use manufacture warrantee if you don't have a receipt and forgot where you bought it.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-manufacture-warrantee-if-you-dont-have-a-receipt-and-forgot-where-you-bought-it/826959)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-manufacture-warrantee-if-you-dont-have-a-receipt-and-forgot-where-you-bought-it/826959 "2019-01-01T18:55:15Z")
I have I Rheem water heater that just broke. It replaced another water heater that broke suddenly and it was all kind of a whir and I’m not sure where I got it from or have a record of the purchase I can find , but I’m s… --- ## [Why do history buffs use Loyalist instead of Torie discussing the Revolutionary War?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-history-buffs-use-loyalist-instead-of-torie-discussing-the-revolutionary-war/826941)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-history-buffs-use-loyalist-instead-of-torie-discussing-the-revolutionary-war/826941 "2019-01-01T10:07:10Z")
My school’s history books always refered to colonists loyal to the crown as Tories. The revolutionary war was repeatedly covered in nearly every grade throughout high school. Questions about the Tories and their siding w… --- ## [Space Shuttle SRBs crash land in Disneyland...how long to safely remove them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-shuttle-srbs-crash-land-in-disneyland-how-long-to-safely-remove-them/826850)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-shuttle-srbs-crash-land-in-disneyland-how-long-to-safely-remove-them/826850 "2019-01-01T06:30:55Z")
Here’s the setup—It’s 1985, and after an exceedingly poorly planned and executed Space Shuttle launch from SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB, the Shuttle’s Solid Rocket Boosters (also thanks to an exceedingly poor execution of the… --- ## [Code Adam and storekeeper's privilege](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-adam-and-storekeepers-privilege/826308)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 150\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-adam-and-storekeepers-privilege/826308 "2019-01-01T05:17:54Z")
AIUI, Code Adam involves preventing anyone from leaving a store until a missing child is found. Does this fall under “storekeeper’s privilege” law (so as to avoid false imprisonment lawsuits?) If a customer refused to co… --- ## [Dying for one's country - is that something that's 'formally' covered in military training?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-for-ones-country-is-that-something-thats-formally-covered-in-military-training/826815)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-for-ones-country-is-that-something-thats-formally-covered-in-military-training/826815 "2019-01-01T02:08:49Z")
How is the topic of dying for one’s country ‘covered’ in military training? As someone with absolutely no personal, family, or social connection to anyone who’s served (since WWII), I honestly don’t know. For all I know,… --- ## [Do emotional support animals exist outside of first world countries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-emotional-support-animals-exist-outside-of-first-world-countries/826755)
**Author:** [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [January 1, 2019, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-emotional-support-animals-exist-outside-of-first-world-countries/826755 "2019-01-01T00:28:04Z")
In discussions I have had with folks recently, we are wondering if the phenomena of people needing Emotion Support Animals is a uniquely first world problem. Obviously there is a recent stigma of people with these animal… --- ## [Gun-inspired but not gun-specific legal question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-inspired-but-not-gun-specific-legal-question/826939)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 31, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-inspired-but-not-gun-specific-legal-question/826939 "2018-12-31T23:22:43Z")
In 1934 the National Firearms Act placed a stamp tax and registration requirements on certain classes of firearms. In 1986 the Firearm Owners Protection Act included a provision known as the Hayes Amendment which closed … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=503) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=505)