# Search exasperation
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-exasperation/141592
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [December 9, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-exasperation/141592 "2002-12-09T20:14:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-exasperation/141592/1 "2002-12-09T20:14:37Z")
Are there secrets to the Search function of which I am unaware? Because Lord knows I can’t find what I’m looking for via Search, and am doubtless causing unnecessary board traffic.
Case in point:
I was curious about the Physics phenomenon known as the **Biefield-Brown Effect**.
Thinking like I would if I searched on any other site, I figured “biefield” would have to be a pretty rare word string on SDMB, and would likely only produce solid hits. I entered “biefield” into the search box, chose all forums, chose any date.
No results.
So I started a thread, only to be told that the topic had been covered numerous times. I searched for “lifter” and found many threads with posts that included the word “biefield” in them.
What should I be doing? Or is there no hope with the current search function?
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### Author:  [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-exasperation/141592/2 "2002-12-09T20:22:49Z")
My guess: you searched for “biefield” instead of “biefield\*” (with a wild card. Since “Biefield-Brown” is treated as one word, your search didn’t find a match. Searching for “biefield\*” brought up the [Brown effect: trekkie dream or bad science?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=143228&highlight=biefield%2A) thread.