# What do you wonder about? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062 "2026-06-20T22:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/81 "2026-06-22T19:49:16Z")
I wonder if men like Jerry Falwell or Fred Rogers boinked their wives from behind and/or used vulgar euphemisms when referring to their wives private parts. I especially wonder YTF I would wonder such things. It just 'aint right. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/82 "2026-06-22T19:53:33Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I wonder if dogs remember their dreams. And what their dreams are like. Even people don’t remember their dreams, or if they remember anything because they woke up during a dream, it’s very quickly forgotten unless written down or verbalized immediately after. I think it’s a protective mechanism to prevent dreams and real world experiences from becoming confused. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/83 "2026-06-22T19:55:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I think it’s a protective mechanism to prevent dreams and real world experiences from becoming confused. Probably true. I did start a dream journal, but never kept up on it. I do remember some though. Dreams I had years ago still as vivid as yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/84 "2026-06-22T21:39:32Z")
I wonder why people are so violent and stupid, and yet we haven’t become extinct yet. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/85 "2026-06-22T21:40:51Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > your priorities are sound and inarguable. But have you ever considered the possibility that, if instead of considering fitness as something else to be focused on, something that can only displace your other priorities in a zero-sum game, it could be something that could help you better manage your other priorities, helping to give you more energy, alertness, and vitality? Yes, I have absolutely considered that. It’s the reason I have a fitness trainer. I’ve had periods of my life where I was very fit - at my peak, I could do 100 full push-ups without a problem. I was pulling cars across parking lots (I told you that guy was tough.) My biggest obstacle to fitness is probably task initiation. Something I have always struggled with. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/86 "2026-06-22T21:56:05Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Because life spent the last 4 billion years evolving not to starve to death, and life forms that engaged in calorie restriction and unnecessary activity all died of starvation and didn’t pass on their genes. I realize we evolved to have fat on our bodies so we could survive the next famine or harsh winter, but who do you know who has had to survive a famine, or lives outdoors? I assume you know that Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Dyslipidemia, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Stroke, Breast cancer, Colon and rectal cancer, Endometrial cancer, Kidney and pancreatic cancer, Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, Gallbladder Disease, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Asthma, Obesity Hypo-ventilation Syndrome, Osteoarthritis:and Depression are all diseases associated with obesity in humans. I doubt any of our ancestors lived long enough to suffer from most of these diseases, but as a species, now we all do. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Also despite the fact that we all collectively pretend we care about obesity because of the health risks, we really care because within our social hierarchy, fat people are considered romantically, morally and socially defective. Sure, some people only care about what they look like, but I think most obese people actually _do_ care about their health, but they don’t know how to deal with their weight problem. The good news is that they can learn to lose weight and keep it off with proper education and support, but they have be willing to do the work and stick with a program proven to work for someone like them. Not everyone will succeed at first try and lose all the weight they want, but everyone can at least try and hopefully make some progress. There are medical specialists and new drugs that can help them attain realistic goals. I believe most people don’t want to lose the weight just to look good, although that’s a side benefit, they’re doing it to live longer and healthier lives. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > As people get older and develop a stronger sense of self, changing their appearance to gain social status loses its priority in life. Especially as other priorities show up like child care, caring for aging parents, finances, relationships, health problems, etc come up. As we get older we often focus on.health issues and how to avoid them. Things like quitting smoking or getting sufficient exercise certainly help, but one of the best ways to live longer is to get down to and to maintain a healthy weight, however you want to define that. Obese adults see a reduction in life expectancy ranging from 3 to 14 years, depending on their severity of obesity. Losing weight isn’t about vanity, it’s about living a longer and healthier life. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/87 "2026-06-22T22:08:48Z")
I also often wonder how life formed. I mean, how can life come from elements and rocks and gasses and stuff? How can life come from non-life? It just doesn’t make sense. I’m not religious, but it makes me wonder if there is a God-like being out there who made life. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/88 "2026-06-22T22:44:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I wonder all the time about “what if one variable were changed?” scenarios. This is one of my favorite things to do with AI, chat with it all the time like a never-ending simulation game. Like, how would US presidential elections have changed if (one thing) were different, what if meteor didn’t hit Earth, what if a certain amount of carbon were removed from the atmosphere, etc. As a somewhat related topic, I wonder why there is so little time travel fiction involving these what if scenarios. In other words, what if some historical person was visited by a time traveler from the future and informed about the consequences of some major decision that they have to make. How would they react? It’s the sort of thing I like to think about, and makes we wonder if I’m unusual in that regard, since time travel stories rarely focus on this aspect of time travel. ETA: By which I mean a story in which the focus is on the thought process of the historical person, and any discussions they have with their peers and the time traveler about what the time traveler is claiming, not an alternate history “what if” that tells the story of an alternate timeline. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/89 "2026-06-22T22:49:01Z")
I wonder why randomly bad things happen to good people. I wonder if I’ll ever fully have back my husband (he had a stroke in December) and I really miss his emotional support sometimes. I wonder if he’ll make a full recovery. I wonder how we are going to stay afloat a lot of the time. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/90 "2026-06-22T22:49:52Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I wonder if dogs remember their dreams. And what their dreams are like. > > My one dog dreams a lot. He even barks (softly) in his sleep. > > Most of it is chasing rabbits I’m sure, but… why bark? He does chase rabbits while awake, but he does not bark at them. My lab when dreaming would clearly move his legs in the slow rhythmic way typical of how he would swim in the pool. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/91 "2026-06-22T23:02:59Z")
Hugs to you @Patx2 . Those are hard things to wonder. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/92 "2026-06-22T23:11:00Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I also often wonder how life formed. I mean, how can life come from elements and rocks and gasses and stuff? How can life come from non-life? It just doesn’t make sense. I’m not religious, but it makes me wonder if there is a God-like being out there who made life. Two terms you should look up: **[abiogenesis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis)** and **[RNA world](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_world)**. The “origin of life problem” is far from being completely understood, but it’s not a miracle. The transition from inorganic compounds to what we would recognize as the first self-replicating molecular structures took place gradually, over a period of roughly 500 million years. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/93 "2026-06-23T08:50:09Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > I wonder why people are so violent and stupid, and yet we haven’t become extinct yet. Three reasons: 1. In times past they haven’t been quite a large enough percentage of the whole. So they couldn’t finish the job before they died or were killed. 2. Up until roughly the last century we haven’t had weapons powerful enough to offset the numbers. 3. For this last century we’ve been lucky enough. So far. Here’s hoping it holds out awhile longer. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/94 "2026-06-23T09:26:25Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The transition from inorganic compounds to what we would recognize as the first self-replicating molecular structures took place gradually, over a period of roughly 500 million years. But I wonder: _ **why** _ should there be a transition to life? What’s the need for it? What’s the driving force? I just have a strong feeling that something else is going on. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/95 "2026-06-23T09:38:43Z")
There is no _ **need** _ for life. We can only speculate about life because we’re here to do so. There are a trillion places across the Universe where they cannot wonder about life because there isn’t any there. But once life takes a hold somewhere, it sure does have a lot of tenacity, and seems desperate to evolve so it can stick around. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/96 "2026-06-23T10:10:21Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > The transition from inorganic compounds to what we would recognize as the first self-replicating molecular structures took place gradually, over a period of roughly 500 million years. > > But I wonder: _ **why** _ should there be a transition to life? What’s the need for it? What’s the driving force? > > I just have a strong feeling that something else is going on. The question of “why?” has no real answer even about the evolution of life, but at least we can point to characteristics such as seeking nourishment for energy, self-preservation, and replication. But the question of why life arose in the first place IMHO has no more meaning than the question of why, when you put two chemicals together, you get a chemical reaction and new compounds. Why? Because that’s just how the universe is structured at the atomic and molecular level. Maybe a useful way to think about it is that abiogenesis was not only a prolonged process over hundreds of millions of years, it was also likely a process that occurred many times over that period. Inorganic compounds combined in certain ways under certain conditions, and then … nothing happened. And the process repeated over all those millions of years with different variations, because the Earth is a dynamic place. And then one day, with just the right mix of compounds, and triggered perhaps by energy from hydrothermal vents or lightning, it was just enough to create protocells, essentially just chemically-based molecular structures but with the ability to replicate. And that may have been the start of a long, long road to the evolution of full-fledged biological cells able to convert oxygen and nutrients into energy and the first single-celled creatures with a form of cellular metabolism and the ability to start combining multiple cells into more complex creatures. Life was born! ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/97 "2026-06-23T12:36:21Z")
I wonder why I am surrounded by truly flaky people in my personal life. At work, we are paid–and self-selected–to be responsible, respectful, and honor commitments. If a project manager asks me when I’ll have something done, I’ll give them a terrible guess, but I’ll keep amending that guess as new issues arise, and if I can’t fulfill it, I’ll let them know. But that seems to only be in my work life. With the people I am dealing with right now (fellow musicians trying to plan some recording sessions) they ghost me for days, say “Yeah, awesome, I can’t wait to record my part! What’s your week look like” and then radio silence for a week and a half. then they say they were out of town that week. Yep. Something they knew full well at the time they were asking me how my week looked for recording their part. I have three people who appear to communicate via text as if it cost $10 per word. I’m lucky if I get one or two word responses once a week. People who need to collaborate for our music project to complete. Can’t stand being in the “project manager” role with people whose actions are incongruent with their spoken desire–they act like they don’t care, but I can guarantee that if we ever get in the same room together they will be super stoked and ready for action. This may be a younger generation thing, but I wonder how they graduated from college and got good jobs without the ability to make a solid commitment. I know I’m a harsh judge–I came from a Navy Nuclear Power background, and it isn’t fair to hold the general public to that high of a standard, but there’s something seriously wrong when someone promises they will do something and simply fails to do it, as if their word has no value. This is my most recent pain point. Yes, it’s a raw nerve. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/98 "2026-06-23T12:50:08Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > I know I’m a harsh judge–I came from a Navy Nuclear Power background, and it isn’t fair to hold the general public to that high of a standard Doing what you say you’re going to do is hardly a high standard. If you are on call and have to go fight a fire, that’s one thing. If you just blow it off, that’s another. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/99 "2026-06-23T14:16:11Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I wonder if dogs remember their dreams. And what their dreams are like. My husband and I were just talking about this the other night. Our boxer must really have some exciting dreams. That night, he was howling while he slept. He doesn’t howl when he’s awake! His feet twitch too. Our Great Dane sometimes wags his tail quite vigorously while he’s sleeping. He also has what I call “sex dreams”. He’s sound asleep, lying on his side and humping away! With a dog that size, the whole couch moves!😆 ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062/100 "2026-06-23T14:54:43Z")
Simple unicellular life appeared fairly soon (in geologic terms) after the Earth formed and had cooled enough to make life possible. But intelligent technological life only arose recently, when the time period when life on Earth will be possible has only a billion years left. We’re cutting it close! So maybe the Great Filter prevents the emergence of space-faring, soccer-playing, Tiktok-posting bipedals; and the Universe is filled with planets where amoeba are the dominant life forms. Some days, that doesn’t sound too bad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wonder-about/1031062.md?page=6)