Unanswered Questions
29
votes
0answers
2k views
Are light-on-dark colour schemes for computer screens better for programmers?
There is somewhat general scientific agreement that in general case for reading, dark text on light background is more readable than light on dark.
In case of computer screens however, the studies ...
29
votes
1answer
2k views
What's the origin of kissing?
From COSMOS Magazine - Science of Smooching (2007):
Mystery still surrounds the motive for that very first kiss.
As anthropologist Helen Fisher, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, notes, ...
24
votes
0answers
6k views
How long is it possible to maintain concentration?
When I study, I like to do it in blocks of a few hours, with little rests in between. I have heard from multiple (possibly unreliable) sources, however, that a human's concentration will drastically ...
24
votes
0answers
12k views
Did Albert Einstein sleep 10-11 hours daily?
I heard many times that Albert Einstein needed a lot of sleep. For example, this BBC article claims that he typically needed eleven hours of sleep:
People's sleep needs can differ significantly.
...
21
votes
0answers
381 views
Can optimism “boost” the immune system
Can your attitude (a positive outlook, optimism, "fighting spirit" etc, or the converse) influence how well your immune system works? Most research that confirm mood correlating with immune system ...
19
votes
0answers
5k views
Was there a giant red-haired race in North America?
The other day, I saw a show on the History channel about "giant skeletons" being found in North America. It also said that, for some reason, these findings have been hidden from people, maybe due to ...
18
votes
0answers
267 views
Is there a “red shift” in U.S. elections — a significant shift to republican votes between polls and voting? Does this imply fraud?
This questions on Politics SE introduced me to the concept of the red shift. In short, the claim of a red shift boils down to a statistically significant difference between outcome of final exit polls ...
18
votes
0answers
2k views
Are Elie Wiesel and Lazar Wiesel the same person?
This question is on a sensitive topic, and I would like to say up front that I am not looking for holocaust denial. My grandfather was a Nazi slave, my family on my mother's side was all but wiped ...
18
votes
1answer
748 views
Are all the citizens of UAE very rich?
There is a widespread belief that all the citizens of the UAE are very rich. In particular, a person I know who grew up in UAE suggested that "Pretty much every citizen has a Bentley" is literally ...
17
votes
1answer
686 views
Is a lack of breakfast the #1 brain damaging habit?
I came across the following list. "Top 10 biggest brain damaging habits". Although they're all interesting "food" for skepticism, I will focus on #1, because I find this a peculiar claim. Some other ...
16
votes
0answers
3k views
Does wearing a scarf help a sore throat?
Today, my wife has shocked me by telling me that a scarf does not and cannot help a sore throat. I could swear that it works wonders for me!
Pretty much the entire knowledgable Internet seems to ...
16
votes
0answers
2k views
Did two Native Americans shipwreck in Holland in 60 B.C.?
According to the book "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong", by James W. Loewen, or at least the online sources (Cracked.com and some sites that I Googled) ...
16
votes
1answer
542 views
Did Victor Hugo work naked to prevent himself from leaving his desk?
I heard this story numerous times. Allegedly, Victor Hugo would ask every day to a servant to take his clothes so that he would be forced to stay, naked, in his room and work instead of going out and ...
15
votes
0answers
213 views
Did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle call J.B. Rhine a “monumental ass” in print?
I need help confirming or debunking what may be an urban legend in the paranormal literature regarding the rocky public relationship between spiritualism believer (and famous author) Arthur Conan ...
15
votes
0answers
1k views
Can a fan blowing on you at night make you sick?
It has been pretty hot in my neck of the woods over the last week. It has been roughly 80 degrees in my room at night. To try to stay comfortable and get to sleep I have been running two fans. One ...
