What is this bug? [more inside]
posted by event at 5:06 PM - 15 answers

I (think I) read somewhere on the web the factoid that, if we could restrict the impacts of climate change to within the borders of the country responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions, the temperature of the USA would rise by (something like) 22° Celsius. Now I can't for the life of me find it again. Does anyone know where I read this, or am I simply imagining things? I'd like to be able to cite an authority for my assertion. Climate change skeptics need not apply.
posted by Tawita at 5:23 AM - 4 answers

What is the best way to move hot air? Would it be blowing air across the heat source (ex: wood stove) or suck the air away from the heat source? [more inside]
posted by ascetic at 1:24 PM - 11 answers

What exact research has been done to support the notion that homosexuals are born gay? [more inside]
posted by Prunedish at 3:35 AM - 40 answers

I'd like to watch a good educational film about the development of early man. [more inside]
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:26 PM - 9 answers

Please recommend reading that will help me understand the role gender and gender hormones play in determining which parental gene set dominates in an individual.
posted by effluvia at 11:18 AM - 10 answers

We all know about Them! What are other examples of sci-fi stories (serious or otherwise, well-known or otherwise) featuring insects (ants or otherwise, giant or otherwise) terrorizing, enslaving, or endangering humanity?
posted by Behemoth at 9:29 AM - 29 answers

I'm looking for a material I'm not sure exists. I want a plastic (or even better, a paint) that glows (at all) in response to being in an electromagnetic field. [more inside]
posted by swimming naked when the tide goes out at 5:07 PM - 22 answers

I am looking for good/effective/interesting environmental charities to donate to as Christmas gifts to family and friends. Working on 2 tracks 1) Charities that do the most actual good 2) charities that would give unique swag or "works-in-their-name". ~$25-$50 per person. [more inside]
posted by DetonatedManiac at 1:31 PM - 9 answers

Can you help me figure out this math question related to probability? [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne at 8:49 AM - 41 answers

What happens to slimy amphibians during a drought? Do they shrivel up and die? [more inside]
posted by Jon_Evil at 11:48 PM - 3 answers

Help me get up to speed on epidemiology (and especially tuberculosis). [more inside]
posted by McBearclaw at 3:40 PM - 9 answers

ToxicWasteFilter: How do I clean up a copper sulfate spill? [more inside]
posted by miyabo at 2:14 PM - 5 answers

When you pour soda into a glass, is the head / froth / bubbly stuff at the top actual soda that is being turned into froth and then wasted? [more inside]
posted by meadowlark lime at 4:31 AM - 12 answers

NoveltyUseOnlyFilter: Chemists- do you think it would be possible to develop a chemical compound (aerosol? liquid?) which could counter tear gas by causing it to break down/change phase? [more inside]
posted by Truthiness at 1:36 AM - 6 answers

What do you call the dried stem-stump stuck to an orange/lemon/avocado? [more inside]
posted by DU at 8:19 AM - 13 answers

Actuarial / statistics geeks: a puzzle for you. [more inside]
posted by Meatbomb at 10:55 PM - 18 answers

Is that red shift in your pocket... [more inside]
posted by sundri at 1:24 PM - 19 answers

Here's an obnoxious school question that's been nagging me for days: Suppose that the height (at the shoulder) of adult African bull bush elephants is normally distributed with µ = 3.3 meters and ∂ = .2 meter. The elephant on display at the Smithsonian Institute has a height 4 meters and is the largest elephant on record. What is the probability that an adult African bull bush elephant has height 4 meters or more? [more inside]
posted by incomple at 5:03 AM - 8 answers

Heating a home with light bulbs. [more inside]
posted by ShawnTech at 9:04 PM - 31 answers