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Looking for any well written and engaging books about prehistoric life! The person this is for is particularly interested in the Cambrian explosion, but is also digging any science regarding the history of life. It's a new interest for them that I'm super happy to fuel with fun reads, but I'm not sure what to recommend! [more inside]
posted by It Was Capitalism All Along at 10:40 AM - 12 answers

Very curious about the law enforcement logistics of a recent news story. [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:37 AM - 9 answers

Heard this sound in the Adirondack mountains recently at night. Very scary sounding. Bird call apps do not match. Any ideas?
posted by nothing.especially.clever at 4:15 PM - 7 answers

When you are considering rounding numbers, is there a difference between 10.3 and 10.30? Specifics inside! [more inside]
posted by Literaryhero at 12:04 AM - 19 answers

The boilerplate in a recent article on PFAS-and-siblings sounds like they would make better stickers, but first searching found me a list of PFAS-free that doesn't include any kind of stationery. Anyone know? [more inside]
posted by clew at 9:32 AM - 3 answers

What animal makes the low-pitched creaking sound in this recording? You may have to turn up the volume to hear it clearly. The recording is from San Diego, CA, along a creek in a natural area at night in the summer.
posted by aws17576 at 11:45 PM - 5 answers

Happy Summer everyone! I failed to plan the summer very well so I’m the entertainment and camp counselor for my kid for the next 2 months. Lil Catrae is a 10 year old with a deep love for science. We will be in the Catskills for part of the summer and I want to do science activities with her. I need advice for kid friendly yet quality gear (not toys) that I can order quickly and won’t break the bank. [more inside]
posted by catrae at 7:03 AM - 9 answers

Is this a fossil? I picked it up on a beach.
posted by dhruva at 11:40 PM - 7 answers

Shockingly poor photo 1, and 2. I just got a weed wacker (cool). I just weed wacked an entire village of spiders (scream) and I'd like to know if I've instigated a generations-long conspiracy of vengeance against my family or if these bugs will mind their damn business. [more inside]
posted by phunniemee at 4:52 PM - 9 answers

Hi, I just took this photo of a line painted on a pavement with some tiles removed and put back not in order . I rotated the center line to be exactly horizontal, but it still looks not horizontal. I know there are different types and categories of optical illusions with explanations on why we don't see what we think we see . Do you know what type of an optical illusion is this? Thanks, Hanan Cohen
posted by hananc at 2:42 AM - 10 answers

I would like to have dna from the hair in my deceased parent’s hairbrush analyzed, for whatever information it could provide, but particularly for what I suspect was mental illness. To what extent s this possible, and where might I have this done? There are many dna labs that test for paternity or criminal identification, but not for a profile this broad.
posted by mmiddle at 10:07 AM - 7 answers

YANMY. TINMA. I have covid and was prescribed Lagevrio but I am hesitant to take it based on my specific situation and could use hive mind opinions. If you were in this situation how would you make this decision? [more inside]
posted by crunchy potato at 2:05 PM - 8 answers

So I understand that the reason sweat cools us is that it takes heat from our bodies to evaporate. But why does it do that? I mean why not just stay liquid? If i put wax on my body it doesn't take heat from my body to melt it just stays solid, right? Why is water just so eager to evaporate? [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:59 AM - 12 answers

What on earth is this device? It was found unlabeled in an antiques shop in North Adams, MA. It has a plaque on the base saying it made by Bausch & Lomb, so it's probably an optical device of some kind; but I'd like to know what, exactly. [more inside]
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:44 PM - 9 answers

ISO an accessible book for a non-scientist on the movement of land animals into the oceans. [more inside]
posted by archimago at 7:10 AM - 9 answers

I have long treasured an anecdote about an early submarine that when launched, proved unusable, because the hull was not perfectly circular. While its width had been measured repeatedly during construction, constant width is not the same as cirularity. However I can't remember the source... [more inside]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:42 PM - 7 answers

While driving up the 5 just now I saw the most incredible thing move slowly across the sky. It left these lightning bright clouds in its wake and occasionally sparks seemed to break off of it. When I got off the freeway to take this picture, it was gone. What was it???
posted by The Adventure Begins at 8:50 PM - 9 answers

Does anyone have experience ordering from this company? What did you get, and did you like it? [more inside]
posted by Secretariat at 12:26 PM - 3 answers

I’ve managed to confuse myself (it’s not hard) about objects supposedly accelerating at the same rate when you drop them. More inside. [more inside]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:54 AM - 14 answers

While flying home from a conference, a friend saw these weird clouds or weird cloud-adjacent arcs. What are they? Alternatively, does anyone have a Google search term I can put in to learn more? If it helps, the flight was east from Phoenix.
posted by eleanna at 4:34 PM - 9 answers