THE STRAIGHT DOPE

Round 2: When does human life begin?

11.26.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

I was shocked by your highly ignorant column on "when life begins" [October 24]. You have...

RECENT STRAIGHT DOPE

Round 2: When does human life begin?

11.26.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

I was shocked by your highly ignorant column on "when life begins" [October 24]. You have...

Were "concrete shoes" a favored technique of mob hitmen?

11.19.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

I'm sure you've heard the term "concrete shoes," mobsters' choice of swimwear...

What's the deal with so many abandoned babies in cartoons?

11.12.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

Having grown up on Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry and similar cartoons, I can't tell you how many...

Did Blacks also own slaves in the U.S.?

10.29.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

Some time ago, I heard an African-American author talk on NPR about a fact that had inspired him to...

Will oil drilling cause a cave-in?

10.22.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS AND ILLUSTRATION SLUG SIGNORINO

Never mind the current demand for the stuff -- what becomes of the void oil drilling creates? If we...

How deadly are samurai swords?

10.15.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS AND ILLUSTRATION BY SLUG SIGNORINO

Samurai swords are reputed to be among the best ever produced, a fact attested to by the practice of...

Can tapeworms help you lose weight?

09.24.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS AND ILLUSTRATION BY SLUG SIGNORINO

In her book Seabiscuit Laura Hillenbrand states that in the 1930s racehorse jockeys trying to lose w...

Why do emergency vehicles have different siren sounds?

09.17.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

Over the years I've noticed a variety of siren sounds for emergency vehicles. Is it true siren s...

The zombie threat

09.03.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

I'm reading World War Z by Max Brooks, a fictional account of the world's response to a zomb...

The Straight Dope

08.13.08 | BY CECIL ADAMS

Do lightning rods really work?

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So what is Straight Dope and who is Cecil Adams?

Cecil Adams is the world's most intelligent human being. We know this because: (1) he knows everything, and (2) he is never wrong.

His syndicated weekly column, the Straight Dope, presently appears in more than 30 newspapers throughout the United States and Canada.

How do we know that Cecil knows everything and is never wrong?

Because he said so, and he would never lie to us.

No, really.

Listen, read the columns. Soon you will agree this is no ordinary man. If you're still curious, head over to the full FAQ for a more detailed explanation.