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How Autism Works

Experts used to think that one out of every 150 American children had autism, but a new government study estimates it's more like one out of every 91 children. What symptoms characterize this neurological condition?

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What's the most dangerous room in the house?

Nobody ever expects accidents to happen, but a slip down the stairs or a kitchen grease fire can occur in the blink of an eye -- even if you're careful. So where are you most likely to get hurt?

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Extravagant Face Creams

Top 10 Most Extravagant Face Creams

Not all of us have skin as perfect as a porcelain doll's. How much would you pay for a product that promised to deliver serious results? Some of these extravagant creams cost more than your monthly mortgage payment.

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How Fw:Thinking Works

Fw:Thinking is thinking about what's next. It's about innovative technologies and social networking, renewable resources and personal wellness. Are you ready to think ahead?

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quizzes

Do you have what it takes to design a home?

Are you the ultimate genius?

Do crystal skulls possess special powers?

What doesn't belong in the dishwasher?

top 10s

pics & puzzles

videos: from navy destroyers to sharks

Build It Bigger: Navy Destroyer 2

HowStuffWorks Show: Beer 101

Deadliest Catch: Fight Club

Sharks Under Glass: Shark Encounters

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blogs

TechStuff

Would you like a degree in video games?

by Chris Pollette

ScienceStuff

Jimmy Carter's Sweater and '70s Style Conservation

by Sarah Dowdey

Stuff You Should Know

Cognitive Bias, or Why Humans Stink at Assessing Threats

by Josh Clark

BrainStuff

World Record #104 – Longest Duration Gas Balloon Flight

by Marshall Brain

stuff you want to know

Audrey from Chicago, Ill. asks:

How is white chocolate made?

Jacob from Stillwater, Okla. asks:

Why does a slice wound bleed less than a puncture wound?

Debo from Ikorodu, Nigeria asks:

Why are navy warships typically gray in color?

Darlene from Fort Gibon, Okla. asks:

How is coal turned into electricity?

Ozone from Owerri, Nigeria asks:

How does an electrical inverter work?

Matthew from Hudson, Ohio asks:

How fast does blood flow throughout the human body?

Sharie from Heber Springs, Ark. asks:

Is there something I can purchase to make my personal computer work with a wireless router?

Eddy from Balikpapan, Indonesia asks:

Why is water from an air conditioning system not drinkable, but still safe to water your plants?

Zachary from Baytown, Texas asks:

If all the plants and trees died tomorrow, would we run out of oxygen?

Enrique from Victorville, Calif. asks:

Why would a car engine start smoking?

David from Long Beach, Calif. asks:

How is beef jerky made?

Todd from Safford, Ariz. asks:

How do multi-processor systems communicate and increase performance?

Melinda from Joshua, Texas asks:

Does filling a plastic bag with water and dropping a penny in the bottom keep flies away?

Simal from Sacramento, Calif. asks:

Why does Saturn have rings?

Andy from Atlanta, Ga. asks:

When a doctor does an “MRI scan”, what can they see? How does it help?

Susan from Houston, Texas asks:

How do bail bonds work?

Max from Madison, Wi. asks:

At the gym there is an exercise machine that tells me I am burning 900 calories per hour. Is that even possible?

Faith from San Diego, Ca. asks:

Why does the Powerball lotto have a $100,000,000 prize? Why not give away a thousand $100,000 prizes instead? Wouldn’t more people play if more people thought they could win?

Steve from Sewell, N.J. asks:

When local newscasters quote ocean water temperatures, where is the measurement taken?

David from Birmingham, Ala. asks:

What does the Sun look like from space, and are there any pictures of the Sun from space?

Jon from Las Vegas, Nev. asks:

How is mercury made, and where does it come from?

Erin from Gilbert, Ariz. asks:

How are nebulas formed?

Jim from Bluefield, W.Va. asks:

How many carbohydrates does a 200-lb. man require a day?

Tom from Kansas City, Mich. asks:

How do they put together a big tower crane?

Lisa from Hamilton, New Zealand asks:

Why are rainbows curved?

Mike from Lakewood, Colo. asks:

Can you run a portable air conditioner in a room without a window?

Mildred from Mexico, Mo. asks:

How do grape growers keep weeds out of their vineyards?

Francis from Anaheim, Cali. asks:

How do antistatic laundry sheets work in the dryer?

Garret from Chicago, Ill. asks:

When you turn on the turn signal in a car, you hear a clicking sound. Where does the sound come from?

Deanna from Omaha, Neb. asks:

Why do bugs tip onto their backs when they die?

Desi from Kansas City, Mo. asks:

What would happen if we didn’t have a tongue?

Max from Council Bluffs, Iowa asks:

What is the deepest point in the Ocean?

Kyle from Lansing, Mich. asks:

What happens from the time I turn the key to start the car till the engine starts running?

Andrea from Waynesville, Mo. asks:

Who decided the arrangement of letters on a computer QWERTY keyboard, and why?

Sonya from Arlington, Texas asks:

When they say on the news that a fire has consumed 100,000 acres, how big is that?

Darron from St. George, Grenada asks:

Can insects feel pain?

Tanner from Du Bois, Pa. asks:

How do people accomplish 40-inch vertical jumps?

John from Huntington Beach, Calif. asks:

Does GPS work underwater for submarines?

Sam from Orlando, Fla. asks:

I live on a 50 acre lake. It just isn’t that big. Recently they started to let people water their lawns with lake water. Aren’t these people going to pump the lake dry?

Jonathan from Portsmouth, NH asks:

I have an old safe I found in my parent’s attic (they are both deceased now). I have no idea what the combination is. Is there a way to open this safe?

Blanche from Topeka, Kan. asks:

Is the world going to end in 2012?

Pedromax from Guatemala, Guatemala asks:

Why do skydivers use a helmet?

Sally from Rome, Ga. asks:

Is a coin toss always “fair”? Or is it better to choose heads or tails?

Clay from Buckley, Wash. asks:

How do you build a half pipe for a skateboard?

Bob from Madison, Wis. asks:

What does it mean when a car is “hydrolocked”? Is there any way to fix it?

Stephen from Pittsboro, N.C. asks:

How does speed control work in an electric golf cart?

David from Cary, NC asks:

Why does a mirror reverse stuff left-to-right but not top-to-bottom?

Jason from Atlanta, Ga. asks:

What if wind turbines were used exclusively for battery recharging of electric cars?

Dustin from Toronto, Canada asks:

Why is NHL ice painted white?

Erin from Gilbert, Ariz. asks:

How were the planets formed?

keep asking:

what's your question?

the random zone

Explore your world with our amazing library of cool stuff.

today's trivia

quotestuff

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Who said it? »

factstuff

Skijoring is a snow sport where a cross country skier is pulled by two sled dogs. Another random fact »

poll of the day