Everyday Life
Exploring "Why" questions about Everyday Life
479 articles
why do humans love spicy food
The molecule that causes the sensation of spiciness is capsaicin, which binds to the nerves responsible for registering heat and more importantly pain. This causes these nerves to fire, making us feel
Why do certain foods and beverages taste better or worse at specific temperature ranges?
In part, the sense of smell plays a big part in taste. Flavor in food is typically comprised of a multitude of flavor and fragrance compounds. Examples: Vanillin, eugenol, thymol, etc.
why do humans require a balanced diet of various meats and plants, but most animals are perfectly healthy when only eating 1 or 2 types of food?
Plenty of people survive on an all-plant diet, and there are some who survive on an all-meat diet ([source](_URL_0_)). It's just very difficult, and entails eating either a huge variety of plants or a
Why is the shower curtain rod in hotels bowed out?
Because shower curtains tend to get pulled inward when you're taking a shower thanks to the hot air inside the shower rising and creating a zone of reduced pressure. To keep the curtain from getting a
Why do different cheeses made from the same type of milk have different Calcium values?
It basically comes down to pH value of the whey and it's drained. Casein is bonded by calcium phosphate (which is where the calcium comes from) and as the pH decreases it becomes soluble and is draine
Why isn’t mouthwash a good enough substitute for toothpaste?
Toothpaste is a mild abrasive.This means that it is better at scraping, specifically scraping plaque from the teeth. Mouthwash does not have this property, and may not remove all plaque and food scrap
Why don’t we milk pigs?
Although pigs' milk is high in fat (around 8.5% compared to cows milk at 3.9%) and is an excellent source of nutrients, sows are very difficult to milk. They have around 14 teats compared to a cow's f
Why do drive-thru fast food places have two Windows even though only one is used?
When order volumes are high enough, and when they have staff for it, they can run both windows, which makes the drive-thru a little more efficient. But it doesn't make sense to run it that way when or
Why are almonds cheaper in milk form?
> Doesn't it take way more almonds to make a half gallon of milk then 6oz of raw almonds? Not "way more", no. Depending on the recipe, I've seen something like 6oz - 8oz of almonds for half a gallo
Why do companies ‘throw away’ good food as opposed to give it away for free?
If people knew they could get food for free simply by waiting, not a lot of people would pay for food.