If you have travelled to a country other than America, or you have watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you may have noticed that the number of blades in a ceiling fan vary from place to place. Even if you didn’t notice it before, the Monkey bets you will now, and here’s an explanation. We sing carols every year (at least around here we do…

Sure, we all know that cakes are eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and all kinds of stuff that comes together to make wonderful deliciousness. But how does it turn from batter into wonderful deliciousness? Is it some secret chemical whatchamacallits? The Monkey was dying to know, so we found out. Also, paint by numbers - what a concept, right? You can take…

You may know that your weight fluctuates from day to day, but did you know it fluctuates from place to place on Earth? In fact, it might fluctuate slightly from location to location in your house. Gravitational mass concentrations or mascons are all around us. What the heck are they and what causes them? You probably think you know all the vampire …

The traditional Thanksgiving story and Black Friday are ingrained into the American culture. But how accurate is that story? Is there more to history than we’re taught in elementary school? There’s an answer, as always, and the Monkey found it enlightening. Also, everyone has their own favorite household recipe for roasting the Thanksgiving turkey …

The Bermuda Triangle is a mystery writer’s dream. A place in the ocean where ships and planes vanish without a trace, the Bermuda Triangle or the Devil’s Triangle captures the imagination. But what is really going on? Are all disappearances in the distant chef, or are they still happening? And does anyone know what really happens to those planes an…

On television, the crab fishermen hunt for two different kinds of crab in the same area of water. How do they only catch the ones they are looking for? Same boats, same traps, same water – different crab? That’s a mystery for the Monkey! And – cats do weird stuff. A lot of weird stuff. When they’re jumping on your foot under a blanket, do they know…

Dr. Spencer Reid takes a nap, but not really. However, he assures us that it would be perfectly normal if he did. References to biphasic of polyphasic sleep go back as far as 70BC. In fact, we only started sleeping eight hours a night straight through in the early 1920’s. Why would it change and is there any benefit to going back to that pattern of…

We know that science classifies humans as primates and that humans are omnivorous. Is a diet that includes vegetables, fruit, and protein something only found in humans, or do other primates share this trait. The Monkey always wants to know about other monkeys, and is on the case. The answers we found might well surprise you. Also, when you move yo…

Oh no, you cut your hand! Pour some hydrogen peroxide on it and get it bandaged up! What does hydrogen peroxide do while it’s making all those cleansing bubbles in your wound? Is it helping? Is it actually harmful? The Monkey was really surprised to find out the truth behind this medicine cabinet staple. Cashew milk, coconut milk, almond milk – pla…

Of all the improbabilities that the Monkey wonders about throughout the week, perhaps the oddest are from local laws in America and beyond. This week, the Monkey finds out why in the world you can't eat watermelons in Brazil. It's absolutely true and you won't believe the reason why. Also, we paint them, shine them, cut them, and grow them. Fingern…

The Monkey treads forward bravely insinuating into the wide, wide, world of mattress sizing. Is a twin twice the size of a single? Is a queen twice the size of that? How many sizes are there and who in the world thought of these crazy names to begin with? The Monkey enlightens. Well, not really, but the Monkey does explain what the sizes are and wh…

Hi guys - No Feeding the Monkey this week, but please send me questions or comments to monkey@feedingthemonkey.com . We're also on Facebook at Feeding the Monkey. Your bizarro question is my happy-making-thing.由Feeding the Monkey

If you could have any super power in the world, most people vote for teleportation. Number 12 on the list is “indefatigability”. If your body never got tired, what would happen to your mind? Would you lose it? What kind of ways would that manifest? Is it really all that bad if you don’t sleep? Feeding the Monkey has indefatigable curiosity, but we’…

What do you think would happen if you never told your child the sky was blue? The answer is pretty stunning. He or she would tell you the exact same thing that Homer and other ancient speakers if you asked them what color the sky is. It took a lot more work than usual, but Feeding the Monkey was completely enthralled with the answer to this listene…

The human body is an amazing balance of tissues, enzymes, fluids, and structure. Each piece has its own job to do, keeping our bodies running smoothly. Are there any organs we can lose and still live happy, functioning lives? Which ones? Most of us know about becoming an organ donor on our driver's licenses, but what about living donation? Are ther…

Everyone who lives in a climate with ice and snow has stepped out onto a driveway or sidewalk and found themselves lying on the ground. How come you slip on ice but ice doesn’t slip out from under you? Or does ice slip out from under you but you just didn't notice it? Or maybe you slipped and the ice slipped? Feeding the Monkey just had to know and…

At some point, someone thought it would be a good idea to eat eggs. What in the world would ever compel someone to do that? Feeding the Monkey checks it out. We bet you can't guess how long it's been. Everyone knows Clan McDonnell wears white, black and green tartans. But why is that and who decided what color goes with which clan? Feeding the Monk…

Looking for a self service pump in Oregon? You probably won't find one - it's illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon under most circumstances. Feeding the Monkey finds out the history behind this bizarre law and in what situation it doesn’t apply. Also, remember that FLDS compound that was raided in Texas in April of 2008? Feeding the Monkey does, …