The Straight Dope 02/28/2003

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

You are subscribed as: [[email protected]]

To unsubscribe CLICK on the URL below this line:
mailto:[email protected]
If you can't "click" above, then send a blank email to:
[email protected]
____________________________________________
THE STRAIGHT DOPE 02/28/2003

Dear Cecil:

I've just been rereading Rupert Furneaux's 1977 book
The Tungus Event about the massive explosion that
occurred in the Tunguska region of Siberia in 1908. The
book does not come to any firm conclusion about the cause,
although a meteorite is probably the main suspect. What
is the latest thinking on this? I have tried Google but
what information there is seems to have been hijacked by
the UFO brigade. What caused the explosion?
--Rayne Man, via the Straight Dope Message Board

~~~~~~
Looking for the perfect gift for that wedding, birthday, or
bar mitzvah? Straight Dope books are the very thing! See
http://www.straightdope.com/store.html
~~~~~~

Cecil replies:

Probably a comet or an asteroid, though the question hasn't
been definitely settled. This answer disappoints some people,
who'd prefer something more in an X-Files vein (Tunguska
figured in an X-Files episode, in fact). My feeling is, we're
talking about an extraterrestrial object with a mass of at
least 100,000 tons that exploded with a force of 10 to 40
megatons of TNT and devastated 2,000 square kilometers of
forest. This isn't cool enough? 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030228.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

I've always been a bit mystified by the apparent art/science
of fire forensics--meaning the ability to walk into a
burned-out house and determine where the fire started. I
understand you could test for accelerants (e.g., someone
doused the place with gasoline), but how do they work back to
"a cigarette started it"? I would think by the time the fire
is well underway in a room that everything is pretty much
equally roasted. But fire marshals seem to be able to work
their way back to the source. How is it done?
--Tab Julius, Ashland, NH

SDSTAFF Dex replies:
There's a common belief that the fire itself burns all the
evidence into an unidentifiable mass of ash. But, in fact,
that's not so. For a start, the fire department usually
arrives in time to stop the fire from completely incinerating
everything. Obviously, the more of the house or furnishings
that are left, even in partly damaged condition, the easier
it is to determine where the fire started. 

The first clues to the "cause and origin" come from the firefighters. 

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfireorigin.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 11/30/79

Dear Cecil: 

You may recall that Alice wondered about how deep the tube
was while she was falling down the rabbit hole into
Wonderland. If such a frictionless tube actually did exist,
and went from the North Pole to the South Pole, and you or
I accidentally stumbled into one of its open ends, exactly
what would happen to us? --Larry W., Baltimore

Whenever this job starts to get boring, I know I can count
on one of you screwballs out there in Baltimore to come up
with something. You guys are a national asset.

What we are dealing with here is essentially a cosmic
pendulum. But let me explain a few basic concepts first.
For one thing, we are going to disregard the problem of
the earth's molten interior. There is no surer way to
ruin a good discussion than to contaminate it with the facts.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_165.html

____________________________________________
Here's how you can get your OWN FREE Subscription:
Send a blank mailto:[email protected]
____________________________________________
Copyright 1995 - 2003 Chicago Reader, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
You may forward this document by email ONLY if you
include the entire document INCLUDING the information
at the bottom of this publication
____________________________________________
Visit our good friends at Joke A Day http://www.jokeaday.com
They're kind enough to mail THE STRAIGHT DOPE for us.
Join the World's Largest Daily Humor List and receive daily
laughs in your email by sending mailto:[email protected]