A couple weeks ago, I visited my dentist for a routine cleaning, and he recommended I replace my original silver-colored amalgam fillings with more contemporary tooth-colored ones. I admit, I was almost persuaded (but eventually decided that spending a few hundred bucks so people would stop noticing...
Despite what Hollywood wants you to believe, the American expectation that teeth should be a lustrous white is — quite literally — inhuman. Our chompers are naturally more of a cream color, and only cosmetic treatments can make them a gleaming white. Regardless, our preference for oral...
In 1939, Julius Fromm, the man who built a condom empire in post-WWI Germany, fled to London in fear for his life. Seeing the writing on the wall for Jews in Germany, Fromm knew he’d be no exception, especially since he was a prominent liberal Jew who...
According to the American Hair Loss Association, a whopping 85 percent of men experience noticeable hair loss by age 50. The one upside is, at least all those dudes can commiserate together. But those who deal with conspicuous hair loss at a much younger age — say,...
Research shows that human homes harbor an average of 100 different insect species, regardless of cleanliness or the presence of pets, which often provide outdoor bugs with free (albeit bumpy) rides to the great indoors. Glancing around my home office, I see a small spider hanging in an upper...
I don’t know about you, but when I head to a buffet, I think of it as if I’m going to war. I don’t eat for hours beforehand, and when I get there, I make sure that I get my full money’s worth. Screw the salad bar and...
Ever had the urge to walk right across America, from Mexico to Canada, all by yourself? These three guys have — on the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, a months-long, 2,650-mile hike through California, Oregon and Washington. What’s it like being outside and on the move for several...
15 years ago, when I was 12 years old, my friends and I were obsessed with being able to grow mustaches. Strange, I know, but there was just something about having the capacity to readily sprout a dense tache that signified manhood and perhaps even freedom from...
All scars tell a story. Some of these stories are extraordinary, while others are of the “I fell out of my chair and busted open my chin on the table” variety, but each ends with our skin modified, our injured bodies forever altered. While most underlying scar...
Many have discussed at length the reasons men stay eerily quiet during sex (they’re embarrassed and/or deeply repressed) and the reasons why women sound eerily loud during sex (to make you get off faster and/or because they’re taught to be pornily performative). What’s less discussed is why some people...
Parenting a pet, no matter what kind, can be a frustrating and bewildering experience. Animals can’t tell you what they want and need (directly, at least), so we’re here to help you answer any questions you have about your favorite companion — whether they be furry, slimy,...
There are many great things about being a human, but one of the most underappreciated is our need to bond with other humans. The urge to be sociable was hardwired into us long ago, say the evolutionary psychologists, and it’s led to many of our favorite pastimes:...