HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!

How Lying Works

A lie keeps growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face, according to Pinocchio's fairy friend. But if you don't see a long nose (and pants on fire), how do you tell the truth from a fib?

Lie Detector Test Human Deception

How long can you survive adrift in the ocean?

You surface from a scuba dive to find that the boat ditched you. Are you a dead man? Between the sharks and the dehydration -- we've got to admit, it doesn't look good.

Titanic Pictures Man Overboard

How 2008 Worked

Have you forgotten everything that's happened this year? That's where HowStuffWorks comes in. Here are the headlines from 2008 that'll go down in history.

Barack Obama Pictures Joe Biden Pictures

Should fisherman always catch and release?

In some cases, you're not doing the fish population a favor when you release a fish back into the water. How do you know which fish to keep and which to return?

Saltwater Fish Pictures Fish Populations

How Game Theory Works

Game theory isn't about people scratching their heads over a never-ending game of Monopoly. Serious theorists, like Henry Kissinger, have used it to form war strategies.

20th Century Battlefields U.S. Action

Have crash tests ever used live (or dead) human occupants?

A lot of engineering goes into crash test dummies. But as advanced as they are, they can't tell researchers everything that happens in a crash. That's where human crash test dummies come in.

Car Safety Pictures Safe SUVs

Are there Nazi war criminals still at large?

The Justice Department recently donated thousands of pages of court transcripts of Nazi war criminals -- who'd been found living in the United States -- to the Holocaust Museum. More than six decades after the war, are there any still at large?

Fugitive Nazis Nazis in America

BrainStuff Blog

Do you ponder whether we'll ever defeat aging? Or what would happen if humans changed their diets and ate like apes? The HowStuffWorks BrainStuff blog with Marshall Brain answers these questions and covers a wide range of interesting topics.

Computer Pictures Smart Blogging

HowStuffWorks TV

You read that right: HowStuffWorks has hit prime time TV. Tune in to the show on Discovery Channel Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST/PST. Can't wait? Check out this week's topic: How Beer Works.

Yuengling Beer Drinking Problems

How Alcohol Works

About two-thirds of all adults partake in this mind-altering substance, yet many don't consider it a drug. But if you've ever seen someone who's had too much to drink, you know that alcohol has profound effects on the mind and body.

Beer Baths Hazard Pay: Bouncer

How Breathalyzers Work

Drivers who can pass roadside sobriety tests -- by touching their noses or walking a straight line -- may still be over the legal limit for blood alcohol and be a hazard on the road. Breathalyzers help police find out who's really driving drunk.

Water or Beer? Rough at the Bar

How Winemaking Works

From Beaujolais to Bordeaux, Madeira to merlot and Sancerre to Shiraz, wine can complement almost any food. One glass of red wine daily may even be a heart-healthy habit. But how do grapes get from the vine to your glass?

Hangovers Liver Transplant