askscience

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Stoner friend keeps trying to convince me that smoking pot doesn't cause cancer. How can this be true? Is marijuana smoke really that different from cigarette smoke?	123
Has there ever been a mathematical "Piltdown Man"? That is, a mathematical theorem that was accepted as valid for many years, only to have a fatal flaw discovered much later?	79
In Stephen Hawking's new book, he states "Because of the Uncertainty Principle, the Universe came into existence out of nothing." Is this accepted physics, or just wild speculation on his part?	70
If gravity turns out not to be a fundamental force, might the Standard Model already be the "final theory" that physicists are searching for?	11
In Relativity Theory, we are told that time is relative and that there is no "master clock" for the Universe, and yet it is commonly stated that the Universe is 13.7 billion years old. How can both of these statements be true?	7
Why are there zero-calorie sodas but not, say, zero-calorie cupcakes?	5
What sort of mineral resources are known to exist on the moon, other planets and asteroids?	3
When scientists talk about the "wavelike" nature of particles, are they talking about a wavelike change in energy in the underlying field or the probability wave representing the particle in quantum mechanics? Or does it depend on the context?	1
What are some implications of the recent paper showing that either the Wave Function is a real object (not just a mathematical convenience), or Entanglement is not just limited to particles that were once co-located?	1
With the rise of epigenetics, are scientists reevaluating the work of earlier researchers like Lamarck and Lysenko, or are they still considered charlatans?	1

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