More random questions, with answers
from the nation’s top trivia experts.
Q: Will you spread poison ivy if you touch the blisters?
A: “Good news: you can’t spread poison ivy by touching (or even breaking) the blisters. The belief that poison ivy spreads through the bloodstream is equally false.
“Why do blisters appear on different parts of the body days after the first signs? It probably wasn’t just your skin that came in contact with the plant—it was also your clothing, gardening tools, etc. If it isn’t washed off, the oil or resin from the plant can last almost indefinitely. If you’re unaware you’ve encountered poison ivy (it takes two to four days for the first red spots to show), the resin could have been spread.
“Is there anything you can do to stop the spread? Yes. If you know you’ve just walked through a patch of poison ivy, wash the resin off immediately with soap and water. This also holds true for poison oak and poison sumac.” (From Old Wives’ Tales, by Sue Castle)
Q: I always thought yams and sweet potatoes were the same thing. However, when I asked for the yams at a recent family gathering, I was informed by one of my snotty cousins that no yams were on the menu.
A: “Sorry, but your cousin is right. Contrary to what some grocery store produce guys may think, yams and sweet potatoes are unrelated vegetables, though in both cases you’re eating the root of a tropical vine. Sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas (batata is the original Taino name, whence ‘potato’), are an American plant of the morning glory family, whereas yams are of the genus Dioscorea. Yams, which are rarely seen in the United States and Canada but are a staple in tropical regions, can grow up to seven feet in length. The name is thought to derive from the West African word nyami, ‘to eat.’” (From The Straight Dope, by Cecil Adams)
Cheap date: Sea urchins reproduce via a process called fissiparity—they split themselves in two.