ASK THE EXPERTS

Questions about the world we live in, with answers from the world’s top trivia experts.

DON’T SAY CHEESE

Q: Do English people really have bad teeth?

A: “There is nothing wrong with British smiles. According to dozens of jokes, one spy-spoof movie series and even some Britons themselves, the British and bad teeth go as hand-in-hand as tea and crumpets. You can even tell when a British film star has been to Hollywood, the story goes, because they suddenly procure a bright white, perfectly aligned smile. And, as BBC Magazine discovered when they reviewed the state of British teeth, some UK-based dentists say that their customers prefer a more ‘natural look’ than their American counterparts.

“Yet what does the data say? First, it depends on what you mean by ‘bad.’ Whether you choose to whiten or straighten your teeth is a matter of fashion. In terms of dental health, what really matters is decay. On that measure, Britain does better than many other countries around the world—including the United States. In a recent World Health Organization report of the dental status of children, British youths had fewer decayed, missing, or filled teeth than those in France, Spain, and Sweden; Britain’s rates were comparable with Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland. The United States, on the other hand, did quite a bit worse. At the age of 12, children in the United Kingdom have on average better teeth than their American counterparts.” (From “Do Brits Really Have Bad Teeth?” by Claudia Hammond, BBC Future)

TAKING STOCK

Q: Why are there no publicly traded law firms?

A: “Actually, there is one. In May 2007, an Australian personal injury firm, Slater & Gordon, went public in a move that stirred debate among lawyers worldwide. (Arguing attorneys—what fun!) Traditionally, a lawyer’s first responsibility is to the courts; the client’s needs are considered secondary. If a law firm were a public corporation, the reasoning goes, lawyers would also need to provide value to shareholders. This could potentially create sticky situations: Shareholders might not be thrilled about a firm defending a controversial client, for example.

“But with Australia jumping over the line, the U.S. likely will follow suit and move to publicly traded law firms. Proponents point out that even when a law firm is owned by lawyers, financial concerns can potentially interfere with serving a client. They also argue that public capital would give some law firms the financial leeway to accept more low-income clients and risky cases. Finally, of course, lawyers could make a lot of money on initial public offerings—not that such a prospect matters to a lawyer.” (From Why Do Guys Like Duct Tape? from Apandisis Publishing)

Technical term for opening a bottle of champagne with a sword: sabrage.

JUST TO BE SURE

Q: Why are autopsies performed on criminals who have just been executed?

A: “A convicted murderer is brought into a chamber. He is strapped to an electric chair. The executioner flips the switch. The prisoner dies. One wouldn’t think Quincy would be required to diagnose the cause of death. Yet, as far we know, every state that has capital punishment requires an autopsy to be performed on the executed prisoner. Three reasons:

1.“Ascertaining the cause of death can still be contested, even if it seems obvious. For legal reasons, states find it prudent to protect themselves.

2.“ ‘An autopsy will reveal the presence or absence of any preexisting diseases, injuries, or potential toxic substances (alcohol, drugs, poisons),’ says Michael Graham, Chief Medical Examiner of St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Bill Hamilton of Gainesville, Florida, recalls that when a body of a prisoner executed in Florida was shipped to California for burial, a cemetery official found what he thought were signs of torture. Eventually, the body was exhumed and the ‘abuse’ turned out to be electrical burns associated with electrocutions. Routine autopsies would forestall such accusations.

3.“Most states have laws specifying that any person who dies in custody of prison systems must be autopsied. In this litigious age, the last thing state penal systems need are lawsuits or investigative journalists hounding them years after an execution.” (From What Are Hyenas Laughing at, Anyway? by David Feldman)

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PBBLLBBBTLL!

Q: Can a fart propel an astronaut through the space station?

A: “You’d think it should work, at least a little bit—farts are an outgassing of flatus from the body, and you’d think the basic Newtonian law of action/reaction should mean that the farter is pushed away from the fart material, resulting in some sort of propulsive motion. There’s no documented NASA study of FARTS (Fast Acting Rectal Transportation System) or anything like that, but there is an admission that informal tests were attempted from retired Canadian ISS astronaut Chris Hadfield when the topic of getting ‘stuck’ (floating in a module, and finding oneself unable to reach anything to push against) in the middle of a large space station module came up. His answer: ‘We all tried it - too muffled, not the right type of propulsive nozzle :)’ ” (From “Can You Use Your Farts to Propel Yourself in Zero Gravity?” by Jason Torchinsky for Jalopnik)

In some Alaskan kindergartens, children are taught how to butcher moose.