Sayanara Smith

Sayanara hunts for the “why” behind every headline, then shapes the chase into crisp, fact-tight stories. Years proofing cultural essays trained her to trace every claim back to its first source. She’s saving hard for a Philosophy degree at the University of California, Berkeley—fuel for even deeper questions. Readers trust her open citations; editors tag her copy “good to go.” Off duty, she coaches debate teens and riffs on jazz piano—because big ideas groove best when they swing.

Is Coffee Actually Dehydrating?

You’ve probably heard it a million times: Coffee dehydrates you. It’s one of those things people say with absolute certainty, like “the sky is blue” or “pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza.” But here’s the kicker—what if it’s not entirely true? What if your morning espresso isn’t secretly plotting to suck every last drop of moisture … Read more

Did You Know Your Stomach Thinks for Itself?

Ever had a gut feeling about something? Turns out, your stomach might actually be doing the thinking. We’ve been taught that the brain calls all the shots, but science is uncovering something wild—your gut has its own nervous system, a second brain of sorts, with more neurons than a cat’s entire skull. And no, this … Read more

Do Elephants Really Mourn Their Dead?

Elephants pause. They gather. They touch bones with the tip of the trunk as if reading Braille. They go quiet in a way that turns an open savanna into a chapel. Is that “mourning” the way humans define it? We can’t ask them. But the patterns stack up, and the picture is hard to ignore. … Read more

Did You Know You Can’t Breathe and Swallow at the Same Time?

Ever catch yourself mid-sip of coffee, suddenly aware that your throat just staged a tiny rebellion? One second you’re breathing, the next you’re swallowing, and never the twain shall meet. It’s one of those quirks of human biology so obvious we forget to question it—until we choke on a pretzel. Then it becomes very interesting. … Read more

Are Goldfish Memories Only 3 Seconds Long?

Goldfish don’t forget you, their tank mates, or their feeding time after a blink. They can learn patterns, remember routes, and hold onto information for weeks and months. The three-second gag survives because it’s catchy, not because it’s true. Why it matters: if you think a goldfish resets every few seconds, you’ll treat it like … Read more

Did a Pope Ever Put an Animal on Trial?

Popes did plenty of unusual things across two millennia, but personally dragging a rooster, pig, or swarm of weevils into a papal courtroom isn’t one of them. The famous animal trials you’ve heard about? Those belonged to local secular judges and, at times, church courts run by bishops or abbots—not the pope in Rome. Where … Read more

Did You Know Birds Are Living Dinosaurs?

The robin outside your window? Dinosaur.That hummingbird that looks like a flying jewel? Dinosaur.Chicken nuggets? Let’s… not go there. “Birds are living dinosaurs” isn’t a cute metaphor. It’s straight-up biology. If you follow the family tree back through time—past pigeons and penguins, past Archaeopteryx, deep into the Jurassic—you land among small, feathered theropods. Stay on … Read more

Did Vikings Wear Horned Helmets or Not?

Let’s walk through what we actually know, what’s been found in the ground, and why a pair of pointy add-ons would’ve been the worst choice you could strap to your head before a sea raid. Viking Helmets: What Archaeology Really Shows When you dig into Viking graves, you almost never find helmets. Not because Vikings … Read more

Did You Know Pirates Wore Eye Patches for Night Vision?

You’ve seen the cartoon pirate: tricorn hat, parrot, wooden leg, eye patch. The patch is the one that sparks arguments at dinner. Was it there to look menacing, or was it a low-tech night-vision hack? Let’s untangle the legend, the science, and the sea stories—no jargon, no lecture voice, just the good stuff. Short answer: … Read more