Explore subjects at the main library. Find a short read here.
October 23, 2026 · Health · 4 min · views 17No. 155
Does licking chapped lips help?
Saliva feels moist for a moment, but as it dries it takes your lips' own moisture with it.
When cold winds blow, lips crack and we lick them without thinking. But putting saliva on chapped lips only feels moist for a moment and actually makes them dry out faster. As the saliva evaporates, it carries away the moisture that was left in your lips too.
Read this issue
October 23, 2026 · Everyday life · 4 min · views 12No. 154
Why does salted napa cabbage go limp?
The salt isn't cooking the cabbage. The water inside the leaves is moving out toward the salty outside.
When you salt napa cabbage for kimchi-making season, the stiff leaves go limp within half a day. It isn't because the salt dissolves or cooks the cabbage. The water filling the cabbage's cells moves out toward the salty water outside, and the force that kept the leaves firm disappears.
Read next
Earlier reads
View all- 10.23MoneyPrices up 2%: what happens to cash in a drawer?views 12 · 4 min
- 10.23NatureDo red and yellow leaves turn the same way?views 15 · 4 min
- 10.23ScienceShooting stars: are stars really falling?views 18 · 4 min
- 10.23NumbersShoe size 250: what is that number measuring?views 16 · 4 min
- 10.22TechnologyWhy won't my phone work with gloves on?views 60 · 4 min
- 10.22Everyday lifeWhy does cutting an onion make you cry?views 22 · 4 min
