Episode Detail: Life's Little Questions II - Scientific American Frontiers
Host Alan Alda explores more of life's little questions. Among them: Why can't people tickle themselves? What is laughter? Why can't scientists cure the common cold? What makes hot peppers hot? Why do coffee spills leave rings? (And how does the answer to that question relate to the manufacture of electronic circuits?) Regarding laughter, the joke seems to be on comedians, Alda learns from a Maryland researcher, who tells him that laughter's an involuntary reaction to hearing other people laugh. (So then, what caused them to laugh?)
