Laurie L. Dove is an award-winning journalist who covers timely topics for HowStuffWorks. She is the author of six books and the former owner of a newspaper and magazine. When not reporting on the latest tech breakthrough, health advance or economic development, Dove is tracking down hidden history, science innovations and biologic discoveries. As the Honorable Laurie Dove, Mayor, she has brought multi-million-dollar improvements to the small Midwest town where she lives with her husband, five children and two Akitas.

Recent Contributions

Dragon fire is an awe-inspiring thing, but exactly how would it happen? Real-world clues from nature point the way.

By Laurie L. Dove

Tetragametic chimerism occurs when a single organism has two genetically distinct types of DNA.

By Laurie L. Dove

Hefting a sofa up a flight of stairs can take a lot of logistics. So what does moving thousand-ton buildings across cities -- or even oceans -- entail?

By Molly Edmonds & Laurie L. Dove

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Why are blueprints blue and not some other color? There's a specific chemical process behind it, and its discovery has all the elements of a dark fairy tale.

By Laurie L. Dove

Yuo cna raed thsi rgiht? Probably, but that doesn't mean a popular internet meme on the topic is totally accurate.

By Laurie L. Dove

It's a force of habit to shake spray canisters, but when it comes to canned air, that inclination could cause frostbite.

By Laurie L. Dove

Farming technologies have allowed the world to be fed, even though most people no longer farm. Only 2 percent of Americans are farmers, versus 90 percent in the 1700s. Which tools and technologies have had the most impact on farming and why?

By Laurie L. Dove

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It's a strange thing to think about, but have you ever wondered what would happen if the ozone layer suddenly wasn't there? Here's a hint: Getting a bad sunburn would be the least of your problems.

By Laurie L. Dove

The age of a beer can dramatically influence its flavor, and usually not for the better. But what about its alcohol content? Does a decade-old barley pop still pack the same wallop as one bottled the week before?

By Laurie L. Dove

Split as if by a laser, the Al Naslaa rock in Saudi Arabia's Tayma Oasis baffles scientists and amateur geologists alike. How did this perfect split happen?

By Laurie L. Dove

The ancients were able to devise a mix for concrete that actually gets stronger over time thanks to chemical reactions. If only we could rediscover the recipe...

By Laurie L. Dove

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Not to be confused with sleet, graupel is actually an interesting mix of snow and ice. But it's not hail. Graupel, get to know it.

By Laurie L. Dove

The Lazy Susan is a circular tray that spins to make food service easier, but the origins of the name are a bit murky. What is a Lazy Susan, exactly, and why did it earn that disparaging name? Let's find out!

By Laurie L. Dove

Atoms: the building blocks of life and the universe. We're all made of these microscopic bits of matter, but how many does it take to make a complete human being? And exactly what kinds of atoms do we have inside us?

By Laurie L. Dove

If you're one of the clueless citizens who's laid a hat on a bed, welcome to the club. Apparently, we've all doomed ourselves to evil spirits as guests. According to this superstition, anyway.

By Laurie L. Dove

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Solar flares disrupt Earth's magnetic field when they hit the planet, causing issues with power and GPS. But if a major solar storm hit Earth, the consequences could be catastrophic.

By Laurie L. Dove & Desiree Bowie

Sure, Saturn's luminous rings are a cosmic marvel, but did you know that Earth once had rings? If we still had them today, what would they look like?

By Laurie L. Dove

Remember learning about photosynthesis when you were a kid? Let's pretend for a moment that this vital process could somehow permanently stop. How tough would it be to continue to live on this Earth?

By Laurie L. Dove

As global freshwater sources become scarcer, desalination plants play an increasingly pivotal role, transforming our vast oceans into drinkable reserves. Let's delve deeper into the mechanics of these vital facilities.

By Laurie L. Dove & Desiree Bowie

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Saudi Arabia's proposal to build a 106-mile-long, self-sufficient, road- and car-free, one-building city would make it the first of its kind in the world.

By Laurie L. Dove

Many people consider caviar, unfertilized sturgeon eggs, to be a delicious delicacy. But how exactly is this luxury harvested, and what is the proper way to eat it?

By Laurie L. Dove & Austin Henderson

In the quest for the title of world's oldest tree, there's some stiff competition, as well as questions surrounding the way we define "oldest."

By Laurie L. Dove & Sascha Bos

To say geologic time moves at a snail's pace is an insult to snails. Our planet's continents are always in flux: Could a new ocean grow amid those incredibly slow changes?

By Laurie L. Dove

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In Beijing, it's not possible to get a vehicle license plate that has the number 4 on it. Some cultures take their numbers phobia very seriously. What's the deal with 4?

By Laurie L. Dove

"Nor'easter" is one of those words that makes you think of an old mariner scanning the horizon for a pending storm. What does it really mean — and why don't we say "northeaster"?

By Laurie L. Dove