Q: Is it true that a person's hair can turn white overnight?

A: Although there have been stories of hair turning white overnight that go far back in history (including Thomas Moore and Marie Antoinette), most, if not all, are legends. The basic problem with this idea is that hair is dead tissue; it cannot suddenly change color. A head of hair turns color slowly, as the white hair grows out from the roots.

However, there is a condition called "diffuse alopecia areata" which can occur in people with a mix of dark and gray hairs. This condition can cause substantial hair loss, but, for some reason, primarily affects pigmented hairs. Thus, one can get the impression of instant hair loss, the shock of which may cause one to overlook the relative loss of hair as a whole. The process by which this condition works is unknown, but emotional stress is thought to be a contributing factor.

Q: What do you call a group of dragons?

A: Gaggles of geese, flocks of sheep, but how do you refer to a group of dragons? Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hackamen, authors of the Dragon Lance Chronicles, speak of great "flights" of dragons, while academics concern themselves with the largely solitary dragons of ancient mythologies. Theses cultures varied greatly in their conceptions of this beast: land, sea, or air; snake, bird, or lizard; horny or not.

In modern times the term dragon itself has evolved significantly. In addition to the mythical creatures of yore, it now refers to paper kites, a variety of domestic pigeon, the larva of a British moth, a short pistol-like musket, armored artillery tractors, and real-life lizards.