The Straight Dope: Could you be frozen solid, then broken into a million pieces?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) FOLLOW CECIL ADAMS ON [TWITTER]( AND [FACEBOOK](! [dope_100205_nitrogen.gif] THREADSPOTTING: THE BEST OF THE STRAIGHT DOPE MESSAGE BOARD — 11/15/2019 Leave it to chance. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 — 02/05/2010 Dear Cecil: Dude gets splashed with liquid helium, or blasted with cryogas, or breathed on by a white dragon, and he freezes solid into an immobile, frosty, astonished-looking block of man. Then he teeters over and crash! Smashes into a million pieces on the ground. We've seen it in the movies a million times. But has it ever actually happened to anyone? I've seen guys on TV deep-freeze hot dogs and roses and such and smash them with a hammer, but is it even plausible for this to happen to a human? — Brian J. Wright Cecil replies: You want to clear a room fast, try asking for a volunteer for human sacrifice. Plan B likewise proved impractical when Una balked at obtaining a corpse. Thank God for the medical databases. Even so, progress was slow. Notable findings: 1. Despite determined effort … [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 01/02/2003 Dear Straight Dope: I heard that flies vomit every time they land. Is this a fact? — Zvi SDStaff Doug replies: This is one of those oft-repeated “factoid” that floats around on long lists, so it’s worth a Staff Report just to get the real story on record. In short: No. Three reasons. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 — 07/25/1997 Dear Cecil: What do you know about those plastic ion laundry balls that supposedly replace detergent? — RosenClan, via AOL Cecil replies: Here’s what I know: (1) People are charging as much as $75 for a set of little gizmos that look like they came as a prize in a Happy Meal. [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2019 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607