Our Cells, Ourselves

"The cellphone allows us to create that local sphere" that was the hallmark of pre-industrial villages, says Ling. Cellphone circles tend to be small and full of people who "know what you're up to, who you are, what's in your refrigerator. That's a way of being attached to society. It has a socializing effect."

You Have Questions; We Have Answers

If we didn't shut off our cellphones before takeoff, would airplanes fall out of the sky?

Probably not, pilots say, but let's not find out the hard way.

Do cellphones cause car crashes?

They're as distracting as driving drunk, according to some studies, but almost seven times less distracting than trying to catch a spilling beer can at 60 miles per hour, according to others. People who text while driving, research suggests, should be horsewhipped.

Do cellphones fry your brain?

"Overall, research has not consistently demonstrated a link between cellular telephone use and cancer or any other adverse health effect," the National Cancer Institute says. But a recent study claims late-night cellphone radiation is what causes adolescent sleeplessness and confusion, to which parents have responded, "Yeah, right."

I use my cell's backlight to find things in the dark. Am I weird?

Perhaps. But two-thirds of us do it, according to Sprint.

Is there anything uglier than a cellphone tower?

A cellphone tower disguised as a palm tree.

Are cellphones killing off the bees?