6: Mysteries of Eating and Drinking

Is it safe to drink blood? What would happen if you ate an entire Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Chili Pepper? And why do delicious french fries taste so bad when they’re cold? All these food and drink related questions (and a whole lot more) are answered by our intrepid science reporters, Jeanna and Mindy.

 

Below you can find links to further reading on the topics discussed in this episode.

 

Mystery #1: Why Do French Fries Taste So Bad When They're Cold? 

Interview with Denise Tieman of the Plant Innovation Center at University of Florida in Gainesville, discusses her research aimed at creating a more flavorful tomato. 

 

Mystery #2: What If You Eat an Entire Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Chili Pepper?

• Chili peppers have their very own rating scale: the Scoville scale, which indicates amount of capsaicin is present..and how hot they are! 
• A Ghost pepper is among hottest and has 1 million Scoville units!

Guest editor report with Live Science senior writer, Rachel Rettner: How a Piece of Popcorn Stuck in a Man's Teeth Led to Open-Heart Surgery

 
Mystery #3: Is It Safe to Drink Blood?

• Blood drinking or eating congealed blood, usually combined with meat, is common in cultures around the world 
• Drinking cattle blood is part of the traditional Maasai diet in Kenya and Tanzania

 

Don’t forget to subscribe! You can find more answers to life’s little mysteries at the Live Science website and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Tell us what your life’s little mysteries are at forums.livescience.com.

 

Music by Chad Crouch - Algorithms

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