SNEEZES ACT LIKE ‘MINI ATOMIC BOMBS’ _ It’s cold and flu season so be sure to do the vampire when you cough or sneeze. Researchers in the UK (Loughborough University) found that the power of a sneeze or a cough can carry germs like a “mini atomic bomb” and travel for close to a dozen feet.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST ‘WHAT THE WHAT?’ GIFT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED? The internet responds:
• A pair of diabetic socks from my mother in law. I’m not diabetic.
• A jar. When I was 12.
• A book called “This is Why You’re Single.” From my mom.
• My mom last year decided she didn’t want to go off of my Christmas list anymore because she wanted to surprise me. One of my gifts was a framed painting of two penguins. I was confused and it has been sitting in my closet for a year now.
• A guinea pig. Just the guinea pig, no cage or anything.
DON’T DRINK WATER AFTER EATING SPICY FOOD _ Let’s say you mistake a ghost pepper for a mere jalapeño and a couple of seconds later, are seriously regretting it. What’s the first thing you do? If you answered, “look for the nearest water source,” you’re not alone. According to scientists (American Chemical Society) you couldn’t be more wrong. Capsaicin is the chemical that makes spicy food hot. The more capsaicin in your spicy chile peppers, the higher they are on the Scoville scale. Capsaicin is made of non-polar molecules, while water is made of polar molecules. As a result, mixing the two is like mixing “oil and water”. When you drink water after eating something spicy, your mouth is likely to feel worse because the non-polar molecules get spread around. Consuming dairy products can help because dairy can neutralize those pesky non-polar molecules, returning your tongue to normal.
