Thursday, March 16, 2017

Professor Makes His Scientific Bones with the Five-Second Rule

The Five-Second Rule says it's ok to eat food after you pick it up so long as it was not on the floor for longer than five seconds.  A scientist, apparently with an extremely-limited repertoire, has said science tells us this is ok.  He does not produce that science, however.  (RT:  ‘5-second rule’ for food dropped on the floor is true, germ scientists prove)


© Stuart Minzey / Getty Images


There's your fried bologna sandwich, Elvis.  Go ahead.  Eat it, buddy.


You can safely eat food dropped on the floor as long as you pick it up within five seconds, according to a germ expert, thus proving the so-called ‘five-second rule.'

Professor Anthony Hilton of Aston University said that although eating food off the floor can never be totally without risk, the often-cited five-second rule is a pretty safe bet.

Hilton will demonstrate his theory at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham as part of a series of national science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) events held across the country.

- RT

In demonstration of his theory, the only convincing move he can make is to drop food onto the floor which he subsequently eats.  There are some lame stage acts on tour but this one might well be the worst since David Letterman's singing dogs.


“Obviously, food covered in visible dirt shouldn’t be eaten, but as long as it’s not obviously contaminated, the science shows that food is unlikely to have picked up harmful bacteria from a few seconds spent on an indoor floor,” he told the Independent.

“Our research has shown that the nature of the floor surface, the type of food dropped on the floor and the length of time it spends on the floor can all have an impact on the number that can transfer.”

Commenting on the forthcoming experiment, Paul Jackson, head of the fair organizers EngineeringUK, told the paper: “This is a simple example of how science is present in everyday life.

- RT

In a similar application of science in daily life, we know motorcycles are safe because most of the time you won't get hit by cars regardless of what whiners like Silas say.

Note:  that's three times now, li'l darlin's.  Have a ball because, after all, the Five-Second Rule says it's safe.  See you in the E.R. and I'm fine with that because I've been there so many times with the best visits always coming after being hit by cars.

No worries about those cars, tho.  That's a load of overhyped nonsense.  Really.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Having worked in the food service industry for most of my life, I have seen so many of these research papers. And he is in the minority among his peers.
There are so many variables to be considered.
If I drop something on my kitchen floor, I am going to pick it up probably no worries.
Next time you go to your local eating establishment pay attention to the floors. I guarantee I am not picking that food up to eat.

Unknown said...

I know where the dog scratches and he's walking around all over the floors here. There's no chance I'm eating anything which has touched the floor for a millisecond. The bigger delight, tho, is what a dog rubs on the floor when he's having some trouble with elimination. Oh, sure, it's an antiseptic paradise down there!