One fun part of my former university was the annual IgNobel awards - awards given for funny scientific research. Among the winners this year was research done (by a high school student, so don’t start railing about wasting research grants) on the 5-second rule:
76 percent of U.S. women and 56 percent of men were familiar with the 5-second rule, and used it to justify picking up and eating dropped treats… Clarke swabbed floors at the University of Illinois and found them surprisingly clean of microbes, thus justifying the rule. (Link)
Me? I’ve always known it as the 7-second rule. Fortunately seems like I’m safe. Also winning were studies of the links between country music and suicide, of finding the perfect combovers, and - of course - honouring the inventor of karaoke.