Floor Sample
Every schoolchild knows that when you drop something on the floor, you have five seconds to pick it up before it's contaminated. But schoolyard wisdom isn't enough for scientists, who rigorously explore our baseless assumptions, including the five-second rule. The field of five-second rule research was pioneered in 2003 by researcher Jillian Clarke (now a college junior), who found that significant numbers of bacteria transferred from a contaminated surface to food in less than five seconds. Now, in a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, researchers have found that the bacterial transfer rate from surface to food decreases over time, and in some cases over 99% of bacterial cells were transferred within the first five seconds. The researchers examined how quickly Salmonella would transfer from wood, tile, and carpet to bologna and bread. Transfer from carpet to bologna was very low, but wood and tile contaminated the sausage instantly. While not all of the bacteria was transferred, in some salmonellas, only 10 bacteria are needed to cause illness, and fewer than 100 E. coli bacteria can be lethal. So the five-second rule may work for very clean surfaces, but you probably shouldn't stake your life on it.
Advertisement
Living the Life of O'Reilly
Speaking of conventional wisdom relating to short spans of time (and it's not often I get to use that segue), you've probably heard that the average man thinks about sex once every seven seconds. If this is true—there's little reason to believe it is—Bill O'Reilly engages in name calling more frequently than a typical dude thinks about getting it on. According to a study by researchers at the Indiana University School of Journalism, during Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" editorials, the pundit calls someone a name 8.88 times per minute, or once every 6.8 seconds. The researchers analyzed 115 episodes of the editorials using propaganda analysis techniques and compared O'Reilly to 1930s radio commentator Father Charles Coughlin, who notoriously praised Hitler and Mussolini on his show. They found that O'Reilly was more of a name caller and used at least as many "glittering generalities" as Coughlin...although I'm pretty sure O'Reilly has never praised any Nazis. They also found that O'Reilly presents specific groups as either good or evil and sets up a battle between the two sides. The researchers conclude that O'Reilly is a "heavier and less nuanced" user of propaganda techniques than Coughlin. "No Spin Zone," eh?
Getting Away With Murder
Television shows like "Law & Order" and "CSI" may already be messing with the criminal justice system, encouraging juries to expect lots of damning forensic evidence at every trial. And now the BBC has gone and aided potential criminals further by airing the program How to commit the perfect Murder, a guide to forensic techniques that help expose guilty parties. Immediately after death, the program says, blood pools in areas closest to the ground, so if a body is moved to a different position, scientists will know. The writers add that poison is one of the hardest weapons to detect, and rare poisons such as polonium-210—the substance used to kill former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko—are especially elusive. Perhaps most interestingly, the program notes that some people naturally shed much more DNA than others, making a person's criminal ability partially a product of luck.