Mental Floss

CHEMISTRY

Swimming pools can really shake a person’s faith in humanity.

Your community pool more than likely doubles as a community urinal.

There‘s no need to settle for freezer-burned ice cream.

Ice cream season is here—make sure yours stays creamy with these easy tricks.

Surfers are used to getting mouthfuls of saltwater.

The salt in the ocean comes from two main sources: rocks on land and vents at the bottom of the sea.

It‘s all beauty and no booze.

This color-changing blue butterfly pea flower mocktail is floral, fresh, and totally booze-free.

Harvey Washington Wiley (back row, second from left) and the young volunteers of the Poison Squad.

In 1902, 12 men agreed to take low doses of poison in order to test their efficacy as food preservatives. No one died. Basically.

When the conclave of cardinals have elected a new pope, white smoke is emitted from the chapel chimney.

When Catholic cardinals meet to pick a new pope in a papal conclave, they have signaled their progress by sending colored smoke up the chapel chimney.

This pile of yeast and bacteria could be helpful for scientists.

Sourdough for science? Researchers are analyzing live cultures from bread starters to develop healthier, plant-based fermented foods.

Room temperature is a frame of reference.

Misunderstanding room temperature can have some surprisingly serious consequences.

Perhaps a recall is in order.

A car accident in a movie usually ends in a huge fireball. But what really causes vehicle fires?

Just don’t overdo it.

Tea and sugar are a classic combination. But salt may actually be more helpful when it comes to improving tea’s flavor.

Here‘s how to get the most out of your hand warmers during this frosty season.

Tired of wasting hand warmers after a single use? Learn how to stretch them as long as possible.

Here’s hoping you paid attention in science class.

Roman coins from the Hoxne hoard, buried in the 5th century in Hoxne, Suffolk, UK.

The mass production of silver coins in the Roman Empire had an unintended effect: spewing so much lead into the atmosphere that it may have lowered citizens’ IQs.

There‘s a time and place for black tea (left) and herbal tea (right).

“Caffeine-free tea” isn't actually tea at all.

Next time someone confuses the two drinks, you‘ll know how to correct them.

Don’t let wine aficionados hear you confuse these two sparkling beverages.

Not a snack.

And what happens if you chow down on one anyway?

Super-thin pasta has medical usefulness.

It's 200 times thinner than human hair, and you won't find it at Olive Garden anytime soon.

We don’t recommend doing this.

Research (and lots of dry-heaving) has revealed why the flower reeks of weeks-old road kill.

‘Alchemist in His Workshop’ by David Teniers the Younger, 17th century.

There’s more to this spooky pseudo-science than simply turning lead into gold.

Tollund Man—a bog body at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark

China, Chile, and New Zealand are a few places that have historic mummies of their own.

Stainless steel is rust-resistant, but not quite rust-proof.

Stainless steel has a secret ingredient that makes it highly resistant to rust.

Surprisingly, there is truth in this advertising.

When you spritz some Febreze into the air, it actually uses compounds called cyclodextrins to trap those odor-causing molecules.

The key to a brighter smile? Hydrogen peroxide.

The main ingredient for a whiter smile? Hydrogen peroxide.

Magnificent cheese.

That delicious bowl of cheddar soup is really a big bowl of (good) bacteria.