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From Nation, For Nation - Pulse of the Nation
5 Spooky Oddities at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Debunking the Five-Second Rule, Limited floor time means limited exposure to bacteria, right? Wrong.
The “Khan Rule”
How did the five-second rule get started? The first printed reference to eating morsels dropped on the ground within a proscribed length of time dates to 1995. That said, the foundation for this concept extends back into the annals of human history. In the book Did You Just Eat That? by food scientist Paul Dawson and food microbiologist Brian Sheldon, they blame the five-second rule on Genghis Khan.
The 12th-century Mongol leader enacted the “Khan Rule” at banquets. It went something like this. Food that fell on the floor was good to eat no matter how long it sat there. Why? Because any meals prepared for the Khan were good enough for his company. What happened to said victuals on the way from the kitchen to the plate proved of little consequence. (Chef Ramsey would have a field day with this…)
Of course, it would be another six centuries or so before germ theory would start to develop in Europe and beyond. So, we need to give old Genghis a break. As far as the Mongols (and other medieval people) were concerned, dusting away visible dirt particles made food palatable once more.
Germ Theory and Potato Pancakes
In the 19th century, Louis Pasteur shocked the scientific world with his discovery of microorganisms critical to the fermentation of wine and the souring of milk. Germ theory evolved from there with the unsavory revelation that germs are everywhere.
Nonetheless, the “Khan Rule” has persisted in modern culture. A 1963 episode of Julia Child’s cooking show The French Chef, further canonized the centuries-old practice. While attempting to flip a potato pancake during one of her shows, Childs missed, and the pancake ended up on the stovetop.
There, the pancake sat for approximately four seconds before Childs tossed it back into the pan. Although further exposure to heat would help kill bacteria transferred to the surface of the pancake during the fall, people latched onto the idea of rapidly picking up food to “save it.” Even when re-heating proved out of the question.
Science Debunks the Five-Second Rule
In 2016, Professor Donald W. Schaffner, a food microbiologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, announced the results of a two-year study into the sensationalized five-second rule. The conclusion? No matter how fast you rescue food that’s fallen on the floor, bacteria will contaminate it. The transfer of bacteria to a surface can happen almost instantaneously. No wonder the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cite surface cross-contamination as the sixth most common contributing factor to outbreaks of food-borne illness!
That said, a few factors determine the amount of bacteria transferred from the floor to a food item. These include the consistency of the food, the texture of the surface, and the length of time the food remains on the ground. Schaffer, along with master’s thesis student, Robyn C. Miranda, used buttered bread, unbuttered bread, strawberry candy gum, and watermelon pieces for the experiment. They dropped each substance from a height of five inches onto surfaces containing bacteria similar to salmonella. The flooring types included stainless steel, wood, carpet, and ceramic tile.
After dropping food items onto each surface, they tested four contact times: one, five, 30, and 300 seconds. Each drop was replicated 20 times, resulting in 2,560 different measurements. The result? While there was some validity to the idea that food retrieved more rapidly from the floor contains less bacteria, no fallen food escaped contamination.
Dropping the Truth
The surface the food fell onto had an impact on overall bacterial levels. Surprisingly, carpet had the lowest transmission rate of bacteria compared to the other surfaces. Its raised topography diminishes the surface area for exposure.
The food’s consistency also played a significant role. After all, microorganisms don’t have legs. Instead of hoofing it onto a new surface, they need moisture to help them transfer. So, watermelon, by far, proved the greatest germ magnet. It’s worth reiterating that all of the food substances tested were contaminated during their falls. And, honestly, do you want to play around with any exposure to foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, E. coli, or listeria? We don’t think so.
The moral of the story? Just because germs are out of sight and out of mind, doesn’t mean you should pick up that dropped M&M (or anything else) and nosh on it. Instead, quit the mental countdown and find a trash can. →
From Globe, For Globe - Pulse of the Planet
At Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Gatlinburg, one jaw-dropping exhibit dares to ask that very question. Meet the life-sized Japanese living doll that contains actual human fingernails, hair-and even teeth-belonging to its creator. This eerie masterpiece is more than just a sculpture... it's a self-portrait.
Japan’s Uncanny “Living Dolls”
Originating in the 1800s, the Japanese art of Iki-ningyo, which translates to “living doll,” pushed the boundaries of lifelike sculpture. These hyperrealistic figures were crafted to be so realistic that they often fooled people into thinking they were alive.
Used for public exhibitions and even as on-stage stand-ins for actors, these dolls weren’t just art—they were performance pieces in their own right. Viewers would often find themselves staring, waiting for the sculptures to breathe.
Carved with Care
Creating a convincing Iki-ningyo took intense dedication. Artists layered paint to simulate real skin tones, carved fine details like veins and muscles, and sometimes used parts of their own bodies, like hair, to make their work as human as possible.
One such artist, Ito Hamashi, took this devotion to the extreme.
A Self-Portrait
The statue on display in Gatlinburg is a life-sized self-portrait made by Hamashi himself. Using over 2,000 pieces of wood, he stood in front of adjustable mirrors to meticulously carve a mirror image of his own body.
But what really sets this statue apart? Hamashi used his own fingernails, hair, and teeth in its construction.
This wasn’t just a sculpture. It was a personal sacrifice in the name of art.
Do YOU want to get Up Close with this creepy creation? Visit Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!
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Referred by ripleys.com - where the world’s most extraordinary stories are discovered and celebrated.