Food
Eating Glass
The new Google magazine archive is a goldmine for weirdness. Here's another find from Popular Science, Nov 1931:Glass beads, strands of knotted thread, and even tiny pellets of gold is the diet of Frederick Hoelzel, Chicago, Ill., university student, since he offered to aid physiologists of the University of Chicago in research work on indigestion. The foreign objects are mixed with his meals, and his stomachaches come under laboratory scrutiny. They are no novelty to the subject of this unusual experiment; he volunteered for the tests because he already suffered from severe digestive troubles.
The full results of Hoelzel's glass-eating study were published in the American Journal of Physiology, (Mar 1, 1930), "The Rate of Passage of Inert Materials Through the Digestive Tract." The article includes a helpful chart, detailing exactly how long it took for various substances (including steel ball-bearings and bent silver wire) to pass through Hoelzel's system:
Hoelzel was an interesting character. He became an expert on nutrition and often subjected himself to grueling diet experiments -- particularly experiments involving fasting for extended periods of time. The Life photo archive has a picture of him, taken in 1955. He seems to have been one of the first researchers to make a link between calorie-restriction and longevity, though it didn't really work for him. He died in 1963 at the age of 73.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 12, 2008 -
Comments (8)
Category: Food, Nutrition, Science, Experiments
Sweet Dreams
See three more videos by Kirsten Lepore here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 07, 2008 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art, Surrealism, Food, Nutrition, Sexuality, Video, Cartoons
Space Beer
In 2006 scientists grew barley on the International Space Station as part of an experiment to determine whether crops can survive in space (and one day feed astronauts living up there). They found that "the barley showed almost no ill effects from growing in microgravity or radiation. The scientists found only one enzyme increased from slight oxygen deprivation, but the plants did well." Back on Earth Sapporo recently brewed 100 bottles of "Space Beer" from the barley.An increase of only one enzyme? This must be disappointing news to the Chinese, who for decades have been blasting seeds and sperm into space, in the theory that the combination of cosmic radiation and microgravity will produce mutations that will yield larger, stronger varieties. They even have a Center for Space Breeding. I think they've been watching too many 1950's science-fiction movies.
Back in 2007 a purple "space potato" grown from seeds taken onboard the Shenzhou IV space mission were all the rage in Shanghai restaurants. (Reportedly they tasted more "glutinous" than normal potatoes.)
And in 2005, as I've noted before, there were reports the Chinese had carried pig sperm into space, in the hope of breeding larger, tastier pigs.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 06, 2008 -
Comments (0)
Category: Food, Space Travel
The Front Line
As we all prepare for our imminent minimum-wage jobs during the economic meltdown, let us study how to perform them to the best of our abilities, with a cheerful smile. Consider the job of "supermarket checker," circa 1965.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 02, 2008 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Products, Food, Jobs and Occupations, Movies, Documentaries, Retail Establishments, 1960s
Soggy, Mushy and Toughy
Who needs Iron Man or The Dark Knight, when you can watch Snap, Crackle and Pop battle their evil counterparts?
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 01, 2008 -
Comments (6)
Category: Business, Advertising, Food, Movies, Cartoons, Children, 1930s, Fictional Monsters
A Day of Thanksgiving
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 26, 2008 -
Comments (1)
Category: Family, Food, Holidays, Money, Documentaries, 1950s
Follies of the Mad Men #47
You know what your problem is? Not enough yeast. I suggest increasing your beer intake.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 21, 2008 -
Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Food, Health, 1940s
Follies of the Mad Men #46
"Dig this crazy mixed-up ice cream!" "Man, it's real cool!"
Yeah, because beatniks like Maynard G. Krebs eat a lot of ice cream!
Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 20, 2008 -
Comments (12)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fads, Food, Pop Culture, 1950s
Follies of the Mad Men #45
What kind of kids would a shellfish and a bottle have, and how would they go about reproducing?
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 19, 2008 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Food, Inebriation and Intoxicants, Foreign Customs, 1940s
The Faces in the Broccoli
Cascadian Farm sells frozen organic broccoli florets. That's not particularly unusual.
But look closer. Can you see the tiny disembodied heads floating amidst the broccoli bits?
When contacted about it, Cascadian Farms offered this reply:
Posted By: Alex - Mon Nov 17, 2008 -
Comments (7)
Category: Food, Advertising
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |