A gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most
outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine
What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine
wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the
surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to
China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco's famed
Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science
behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into
physics, astronomy, anatomy, and more along the way.
Is slipping on a banana peel as hazardous to your health as the
cartoons imply? Answer: Yes. Banana peels ooze a gel that turns out
to be extremely slippery. Your foot and body weight provide the
pressure. The gel provides the humor (and resulting head trauma).
Can you die by shaking someone's hand? Answer: Yes. That's
because, due to atomic repulsion, you've never actually touched another
person's hand. If you could, the results would be as disastrous as a
medium-sized hydrogen bomb.
If you were Cookie Monster, just how many cookies could you actually
eat in one sitting? Answer: Most stomachs can hold up to sixty
cookies, or around four liters. If you eat or drink more than that,
you're approaching the point at which the cookies would break through
the lesser curvature of your stomach, and then you'd better call an
ambulance to Sesame Street.
