the 5 second rule

Everyone knows that when you are eating with kids and some food gets dropped on the floor, you can't eat the food off the floor...unless you invoke the 5 second rule.

Today's NYTimes examines this emerging area of serious public health research. The landmark research in this field was conducted by Jillian Clarke in 2003. But, like so many scholars, her contributions were not immediately recognized. It was not until 2004 that she received her due, as a winner of Harvard's Ig Noble Award. Her work showed how most clean, dry floors were safe surfaces from which to retrieve fallen food.

Then there was a quiet period in which the scholarly community digested the meaning of this research.

Now, researchers at Clemson University have advanced the ball with a more detailed study on the rule and its implications. As the Times reports:

Accompanied by six graphs, two tables and equations whose terms include “bologna” and “carpet,” it’s a thorough microbiological study of the five-second rule: the idea that if you pick up a dropped piece of food before you can count to five, it’s O.K. to eat it.

With an increasing number of researchers exploring these key rules governing day-to-day life, I think we are going to need to hurry up here at Rutgers and firmly establish ourselves as leaders of inquiry into Calling Shotgun.