A recent video that’s racked up four million views and counting is really making me regret eating the apple I dropped on the floor. V Sauce creator and host Michael Stevens dives into the “five-second rule” myth to see if food on the floor can be spared if picked up in a flash.
The answer? Well, nope. Stevens discusses evidence from a study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology that tested the five-second rule. Researchers examined the survival of salmonella placed on wood, tile, and carpet after bologna was dropped on the ground. They found bacteria were transferred almost immediately to the deli meat from each surface
Why It Matters
The notion that the five-second rule is (literally and figurately) full of bologna is nothing new. The study dates back to 2007, and various outlets have uncovered its findings since—including Myth Busters. So why all the reincarnated banter? Perhaps it’s Stevens’ discussion beyond the study findings that reel in the viewer. He goes into the science behind how bacteria on a dirty floor can stick to food (molecules act like magnets) and how long it may actually take for food to become contaminated (could it actually take one femtosecond, or one quadrillionth of a second?). He shares other fun facts too: 70 percent of women tend to stick to the five-second rule, while only 50 percent of men do.