What have you learned today?

Thaluikhain

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"Butter is safe to eat after being out at room temperature," says Bri Bell, a registered dietitian, and food safety expert. "One reason it doesn't go bad as quickly as other dairy products at room temperature is because it's low in carbohydrates and proteins, which are mold and bacteria's preferred food sources."Dec 9, 2022
Surely it depends on how long, and at what temperature?
 
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gorfias

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Surely it depends on how long, and at what temperature?
I have a stick in my covered butter dish on the kitchen table. I keep the house at 68. I leave it there for as long as it takes to eat. Often 2 weeks. I'm asking myself why this isn't making me sick as heck. That's what the Internet told me.
 

Thaluikhain

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I have a stick in my covered butter dish on the kitchen table. I keep the house at 68. I leave it there for as long as it takes to eat. Often 2 weeks. I'm asking myself why this isn't making me sick as heck. That's what the Internet told me.
One way of potting meat involves putting it in a small pot and then slathering clarified butter on top to act as a seal, lasts for a few weeks apparently, and then you eat the meat and butter on toast or something. Was used before refrigeration.
 
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gorfias

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One way of potting meat involves putting it in a small pot and then slathering clarified butter on top to act as a seal, lasts for a few weeks apparently, and then you eat the meat and butter on toast or something. Was used before refrigeration.
OK, now I know what this is! :)
1712850562378.png
 

Chimpzy

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What ruby chocolate tastes like. You know, the pink stuff. It's a bit sour and fruity.
 
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Thaluikhain

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In the 1950s, a town in Germany (Wuppertal) had to change the rules about letting animals on their suspended passenger monorail, after an elephant fell out a window into the river. Fortunately, without suffering any severe injury.
 
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Thaluikhain

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How do we know it wasn't pushed?
Lots of witnesses.

Promotion for a circus, the person in charge wanted an empty carriage, but reporters wanted to come, then crowded the elephant, then panicked as she got nervous, then she panicked and tried to escape and the windows weren't strong enough to stop elephants trying to get out.
 

Ag3ma

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I learnt today - to my surprise - that black holes shrink and die.

For some reason I don't really have enough physics knowledge to understand, despite sucking in matter, black holes also emit a form of radiation which ultimately causes them to lose energy and matter. Admittedly, this is extremely slow and takes an incredibly long time. It is theorised to end in the black hole exploding, or withering away to some sort of tiny, remnant "chunk" lacking a singularity.
 

Ag3ma

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I have a stick in my covered butter dish on the kitchen table. I keep the house at 68. I leave it there for as long as it takes to eat. Often 2 weeks. I'm asking myself why this isn't making me sick as heck. That's what the Internet told me.
Yeah, that's about right. My parents-in-law used to leave the butter out too because it would be spreadable, would last a couple of weeks at least. The problem isn't so much that it gets mouldy, it's that it goes rancid and starts tasting sour - but at least rancid butter shouldn't make you ill.
 
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Chimpzy

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Ag3ma

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So many red flags in that article
Yes. Not least that "hydrothermal carbonisation" seems an odd description for a process that appears not to involve carbon. I could be wrong, but the process looks to me like serpentinisation, or something related.

It is, however, loosely based on some actual research being done. My feeling is that by analogy this article is along the lines of "cure for cancer" headlines based off someone killing some cells in a petri dish.
 

Satinavian

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Yep, even without the "infinite", there are several issues. Specifically creating oxygen, hydrogen and iron from iron oxide and water should not give you energy. I think what they meant is the exact opposite : to oxidize the Iron even more, which might be sensible. Or to actually do something completely different like the "hydrothermal cabonisation" name suggests.
 

Bob_McMillan

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Today I learned that the pretty species of bird I see around my house is actually a bird of prey. How did I learn? One of them killed another bird, carried it over to some bamboo, impaled it on branch, and started eating it. The corpse is still hanging there, I guess as food storage.
 

Gordon_4

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Australia
Today I learned that the pretty species of bird I see around my house is actually a bird of prey. How did I learn? One of them killed another bird, carried it over to some bamboo, impaled it on branch, and started eating it. The corpse is still hanging there, I guess as food storage.
Ah yes, the Butcher Bird. Thank you, Animals of Farthing Wood for introducing me to that particular natural born sadist.