The “Wet Strike” test, seen in this video, is one of the ways Consumer Reports tests toilet paper. They stretch the paper over a beaker, wet it, and then dribble lead pellets onto it from a funnel. The paper that holds the most pellets is the strongest. Neat! Results will be unveiled in the May issue.
science
Chicago Considering A Partial Ban On Bisphenol-A Products
By 2.12.09
Chicago might become the first place in the United States to partially ban the sale of products that contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical that some studies have shown may have harmful effects on humans. They’re proposing to forbid the sale of any BPA product intended for children. Canada banned the chemical last year, but the FDA has so far come down on the side of manufacturers.
Study Finds Bisphenol-A Can Enter Your Body Through Non-Food Sources
By 1.28.09
A new study from the University of Rochester shows that bisphenol-A (BPA), a potentially toxic chemical found in many plastics, can enter the body via non-food sources and lingers in the body longer than previously thought.
Why We Lust For Products
By 1.16.09
Why do we get hot and heavy to acquire certain physical objects? Very Evolved has an explanation of product lust, in two parts: dopamine, and reinforcement.
Dear President-Elect Obama, The FDA Is Mismanaged. Sincerely, The FDA
By 1.12.09
A letter to President-Elect Obama from nine FDA scientists makes alarming charges of mismanagement at the FDA, alleging incompetence, intimidation, and inappropriate industry influence.
People Think Coupon Users Are Cheapskates, Unless You're Hot
By 10.10.08
If you use coupons in a store, your fellow shoppers are probably negatively judging you as being cheap, according to a new study. The stigma extends to those around the coupon redeemer as well. However, if you’re hot, you get a reprieve. The study had people watch consumers cash coupons, and then interviewed the participants afterward for their reaction. The stigma is lessened if you don’t know the person using the coupon, the coupon is of high value, if they’re in a different line, and if the coupon-user is a hottie. Researchers proposed that the reason for the coupon-hating is “the modern consumer tends to prize status and luxury over thrift.”
Study: The Poorer You Feel, The More Lottery Tickets You Buy
By 9.27.08
Very Short List notes that “America’s lotto kiosks are currently reporting heretofore unheard-of earnings,” despite the average rate of return—53%—being less than slot machines. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon recently completed a study in which they primed people to feel relatively poor, then offered them a chance to buy lottery tickets, and the results suggest that the poorer you feel, the more likely you’ll waste your money on a lottery.
BPA Levels Higher In Those With Heart Disease Or Diabetes
By 9.16.08
those with the largest amount of BPA in their urine had nearly three times the risk of heart disease and more than twice the risk of diabetes as those who had the lowest levels.
Confirmed: BPA Will Harm Your Monkey
By 9.4.08
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have linked [BPA] to problems with brain function and mood disorders in monkeys—the first time the chemical has been connected to health problems in primates.
FDA Declares Bisphenol A Safe
By 8.15.08
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is the chemical used in various plastic bottles and can linings that Canada recently banned, consumers in Arkansas, California, and Ohio have filed lawsuits over, and Playtex and Nalgene have stopped using. The fear is that it’s toxic—studies on animals in Canada have shown that it’s damaging, and some tests in the U.S. suggest it’s harmful to humans as well. Critics of the anti-BPA movement point out that the human studies rely on super high dosages that never occur in real life, and that making safety decisions based on the general public’s fears isn’t exactly scientific.
10 Practical Tips To Keep Your Cellphone From Killing You
By 7.27.08
Have you heard, cellphones are deadly. Science told us so this week when Dr. Ronald B. Herberman of the esteemed University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute realized that cellphones emit death rays that fry your brain and turn you into a baby-eating Communist, or give you cancer or whatever. Dr. Despair isn’t a downer though! Inside, 10 practical ways to keep your precious little brain safe from those ubiquitous chirping cancer slabs…
100 Calorie Packs Makes You Fat
By 6.30.08
Smaller-sized 100-calorie snack packs are supposed to help with weight loss, but the problem is they don’t work. In an experiment published in the Journal of Consumer Research, subjects were primed to think about their body shape and then given bags of potato chips and placed in front of a TV. The group that was given nine small bags ate much more than those given two large bags, 46.1 grams vs 23.5. What’s going on? It appears that the smaller size tricks people into thinking they’re eating less, so they feel fine about chowing down more. Consumers may merrily consume the innocently small packages of Little Pleasures at an even higher pace,” wrote the study’s authors, “leading to over-consumption.”
81% Of Americans Hate Mandatory Binding Arbitration
By 5.27.08
According to science, even the President is more popular than mandatory binding arbitration. A recent poll shows that Americans hate everything about the extrajudicial resolution system, from its inescapable omnipresence, to its unappealable decisions that rob consumers of their day in court. The poll provides a refreshing contrast to a different study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which found that Americans love mandatory binding arbitration more than pie.
Are You A Sucker For Using Your Credit Card?
By 5.18.08
Nationally syndicated personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary thinks you’re a sucker for using your credit cards, even if you pay off your bills in full each month.
By 4.23.08
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The power of science (toys) confirms that Martha Stewart pillow cases do indeed have 360 threads per square inch. [Cockeyed via BoingBoing]
Tightwads vs Spendthrifts
By 3.26.08
“Frugality is driven by a pleasure of saving, as compared with tightwaddism, which is driven by a pain of paying.”
That’s one of the findings of a new study comparing people’s spending habits. Here’s how the differences between tightwads and spendthrifts break down, according to the survey of 13,327 people:
How To: Hijack Fast Food Drive Thru Frequencies
By 3.19.08
“Hi welcome to McDonald’s! Don’t buy the such-and-such it’s a waste of money. Just order the cheaper burger with lettuce and sauce.”
