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Volume 2 Issue 16
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TIDBITS® TASTES
FLAVORS
by Janet Spencer
In the year 1918 the average American used about half a pound (.2 kg) of various spices in a single year. That’s the first year that the Department of Agriculture began tracking spice consumption. Today Americans eat about 3 _ pounds (1.5 kg) of flavorings each year. Come along with Tidbits as we take a taste of spices, seasonings, and flavorings! TASTE AND THE TONGUE
• The average human tongue has about 10,000 taste buds. You may have seen a diagram of the human tongue which maps out what areas of the tongue are responsible for tasting what sorts of things, whether salty, sweet, bitter and so forth. This map of the human tongue has since been disproved. Every taste bud on the tongue is equipped with five different receptors and each is capable of detecting all of the five basic tastes. • The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and ‘unami,’ a Japanese word meaning savory or meaty. • Each taste bud in the mouth dies off and is replaced about once every 14 days. • You can’t see your taste buds. The bumps you can see on your tongue are called papillae and the tiny taste buds rest on top of these projections. • There are eight muscles in the tongue.
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TASTE TEST • In the year 1930, an accident in the laboratory led to an amazing discovery. One scientist was tinkering with the formula for a blue dye in a lab owned by DuPont Chemical Company. As he was pouring a container of white powder into another container, he fumbled and the chemical powder puffed into the air. He accidentally inhaled some of the powder, as did the scientist standing next to him. He was surprised when the scientist next to him started to gag because the powder was so bitter. He had tasted nothing whatsoever. Each of the scientists put a tiny dab of the powder onto their tongue. The scientist who had bobbled the formula tasted nothing whatsoever. His coworker grimaced because it tasted very bitter to him. They went throughout the department testing other people to see if they could taste the bitter powder or not. Some could, some could not. This was the first realization and the first proof that people’s sense of taste varies from person to person and is not at all uniform. Since then a marker in DNA has been identified which determines whether a particular human is sensitive to the taste of the bitterness or not. • When a human tastes something bitter, the result will usually be a scrunched-up face: the mouth will frown, the nose is wrinkled up, and the tongue sticks out. Even babies make this face when they taste something bitter. Amazingly, animals do too. VANILLA • Vanilla comes from the seeds of an orchid flower. It takes 18 months for a blossom on an orchid plant to be turned into vanilla extract. Madagascar, an island nation off the coast of Africa, is one place where vanilla grows in abundance.
Which Dog to Pick? DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I’d like to adopt a dog that is family-friendly, one that my two kids can grow up with. A beautiful golden retriever is up for adoption at our local shelter, but even though friends have told me she will probably be a perfect dog for us, I have my doubts after meeting her. Should I adopt this dog anyway? -- Doug H., Houston DEAR DOUG: When bringing any dog home, there’s always a risk that despite all of your homework, despite knowing as much as you can about a particular breed and even about a particular dog, things will not go as expected. Many experienced dog owners know this, and quite a few accept that chance and just roll with unexpected behavior or temperament issues. However, you’re looking for a dog that has a good temperament around children. Retrievers -- particularly Labrador and golden -- tend to be great family dogs that socialize well with kids and other pets. It’s a big reason why Labradors were the most popular breed in the U.S. in 2015, and goldens were No. 3 -- a rank both have held for at least three years, according to the American Kennel Club. But every dog has its own personality and temperament as well. A number of factors can
affect a dog’s behavior, and shelter dogs in particular can have traumas, such as being abandoned or abused, that change how they react to people and situations. In this case, follow your gut instinct. If the shelter allows you to take the dog home for a few days as a trial, consider doing that. Otherwise, if you are unsure about this particular dog, you may want to keep looking.
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ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Impatience is still somewhat of a problem. But a sign of progress should soothe the anxious Aries heart. Meanwhile, invest some of that waiting time in preparing for the change ahead. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Bovines tend to excel at solving problems, not creating them. But you risk doing just that if you’re slow to respond to a timely situation. If necessary, seek advice from someone you trust. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) The Gemini Twin might need to do more than a routine check of both a job-linked and home-based situation. Dig deeper for more data on both fronts to avoid unwanted surprises later. CANCER ( June 21 to July 22) Moon Children facing an important workplace decision are encouraged to use their perceptiveness to see through any attempt to win them over with a supercharge of fawning and flattery. LEO ( July 23 to August 22) Good news catapults Leos and Leonas into reconsidering a deferred decision. But time has moved on, and it’s a good idea to recheck your plans and make adjustments where necessary. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) The week favors relationships, both personal and professional. Take the time to look for and immediately repair any vulnerable areas caused by unresolved misunderstandings. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A friend’s problems bring out your protective instincts. Be careful to keep a balance between meeting the obligations of friendship without being overwhelmed by them. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) The temptation to take an extreme position on an issue is strong, but moderation is favored both in personal and professional dealings. Move toward finding areas of agreement. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Getting another boss or teacher? Try to see the person behind the image. It will help you adjust more easily to the changes that new authority figures inevitably bring. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Much as you might dislike the idea, keep an open mind about using the assistance of a third party to help resolve problems that threaten to unravel an important agreement. AQUARIUS ( January 20 to February 18) Music helps restore the Aquarian’s spiritual energies this week. Take someone you care for to a concert of your musical choice. Also, expect news about a workplace matter. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A challenge that seems easy enough at first could take an unexpected turn that might test your resolve. Decide if you feel you should stay with it, or if it’s better to move in another direction. BORN THIS WEEK: You can be strong when standing up for justice, both for yourself and for others.
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1. MOVIES: What 1989 movie stars a character called “Wild Thing”? 2. GEOGRAPHY: Which two countries occupy the Scandinavian Peninsula? 3. MATH: How do you write the year 2016 in Roman numerals? 4. ANATOMY: What are the small bones of the middle ear called collectively? 5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which company makes the Testarossa sports car? 6. HISTORY: Who was president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War? 7. MEASUREMENTS: What is the U.S. equivalent of .45 kilograms? 8. LANGUAGE: In the NATO phonetic alphabet, what is the word for the letter “E”? 9. MUSIC: What is the smallest member of the flute family? 10. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: What 19th-century humorist once said, “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself”?
1. Who held the Chicago White Sox rookie record for most home runs in a season before Jose Abreu broke it with 36 in 2014? 2. In 2015, Joey Votto tied a Cincinnati Reds record for hitting three home runs in a game three times during his career. Who else did it? 3. DeMarco Murray set a Dallas Cowboys single-season rushing record in 2014 with 1,845 yards. Who had held the mark? 4. Since 1985, six men’s basketball teams have failed to reach the NCAA Tournament a year after winning the title. Name four of them. 5. In the 2015-16 NHL season, the Chicago Blackhawks set a team mark for most consecutive victories (12). In what season did they win 11 in a row? 6. When was the last time before 2015 that the U.S. men’s soccer team failed to reach the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup? 7. WBC middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has lost only one of his 48 pro fights. Who beat him?
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Grow Ivy Topiary from Cuttings
A NEW VANILLA
• In 1975 officials in Madagascar deliberately destroyed much of their vanilla crop in order to create scarcity to make the price go higher. One of their major buyers was McCormick, one of the biggest spice companies in the world. When the price of vanilla spiraled out of control, researchers at McCormick discovered how to make imitation vanilla out of pine cones, and then how to make it out of cloves. The result is called vanillin, more commonly known as ‘artificial vanilla flavoring.’ Vanillin still counts as a ‘natural’ flavor because there’s nothing unnatural about pine cones or cloves. ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING
• In 1965 there were fewer than 700 chemicals that imitated flavors. Today there are over 2,200. • It’s been estimated that every person in America eats about 2 pounds (.9 kg) of chemical flavorings every year. • Chemical flavorings are even added to livestock feeds to encourage animals to eat more so they get fat more quickly in order to turn a higher profit. • When given nothing but straw to eat, livestock will eat more of it and thus gain weight faster if the straw has been treated with various artificial flavors making it taste like clover or rye grass. These are the same sorts of artificial flavorings used in human food as well. A child might not want to drink a glass of nothing but sugar water, but add some artificial flavorings to make it taste like fruit juice and they will drink every drop.
Even if you don’t have a backyard, you can share in the joy of spring gardening. Let’s start with what you already might have growing indoors: Is there an ivy plant that’s been sending off new, bright-green shoots in the past few weeks? If so, give it a trim and pot a new plant or two using the cuttings. This whimsical topiary-style ivy plant will be at home on a deck or porch or in a child’s bedroom. We have a beauty at our house that lives happily on an upper windowsill in a sunny room. With new, healthy growth trailing in all directions, I clipped off several 10-inch vines, removed the leaves beneath the bottom nodes, and placed the new cuttings in a large, clear mason jar of warm water. Before long, we could see roots growing. Why not pot and wind the ivy into a mini topiary or two, and give them away? Friendship plants, I thought. And a fun gardening project for kids. Here’s how: --Fill a 3-1/2-inch flowerpot with drainage hole with good potting soil. Water. --Cut a 22-inch length of strong, bendable wire (or clip off a 22-inch length from a wire coat hanger). Bend it into a 5-inch-tall heart or circular shape. Twist the loose ends together tightly and poke the twisted portion vertically into the damp soil. The form should be upright and stable. --Dig a hole in the soil to the right side of the form, remove one of the 10-inch well-rooted cuttings and plant it in the hole. Fill with soil. Repeat on the left side. Tamp down soil. Carefully wrap the ivy around the wire form. --Water regularly to keep the soil moist. As new growth appears, tuck it in and around the form for a full topiary that will look lovely for months to come. Alternate topiary idea: Purchase a potted indoor ivy plant, or use one growing in your home. Carefully poke the straightened end of a wire shape directly into the soil as close as possible to the center of the plant, being careful not to injure it. (The size of the shape should be in proportion to the flowerpot.) Wrap the trailing vines evenly around the form, tying where needed with wire or string. Within a day or two in a sunny window, the vines will conform to the frame.
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For Advertising Call (541) 203-0233 IT’S A FACT
• In the years between 1949 and 1959, chemists invented over 400 additives to help preserve and process food.
ORIGINS OF SPICES
• Cinnamon is made from dried tree bark. • Cloves are dried flower buds from a tree that grows in Indonesia. • Nutmeg is made from the pit of a sweet fruit, similar to the pit inside a peach. Mace is the lacy covering of a nutmeg, slightly more pungent in taste. • Peppercorns are the dried berries of a tropical vine. • Today, saffron is the most expensive spice, nearly worth its weight in gold. It takes 14,000 dried stigmas of a certain crocus flower to make one ounce (26 g) of saffron. It cannot be harvested by machine but must be harvested by hand. In Bavaria in 1444 it was the law that any merchant found selling adulterated saffron was to be burned alive. • In the 1800’s, Catholic priests wandered among the Indians in California to spread their religion. It is said that as they travelled, they would drop mustard seeds behind them. Later they could find their way back by following the trail of bright yellow mustard blossoms. • Coriander helps inhibit inflammation in the human body. Ginger can relieve nausea and vomiting. Dill helps skin become more elastic. Basil kills viruses and lowers cholesterol. Cinnamon helps decrease blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes. Black pepper has antidepressant properties and stimulates digestion. Turmeric can increase cognitive function. • Allspice is a berry, not a blend of spices. It was named because it tastes like a blend of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. • Herbs are derived from a plant’s leaves whereas spices come from the bark, buds, roots and seeds of a plant.
To Your Good Health By Keith Roach, M.D.
Exercising With A-Fib DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 76-year-old man who has atrial fibrillation. To control this problem, I am presently taking Tikosyn, metoprolol, warfarin and aspirin. For exercise, I walk or run at least 5 miles, five days weekly. In that 5 miles, I jog rapidly at least 3-4 miles. I push myself pretty hard. What I want to know is, in your opinion, am I putting myself in jeopardy by exercising in this manner? -- J.M.G. ANSWER: There are three parts to your question. Is vigorous exercise dangerous for: someone with atrial fibrillation on a rhythm-control medication; someone on anticoagulation; and a
76-year-old man in general. Tikosyn (dofetilide) is an antiarrhythmic drug used to stop A-fib (a chaotic heartbeat) and keep people in normal heart rhythm. Exercise generally is considered safe with this medication, but I think a pulse monitor might be a good idea to make sure you aren’t going into a dangerously high range. The metoprolol tends to keep heart rate low, but exercise can overwhelm that effect. The American Heart Association would recommend a heart rate no higher than 125-130; however, some healthy 76-year-olds can exceed that safely. Exercise while on anticoagulation medicine also is safe, with reasonable precautions. You shouldn’t be in a sport that is likely to cause significant trauma. Fortunately, running is safe, unless you have had falls. I am a big believer in the value of exercise across all ages. Regular exercise makes us feel better and have fewer falls, and it helps reduce heart risk and cancer risk. Overdoing it, however, is never a good idea. Stay with a moderate, not extreme effort, and build yourself up gradually. It sounds to me like you are exercising safely, but I would want to double-check your pulse rate at maximum effort. Readers: Atrial fibrillation is the most common
type of irregular heartbeat, and becomes more probable with age. To learn more, order the booklet on Heartbeat Irregularities by writing: Dr. Roach -- No. 107W, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery. *** DEAR DR ROACH: I was wondering if it means anything that I have not bruised in at least 10 years. I am a 59-year-old male of German and Italian descent, but favor the Mediterranean skin tone. I occasionally get whacked, but never see a bruise. I have mentioned it to doctors, who never have much to say. -- D.G. ANSWER: Bruises result from broken blood vessels in and under the skin. I frequently get asked about causes for easy bruising, which include fragile blood vessels (which just happen as we get older), low or poorly functioning platelets (especially from medications like aspirin) and a myriad of other causes. Nobody has asked me what it means to not bruise. Fortunately, I think it just means that you have good blood vessels and a good clotting system. I am sure you would bruise with a bad-enough “whack,” but I don’t recommend testing that hypothesis.
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* It was early 20th-century financier, philanthropist and political consultant Bernard Baruch who made the following sage observation: “Millions of people saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one to ask why.”
Amazing Animals
PRIMATE COMMUNICATION
• Vervets are small monkeys that live in small social groups and communicate by grunting. For years people thought their series of grunts were merely a way of keeping track of where each member of the troop was located. But then two researchers in Kenya began to record the grunts while at the same time videotaping the vervets. Their analysis of the monkeys’ grunting revealed some surprising things. • The vervets have three alarm calls signaling the presence of predators. One signifies eagle; one means leopard; and one designates snake. These three different calls were recorded and then played back to the monkeys on hidden loudspeakers. When the call for eagle was played, every monkey looked to the sky. When the cry for the leopard was played, they looked to the ground. When the warning for snake was played, they looked to the trees. • Next, the researchers studied the grunts vervets made when meeting other members of the group. They found the grunt a vervet makes when meeting a socially superior monkey is different from the grunt it makes when meeting an inferior. There is a different grunt altogether for a monkey from a different tribe. Researchers also isolated the grunt that means a monkey is moving into an open area. • They played a practical joke on one vervet by occasionally playing that monkey’s “Stranger!” call on the loudspeakers when no stranger was present. The other members soon learned the monkey was unreliable because he was always “crying wolf.” They soon learned to ignore him, not only when he legitimately gave his “stranger” call, but also whenever he gave his other calls.
* You might be surprised to learn that beloved American musician Johnny Cash wrote more than just songs; in 1953, before he started his music career, Cash wrote a science-fiction tale called “The Holografik Danser.” * According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are at least 350 languages spoken in American homes. * In the mid 17th century, the French colony of New France in present-day Canada was running desperately short of currency. Without cash on hand, the government representatives were
Social Security Strategies Change
Starting in May 2016, there are some changes to Social Security that will eliminate strategies seniors have used to maximize benefits. Unlike what some doom-mongers have said, Social Security isn’t going away, our benefits aren’t being cut ... there’s nothing radical going on here. Tucked into the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 was language that covers three strategies many of us have used in collecting Social Security: 1) File and suspend -- In this strategy, the full retirement-age spouse (age 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954) filed for benefits and then immediately suspended them. The other spouse then claimed spousal benefits while the initial benefits accrued for years at an 8 percent annual increase. No more. Now if one spouse files, he or she must take those benefits or the other spouse
Guitars for Vets with PTSD Sometimes it takes more than a prescription and behavioral therapy to control the symptoms of PTSD. The answer to the struggles with stress and depression faced by too many veterans may be as simple as a guitar lesson. Guitars For Veterans was started in 2006 by a guitar teacher and one of his students. Co-founder Dan Van Buskirk was a Vietnam Marine with PTSD, and Patrick Nettesheim had taught guitar for 30 years. It was a perfect match, and for Van Buskirk, a way to find peace. After taking some instruments to a Department of Veterans Affairs rehab unit to hand around, and seeing the positive reaction, the pair started going back to give lessons. Guitars for Vets was born and has grown to include 60 chapters in 30 states. G4V has
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unable to pay soldiers or purchase provisions to sustain them. After spending eight months using his personal fortune to provide for the soldiers, Jacques De Meulles, New France’s intendant of justice, police and finance, took matters into his own hands. He used playing cards to create notes of currency and issued an ordinance requiring everyone to accept the cards as cash. Though this was meant to be a short-term financial device, the cards continued to be used for nearly 75 years. * Those who study such things say that lightning flashes 100 to 125 times every second worldwide. * Historians say that the romance between Cleopatra, Ptolemaic Egypt’s last active pharaoh, and Roman statesman Julius Caesar was something of a May-December romance: She was 21 and he was 54. * Mexico has the world’s highest per-capita rate of carbonated beverage consumption.
can’t claim spousal benefits. 2) Restricted application -- In this strategy, the retirement-age spouse filed for spousal benefits, but didn’t collect his or her own benefits, letting the personal benefits sit for years and accrue. Per the new rules, you can claim one or the other, spousal or personal benefits, but not both. You get the larger of the two, with no changing back and forth, and no deferring benefits until age 70. 3) Suspended benefits -- In this strategy, the recipient filed and then immediately suspended payments. If these benefits were suddenly needed down the road, he or she could collect them in a lump sum, but not at the higher monthly rate that the extra time would have afforded. Per the new rules, there will be no lumpsum payment. Monthly payment will be made at a higher rate. If your future retirement plans included any of the above strategies, consult with your financial adviser about alternative options.
given more than 20,000 lessons to veterans and over 2,000 new guitars. Veterans who want to take part in the guitarlessons program need to be referred by their local VA. They’ll be loaned a guitar and given free weekly lessons. Once the 10-lesson program is over, the veteran will receive his or her own new acoustic guitar and accessories. Monthly group meetings follow. G4V’s growth has been phenomenal, but they haven’t done it alone. If you can teach guitar (and can pass a VA background check), consider volunteering or even starting a new chapter in your area. Or you can donate to this very worthy cause. Consider this: $200 will send a veteran through the whole program. To learn more, check the website at www. guitars4vets.org. If you (or a veteran you know) are in need of the kind of healing that pills don’t provide, look into joining. For more information, scroll down the website for a list of local chapters.
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Match Safe Q: I have a match safe with cigar cutter that originally belonged to my great-grandfather. It is probably from the 1880s or ‘90s. It is brass with the figure of a horse as part of its design. What can you tell me about match safes, and are they collectible? -- Steve, Irvine, California A: Match safes were used to carry matches during the last half of the 10th century and until about 1920, when cigarette lighters became
commonplace. The fact that your safe includes a cigar cutter makes it especially interesting. After checking eBay and several references, I think your match safe could be valued in the $150-$250 range. *** Q: I have an old paper recording by Rudy Vallee with his picture on the blank side. Is it worth much? -- Donna, Wiers Beach, New Hampshire A: Your record was issued by Hit of the Week and was sold at news stands beside the latest copies of Liberty, Saturday Evening Post and Punch. The recordings, which featured such popular entertainers as Eddie Cantor and Duke Ellington, sold for about 10 cents, making them extremely affordable. Your Rudy Vallee recording is worth about $5 in good playable condition. Incidentally, the main drawback of these products is that they had a tendency to curl. *** Q: We have several Lee Reynolds oils that we
acquired when we purchased our home. Any idea of values? -- M.M., via e-mail A: Since I was not familiar with Lee Reynolds or his work, I looked for him in one of my favorite reference books about art, Hislop’s Official International Price Guide to Fine Art, edited by Duncan Hislop and published by House of Collectibles. He isn’t listed. I next contacted two dealers, and they knew nothing about him either. You might contact your nearest art museum. I suspect Reynolds was either an amateur or regional artist. *** Q: I have a collection of Possible Dreams that I would like to sell. -- Bill, via e-mail A: Possible Dreams is a line of colorful clothtique Santas and other holiday figurines. Unfortunately, the secondary market is stagnant and they are almost impossible to sell. I suggest you try and sell your collection on eBay.
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PRIMATE COMMUNICATION (cont’d)
• In an experiment in 1962, researchers recorded the sounds a group of baboons made in the wild while storm clouds were gathering. Later the tape was played to a group of captive apes in a zoo. Even though the day was perfectly clear, the apes rushed to shelter as if a storm had been imminent. • Washoe, a chimp at the University of Nevada, learned about 350 words using American Sign Language. She was able to use these words to make up her own terms, such as “drink-fruit” for watermelon; “water-bird” for swan; “white-tiger” for zebra; and “food-
P E T S - FA R M
R E A L E S TAT E
drink” for refrigerator. She even taught her by using a computer and typing in symbols. adopted chimp son some sign language Kanzi was shown videos of Koko the gorilla before she died at the age of 42 in 2007. using sign language. Kanzi’s handler was surprised when Kanzi began using sign • Koko, a gorilla taught to use sign language, language after viewing the videos in spite of learned 645 signs by the time she was seven the fact that sign language had not been part years old and now knows over 1,000 signs. of the curriculum. She can also understand about 2,000 words of spoken language. Like Washoe, Koko is • An ape named Chantek was learning sign also capable of making up her own signs for language when his handler gave him a bunch things she does not know the word for. She of grapes and indicated that she wanted the made the signs for “finger” and “bracelet” ape to share them with her. Chantek ate all indicating a ring. the grapes, and handed the empty stem back to his handler. • A bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee) named Kanzi was being trained to communicate in a lab
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HOT PEPPERS
• Columbus was looking for a shorter route to the black pepper supply of India when he discovered the New World. Because he was so desperate to find pepper, everything that he came across which had a hot taste was dubbed ‘pepper.’ That’s why today we have green peppers and chili peppers. These are fruits rather than berries, and their ‘hot’ taste is caused by a chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin isn’t really a taste; it’s a pain. Capsaicin stimulates the pain-sensing neurons inside the mouth. • There are 30 species of pepper plants and all belong to the genus Capsicum, which comes from the Greek ‘kapto’ meaning bite or gulp. • The Scoville test for measuring the amount of heat in a hot pepper was developed by Wilbur Scoville. He was working for a pharmaceutical company, trying to make different uses out of plant alkaloids including capsaicin. A rating of 1 million Scoville units means that the extract from that plant must be diluted to a concentration of 1 part per million before its heat dissipates. • A pepper called the Carolina Reaper comes in at 2.2 million Scoville heat units, which ranks it as the world’s hottest pepper. By comparison, police-grade pepper spray rates about 5 million Scoville units, which causes temporary blindness, difficulty in breathing, and total incapacitation. • If a hot sauce is too hot for you, don’t try to cool your mouth with water or tea. They just spread the volatile oils around more. Instead, try soaking up the peppery oils with milk, fatty foods, or high-alcohol drinks. • Red peppers are high in vitamin C, and fresh paprika made from newly dried chili peppers contains more vitamin C by weight than lemon juice.
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that are capsaicin-free (such as bell peppers) but they stay away from the hot stuff. The researcher also found that the digestive system of mammals such as mice and rats destroys the seeds of the chili pepper plant. However, birds can’t taste capsaicin, and they eat chili peppers - and the seeds inside them - all the time. Chili seeds that have been eaten by birds and then expelled are three times more likely to germinate than those that haven’t been eaten by birds. Due to the bird’s flight range, the seeds are deposited far from the original plant where they can grow without competition. Therefore, the presence of capsaicin in a hot chili pepper is a survival strategy for the species. • Some bird seed manufacturers add chili powder or capsaicin to the seed to prevent squirrels and deer from eating the food intended for the birds. • One researcher did everything he could to try to condition a set of laboratory rats to like hot peppers. Some rats were fed a hot pepper diet from the moment of their birth. Others had chili powder gradually added into their feed. Sometimes the researcher spiked the non-peppery food with a substance that would make the rats feel sick so that they would choose the peppery food instead. Sometimes he fed them a diet that contained no vitamin C hoping they would naturally go for their vitamin C-laden peppers. But no matter what he did, he could not train rats to like hot peppers.
WHY SO HOT?
• Chili plants pump their fruits full of capsaicin, but why? According to an article in Discover magazine, a researcher found that mammals such as mice and pack rats think that capsaicin tastes horrible. Therefore, they do not eat hot peppers. Rodents will readily eat peppers
1. Ron Kittle, who hit 35 home runs in 1983. 2. Johnny Bench. 3. Emmitt Smith ran for 1,773 yards in 1995. 4. Louisville (won in 1986; missed in ‘87), Kansas (‘88; ‘89), Florida (2007; ‘08), North Carolina (‘09; ‘10), Kentucky (‘12; ‘13), UConn (‘14; ‘15). 5. It was the 2012-13 season. 6. It was 2003. 7. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Answers 1. “Major League” 2. Norway and Sweden 3. MMXVI 4. Ossicles 5. Ferrari 6. Jefferson Davis 7. 1 pound 8. Echo 9. Piccolo 10. Josh Billings