A few years ago, employees at Glacier National Park in Montana noticed that mountain goats were hanging out with visiting tourists, far from the goats' cliffside habitats. Now researchers have figured out why. First: Where there are people, there are fewer predators like bears. Second: Where there are people, there also is pee. An acquaintance with people thus affords mountain goats two prized essentials: safety and salt. A mountain goat will like a urine patch for up to 10 days. "You can't beat that. It's like vacation for goats," said Wesley Sarmento, who led the study.
Microwaving sponge won't kill all bacteria
Stop. Drop the sponge and step away from the microwave. That squishy cleaning apparatus is a microscopic universe, teeming with countless bacteria. Some people may think that microwaving a sponge kills its tiny residents, but they are only partly right. It may nuke the weak ones, but the strongest, smelliest and potentially pathogenic bacteria will survive. Then, they will reproduce and occupy the vacant real estate of the dead. And your sponge will just be stinkier and nastier, suggests a study in Scientific Reports. If you'd rather not throw away your sponge, run it through a laundry machine at the hottest setting using a powder detergent and bleach and then use it somewhere other than the kitchen that is less hygiene-sensitive, like the bathroom.
