Yes, really. University of Sydney researchers are working out how to stop our planet from falling apart by using the beloved breakfast fare to imitate snow and rocks.
Apparently, the puffed rice cereal is a good stand-in as it breaks down under pressure and disintegrates in fluid – just like snow and rock.
The process can also be observed in just minutes – and unlike an ice shelf or a dam, a cereal bowl can fit into a lab.
How does it work? Researchers Itai Einav and François Guillard pour the cereal into a vertical tube over a filter. Applying a constant amount of pressure at the top, they then added milk into the bottom.
The result? A series of snaps, crackles, and collapses, which they’ve dubbed “ricequakes”.
Sounds bizarre, but from the simulation, the scientists have created a mathematical equation that can explain when and why the “ricequakes” happen – and could even be used to predict dam collapses.
“I believe puffed rice offers a real opportunity into studying the new and rich physics of brittle porous materials,” Professor Einav told Cosmos Magazine.
Suddenly that bowl of Coco Pops seems a whole lot more interesting.
