Five-Second Rule Pretty Much Bogus

If you were laboring under the delusion that the "five-second rule" had any basis in scientific fact, well, keep dreaming. Germs latch onto food a lot faster than that, according to a new San Diego State University study co-funded by the cleanly folks at Clorox. Researchers dropped baby carrots on floors, countertops, sinks and more, and found that germs routinely beat the five-second clock, CBS Atlanta reports.

Perhaps a more surprising result of their research: countertops actually appeared to be the most germ-infected surface, narrowly beating out carpeted and tiled floors. Will the finding stop people from eating off the floor? We doubt it. Another study conducted in tandem found that 65% of parents admit to abiding by the five second rule. We shudder to think what that jumps to among bachelors. (More five-second rule stories.)