10 Amazing Life Hacks That Are Actually Backed By Science
Too tired? Too fat? Too sore? Let us science everything better for you.
The internet is full of "life hacks" - clever little tricks that make your life that much easier whilst leaving you wondering why you didn't think of that. Some of them are as simple as preventing you phone charger from self-destructing, and some of them use principles based in psychology, chemistry and even biology.
Regardless of just how irritating you find the word "hack" when referring to these little tricks, you have to admit that some of them are just plain ingenious.
Whilst most hacks are pretty self explanatory, some of them are a bit more complicated. Why, for example, does the room spin after a few too many drinks (and more to the point, how do you stop it)?
Whilst we're on the subject of drinking...
10. Chill A Beer, Fast
Nobody likes warm beer and the internet is teeming with ways to get your brewskies ice cold for optimal refreshment. There are two dominant techniques, one of which takes advantage of chemistry, and the other, thermodynamics.
Method #1 involves adding a load of salt to a bucket of water and ice, then dunking your beers in there to cool. This chills your drinks fast because the dissolved salt in the water drastically lowers the freezing point of the water. Whereas usually it would freeze solid at 0C, the water temperature could dip below -20C, accelerating the cooling time.
Method #2 is better for cooling small batches as it doesn't require a dirty great bucket of water. This method works by wrapping a damp sheet of kitchen roll around the bottle or can before sticking it in the freezer. This cools it much faster due to the fact that liquids are generally much better conductors of heat that gases. The higher density of molecules in liquids mean that energy (i.e. heat) can be transferred through it much more efficiently as the molecules "bounce" off each other more often.
Remember to keep an eye on your rapidly cooling brews, as every schoolchild knows that water expands as it freezes, running the risk of transforming your delicious beer into an explosive device.