Can You Take the Heat- Spicy Food Experiment - TEST DUMMY SCIENCE

Okay, for science. Hey, on Test Dummy Science, it's a celebration! Happy birthday to you! It's a chocolate cake just for you. Chocolate! That's my favorite! How did you guys know it was my birthday? Teddy, you're not just a test dummy to us. You're our friend. So, we baked you a cake to say happy birthday, but also to talk about our latest experiment. Yeah, today is all about spicy food. We're putting Teddy's taste buds through some spicy torture to learn more about why your mouth feels heat. Even when there's nothing actually hot about what you're eating. Wait, you mean to tell me that this cake is spicy? You'll have to dig in to find out, Teddy. Bon appétit. I'm going to regret this! Spicy food feels hot in your mouth because of an ingredient called capsaicin. When you eat something spicy, the capsaicin binds to receptors in your mouth that tell the brain what's going on. But those receptors aren't designed to detect capsaicin, so they're tricked into thinking there's something actually hot in there. As a result, your brain tells your body that your mouth is on fire, causing you to sweat and feel like you're hot. Unless you freeze your spicy food first, like I did with this hot jalapeno pepper. It's super cold, so now it won't be spicy at all. No, Eddie, that's actually not true. Temperature has nothing to do with it. The capsaicin makes you feel heat no matter how cold something is. Is that why this is so hot? Oh, what have I done? For our experiment, Teddy's eating some of the spiciest food on the planet. And then testing various remedies to see which one works best. Okay, you guys, I got to tell you something. I actually like spicy food, so jokes on you, this is going to be easy. Teddy, don't get too cocky, because this stuff is beyond hot. How hot is it? All spiciness is measured on the Scoville scale, which ranges from foods that are a zero... Like a bell pepper. To chili peppers that are in the millions. Like the Trinidad Moruga scorpion pepper. It's so hot, you have to use gloves just to hold it. That one's not safe to eat, Teddy, so don't worry. Instead, we'll be using hot sauces that are in the low millions. Low millions? Ready, Teddy? For our first experiment, we're using the hotter-than-fire hot sauce, which has a rating of 2 million Scoville units. And we put it on the cracker. Take a bite, Teddy, and tell us how you feel. Okay. For science. Oh! Oh, no! Oh! Oh! It's like two million suns jumped into a giant volcano, and they're erupting in my mouth. Ah! Ah! Ah! Now, Teddy, we want you to try this water and tell us how it cools things down. Yes, water, right. Most people think that if you eat something spicy, that you should reach for the water, but they couldn't be more wrong. Capsaicin is an oil, and since oil and water don't mix, the water doesn't do anything to stop the heat. Why didn't you tell me this before? Next, we're using this hot sauce, which we call School of Hot. It has a rating of 2.5 million Scoville units. You realize that this is torture, right? Take another bite, Teddy, and tell us if it feels any different. Oh! It feels hot! Hot! This time, we're using dairy to cut the heat. So, Teddy, try this yogurt in this glass of milk. Oh, yes! Yes! Dairy products have a protein called casein, which, when it hits your mouth, breaks up the capsaicin and stops it from hitting the pain receptors, giving some relief from the heat. For our final experiment, we're using this hot sauce called Boil My Brain, which has a Scoville rating of 3 million units. Our hottest sauce yet. That sounds like 2,999,000 Scoville units too much. It's your final test, Teddy. Eat this, and it will all be over. All right. Sounds too hot. This time, our off-the-wall experiment is getting even weirder. Because we're giving Teddy a fresh lemon. What? What, are you trying to torture me with vitamin C? Trust us, Teddy, we're scientists. Yeah, kind of. Oh! Acidic foods like lemons, oranges, and tomatoes are the perfect remedy for spicy foods. That's right. The acidity of the lemons neutralizes the spiciness immediately. So while your face might feel puckered, a lemon will definitely beat the heat. I think I swallowed a seed. So there you have it. Even if spicy foods aren't your thing, you now know how to reduce the suffering. That's right, your suffering is over. But Teddy's suffering is just beginning. Wait, what do you mean? I've got three words for you, Teddy. Alligator, wrestling, match. Yeah, you were so brave eating that hot sauce that we figured, why not crank things up a notch? We'll go get the gator. Well, I guess this is just another day in the life of a test dummy.