The Right Way To Open A Shaken Soda Can

Michael Stevens (0:01)

Welcome to The Rest Is Science. I am Michael Stevens.

Hannah Fry (0:03)

I'm Hannah Fry.

Michael Stevens (0:04)

And today, I've got a can of a carbonated beverage.

Hannah Fry (0:09)

We can talk about how many calories there are in there?

Michael Stevens (0:11)

Nope.

Hannah Fry (0:11)

Hey, don't shake it.

Michael Stevens (0:12)

Don't shake it up, right? Oh yeah, I can feel how tight it's getting.

Hannah Fry (0:17)

Can you?

Michael Stevens (0:18)

All right, now do you wanna open it?

Hannah Fry (0:19)

No.

Michael Stevens (0:20)

Good, because I don't want you to open it, not yet.

Instead, I'm gonna try a little life hack to fix this and make it safe to open. Okay, now have you heard of this before? Tapping the sides?

Hannah Fry (0:31)

Yeah, or tapping the top is the one that-

Michael Stevens (0:33)

Tapping the top is terrible. Is it? That does not work. Tapping the sides is where it's at.

Hannah Fry (0:39)

Right.

Michael Stevens (0:39)

Should I tell you why now, or should I just go ahead and surprise everyone with how well it works?

Hannah Fry (0:45)

There's no way, that's gonna fizz, surely. You think so? Yeah.

Michael Stevens (0:48)

I shook it really a lot.

Hannah Fry (0:50)

I mean, that was intense. I'm gonna move my laptop out of the way.

Michael Stevens (0:54)

Move your laptop out of the way, but I trust the science. Okay, you ready?

Hannah Fry (0:58)

Yeah, go on.

Michael Stevens (1:02)

Okay.

Hannah Fry (1:02)

Okay, compared to what I was expecting.

Michael Stevens (1:03)

Compared to what you were expecting, wouldn't that have been even cooler if it didn't make any noise? But I mean, that's not too bad.

Hannah Fry (1:10)

That was amazing.

Michael Stevens (1:12)

Do you know why that works?

Hannah Fry (1:14)

Do you know the phrase that some people, I don't know, you'll have this in America, but the phrase that's used to describe what you just witnessed there is a nun's fart. Do you know this?

Michael Stevens (1:25)

No.

Hannah Fry (1:28)

Am I the only one who's heard that phrase?

Michael Stevens (1:30)

What does a nun's fart mean? You've heard that phrase. Pleasant?

Hannah Fry (1:32)

You've never heard that phrase. Yeah, like.

Michael Stevens (1:37)

Like it's not good, but it's not as bad as it could have been.

Hannah Fry (1:40)

It was just like a really gentle release of air. Oh.

Right? Like it wasn't like, it wasn't aggressive.

Michael Stevens (1:47)

I get it, but I think nuns should feel comfortable flatulating however loudly they want.

Hannah Fry (1:53)

Okay, so I had this friend when I was at uni, a friend who was studying to be a medic, and they were like top of their class, aced it, aced it, aced it, aced it. And the consultant in the hospital who they were working under came to find them one day because they were like, I've got a genuine treat for you.

There is a nun who needs to have a rectal exam.

Michael Stevens (2:12)

Right?

Hannah Fry (2:13)

And that is how you stun Michael Stevens in silence.

Michael Stevens (2:16)

That's how you leave me with nothing to add.

Hannah Fry (2:26)

This episode is brought to you by Cancer Research UK.

Michael Stevens (2:29)

All right. Here's something really cool. The earliest written description of cancer that we've ever found is from an ancient Egyptian papyrus that was around before even Cleopatra was on the throne.

Hannah Fry (2:40)

It described tumors being removed by a tool that they called the fire drill, which we think was used to burn off diseased tissue.

Michael Stevens (2:49)

Beating a disease that's so ancient and complex with over 200 different types, it's not going to happen overnight.

Hannah Fry (2:55)

But thanks to research, cancer treatment has advanced a lot. And Cancer Research UK is driving further innovations like cancer-sniffing robots and drugs made from gut bugs that could change the future of medicine.

Michael Stevens (3:08)

Over the past 50 years, Cancer Research UK's work has helped double cancer survival in the UK. And today, it's continuing to save and improve lives around the world.

Hannah Fry (3:18)

For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research and breakthroughs, and how you can support them, visit cancerresearchuk.org/rest Is Science.

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