The Taste of Dirt
Why does dirt taste bad, even after you put ketchup on it?
———- from Jerry Carr Jr. of M.I.T, Boston, MA
First of all, I’d like to compliment you on your dedication to research. Many a scientist would have hired students on work study to taste dirt for him. But you’re not afraid to get right down on all fours, ketchup bottle in one hand, spoon in the other. You’ve got the makings of a real scientist. On the other hand, you may be entirely unsuited for modern life. The last people to voluntarily eat dirt were Neanderthals, and they became extinct almost a million years ago. So there’s a possibility you could be both a scientist and a Neanderthal, which, come to think of it, wouldn’t be that unusual.
First of all, I’d like to compliment you on your dedication to research. Many a scientist would have hired students on work study to taste dirt for him. But you’re not afraid to get right down on all fours, ketchup bottle in one hand, spoon in the other. You’ve got the makings of a real scientist. On the other hand, you may be entirely unsuited for modern life. The last people to voluntarily eat dirt were Neanderthals, and they became extinct almost a million years ago. So there’s a possibility you could be both a scientist and a Neanderthal, which, come to think of it, wouldn’t be that unusual. 