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They come up with some cracking articles in New Scientist - see below!
In 1931, the peace and quiet of the New Zealand countryside was shattered by a terrifying new phenomenon: suddenly and apparently at random, men's trousers began to explode. Some pairs detonated on the washing line, others as they dried in front of the fire. More seriously, some were occupied when they started to smoulder. At first there were just a few isolated reports, but soon the nation was in the grip of an epidemic of exploding trousers.
The explanation wasn't hard to find. The dangerously self-destructive garments all belonged to farmers who had been trying to destroy the ragwort that was ruining their pastures. This pernicious weed had reached New Zealand decades earlier and was now running riot across the country. The farmer's latest weapon in the war on the weed was sodium chlorate. But when combined with organic material, such as cotton and woollen fibres, the mixture becomes violently explosive.
In 1931, the peace and quiet of the New Zealand countryside was shattered by a terrifying new phenomenon: suddenly and apparently at random, men's trousers began to explode. Some pairs detonated on the washing line, others as they dried in front of the fire. More seriously, some were occupied when they started to smoulder. At first there were just a few isolated reports, but soon the nation was in the grip of an epidemic of exploding trousers.
The explanation wasn't hard to find. The dangerously self-destructive garments all belonged to farmers who had been trying to destroy the ragwort that was ruining their pastures. This pernicious weed had reached New Zealand decades earlier and was now running riot across the country. The farmer's latest weapon in the war on the weed was sodium chlorate. But when combined with organic material, such as cotton and woollen fibres, the mixture becomes violently explosive.
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Comments
That particular article had me giggling away to myself this morning!
These scientists are obviously not as boring as they appear!