Science in Seconds - Grim Reaper
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Science in Seconds
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RUMOURS - Grim Reaper
Brit Trogen: In a phenomenon that doctors are at a loss to explain,
patients at a nursing home in Rhode Island
are being visited by a mysterious creature
just hours before their deaths.
His name is Oscar. OK, he's a little fluffier
than I always thought the Grim Reaper would be,
but Oscar has successfully predicted the deaths of 50 patients
at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
He's generally antisocial and spends his days wandering the halls,
ignoring or even hissing at the living residents.
But every time he curls up next to someone and starts purring,
they die within hours. And Oscar is never wrong.
No, he isn't carrying some horrible, contagious disease.
And while no one knows for sure how he does it,
one possible explanation involves the chemicals that are given off
by people who are just about to die.
The prime candidates to explain Oscar's morbid "superpower"
are ketones, which are released during cell death
and give off a sickly, sweet odor
that even humans can detect in high concentrations.
Oscar could have been born with an innate ability
to smell these chemicals under the skin of those,
nearest death's door, and even creepier,
a natural liking for them.
Ketones are also produced during diabetic episodes
and prolonged periods of fasting.
So Oscar's reaction to a dieting diabetic
might be able to solve the mystery for good
and give the visitor a good scare in the process.
But in the meantime,
if you feel the cuddly paw of death kneading at your shoulder,
you'd best get your affairs in order.
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