Science video explains what happens when daredevils decide to lick frozen metal poles and why they get stuck to them

Feb 20, 2015 15:40 GMT  ·  By
Science video explains why it's never a good idea to lick a frozen metal pole
   Science video explains why it's never a good idea to lick a frozen metal pole

For reasons still unknown, some guys and gals still lick frozen metal poles, despite other people telling them not to do so and sometimes even despite their better judgement.

As you probably know from movies or maybe even from personal experience, touching a frozen metal pole with your tongue is never a good idea for one very simple reason: you risk getting stuck to it.

In case you were wondering why this happens, here's a video explaining why human tongues and cold metal poles should forever and for always be kept away from each other.

In a nutshell, each and every tongue has saliva on it. When coming into contact with an ice cold surface, this saliva instantly freezes and creates a strong bond between the tongue and the thing it is touching.

Unlike other materials like, say, wood, metals are very efficient heat conductors. This explains why human saliva freezes and becomes ice almost immediately after coming into contact with them.

Back in February 2014, a kid in Massachusetts, US, learned this simple fact of life the hard way when he licked a frozen metal pole in his school yard and got stuck to it.

To free him, firefighters had to use warm water to melt the ice holding him in place. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but at least this daredevil didn't suffer any serious injuries while trying to free himself.