Yesterday, I happened to watch a TV variety show hosted by Koichi Domoto and Shigeaki Kato.
It features a wide range of entertaining topics.
What was on at that time was about whether banana peels are really slippery, and apparently there was a person who had actually looked into it.
He was a professor at Kitasato University who had studied it using a lot of bananas.
He came to the conclusion that when a banana peel is stepped on, tiny capsules containing a gel-like substance are crushed, and the liquid that comes out makes the peel very slippery.
It is said to be comparable to skis on snow.
This study was significant because it could be applied to reducing friction in artificial joints.
Eventually, this study won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2014.
From banana peels to better artificial joints — isn't that amazing?
Watching this, I felt two things.
First, it is important to question everything.
Second, however trivial something may seem, if we dig deep into it, we can arrive at the truth.
