# Scientists Discover Secret of Unpopped Popcorn **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398 "2005-04-21T13:11:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/1 "2005-04-21T13:11:51Z")
Science Marches on. Don’t tell _me_ scientists haven’t done anything worthwhile lately: [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=2&u=/ap/20050421/ap\_on\_sc/popcorn\_s\_secret](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=2&u=/ap/20050421/ap_on_sc/popcorn_s_secret) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/2 "2005-04-21T16:58:54Z")
As a big fan of popcorn, all I can say is woohoo! > [@](#): > > “It’s one of life’s annoyances — it’s not rocking anyone’s world, but our members always like to improve their product,” Rappel said. Hey, my world is gettin a rocking! ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/3 "2005-04-21T19:21:31Z")
Well color me enlightened. I had no idea unpopped kernels were called “old maids”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/4 "2005-04-21T19:27:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Well color me enlightened. I had no idea unpopped kernels were called “old maids”. yeagh – I heard this a few years ago and was amazed at so risque a popular term. If there’s any way to explain this in terms of anything but sex (“old maids” presumably never have sex, therefore don’t either get “popped” or else don’t have orgasms = pop) , I can’t imagine what it can be. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/5 "2005-04-21T19:30:55Z")
I had no idea the cheapo brands could have that high a percentage of unpopped kernels! 47%? That’s outrageous. In terms of price per popped kernel, they are **more** expensive than the premium brands! False advertising! Where’s my congresscritter? Where’s my lawyer? Somebody must pay for this calumny! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/6 "2005-04-21T19:32:30Z")
Ol maids are not married and therefore have no kids and therefore did do fullfill what they were supposed to do in this life. Unpopped kernels also did not do what they were ment to do in this life. I also add that the “Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research” should be a BAND NAME! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/7 "2005-04-21T23:53:40Z")
Who would buy for a second time popcorn which got only half of its kernels popped? Even the store brands I buy now have just a few more kernels unpopped compared to Orville’s. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/8 "2005-04-21T23:58:27Z")
Reading the article, I figured ‘old maids’ were called that because they were supposed to be too dry to pop–all dried up, as they sometimes used to say about human old maids. ---
**Author:** ![FlippyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FlippyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlippyFly)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-secret-of-unpopped-popcorn/300398/9 "2005-04-22T00:18:41Z")
I have never in my life been more proud to be a Purdue Boilermaker alumni! Hail, Hail to old Purdue…