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  • How do microwaves cook your food? If you stand in front of a microwave are you going to get

  • cancer? Are they killing you?!

  • Howdy cookers, thanks for watching DNews, I'm Trace. This morning, I was talking to

  • our intern Tori // hello! // about how I microwaved coffee from yesterday. Yeah, I know, it's

  • gross. But it's SO EASY! Microwaves are magic food boxes. They heat food in less time with

  • less energy than traditional methods -- but HOW they make that thing hotter is a mystery

  • to many of it's users...

  • The microwave has roots in radar research during World War II. Scientist Percy Spencer

  • accidentally melted a candybar in his pocket and after some more experimentation, he patented[a]

  • the first microwave heating device! Microwaves are basically metal boxes containing a magnetron

  • gun. The magnetron uses electricity to excite electrons and get them to vibrate and release

  • waves of non-ionized electromagnetic energy. This radiation is at a frequency that's between

  • radio waves and infrared light -- usually around 2.45 gigahertz. This microwave "radiation"

  • is no different from the radiation created by a radio station or a wifi-network.

  • The literal microwaves are made of alternating current, and magnetic fields. Because it's

  • Alternating it means they're switching from clockwise to counterclockwise back and forth.

  • These electromagnetic waves shoot from the magnetron into the oven passing through paper,

  • plastic, and glass to hit the water, fat and sugar molecules in your cup of coffee or frozen

  • burrito.

  • Scientists aren't EXACTLY sure what happens at this point. Either the waves cause the

  • H2O molecules to agitate and generate heat, OR the fats, sugars and water absorb the energy

  • and release heat. Either way, when the magnetron energy hits, heat is created, and a minute

  • or so later, yesterday's coffee is as good aswell yesterday's coffee. Only hotter.

  • Because it's just heating water, fat and sugar -- if it's not evenly distributed throughout

  • the burrito, it won't heat well! Cold patch, yuck... Also, setting it too hot too fast

  • will only mess up the process because the heat has to travel into the food by conduction,

  • that is, one molecule spreads heat to the next and then the next. What a pain in the

  • butt.

  • My mom used to tell me, "If you want children someday don't stand too close to the microwave!"

  • Which isn't really true. This microwave radiation isn't nearly as strong an an x-ray, or as

  • common as wifi, cell phone, televisions or other electromagnetic waves flying around.

  • Studies have found low-level microwave exposure shouldn't cause the corruption of DNA that

  • results in cancer. And looking into the microwave is fine, the windows are shielded so microwaves

  • are reflecting onto the food, not into your sensitive little eyeballs.

  • Metal in the microwave, isn't inherently bad, either. After all, the walls are made of it

  • because it reflects the waves all around, heating as much of the food as possible. However,

  • throwing in something POINTY, like aluminum foil, can cause sparks, and breakdown of air

  • molecules into more dangerous fumes. The sleeves that come with some pastries are also for

  • reflection, because as the outside of the food heats up, that heat energy is reflected

  • BACK at the crust, crisping it up. It's cooking itself!

  • Whether microwaving is damaging the food is still being debated by science, but for the

  • most part ANY cooking damages the nutrient content of the "raw" food, but cooking it

  • also kills bacteria which makes food safer. Yes, a few older studies found breast milk,

  • heated in a microwave, lost some of it's vitamin B12 potency. But many other studies have found

  • no such evidence. And MANY studies done on microwaves have determined there's little

  • or no difference between microwaving and conventional cooking. Ultimately, the most dangerous things

  • microwaves produce are food burns from overheating the item. And that's just your fault. The

  • FDA says microwaving food is just as safe and nutritious as any other method of cooking.

  • But what do you think? Are you nervous about them? Do you microwave your food?

  • Speak your mind down in the comments and be sure you subscribe for more DNews. Microwaves

  • are also produced in space, and on Wednesday, August 27 we're doing our next monthly SpaceOut

  • with NASA/JPL! This month we're talking about Europa, the possibility of life and future

  • missions to Jupiter's intriguing moon! RSVP with the link here or in the description and

  • post a question so we can ask the experts! Thanks for watching DNews.

How do microwaves cook your food? If you stand in front of a microwave are you going to get

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