We've all chosen to play bacterial roulette and eat something that's fallen on the floor. I personally just can't throw away a good piece of pizza or boudin just because it was on the floor for a few seconds.

Ars Technica reports that food scientists at Rutgers University decided to make a final statement that would put the 5 - second rule to rest. The scientists dropped a piece of watermelon, buttered bread, dry bread, and gummy candy on various floor surfaces. Here's what they found:

“Our data clearly showed that contact time does influence bacterial transfer, with more bacteria transferred at longer times. Other factors including the nature of the food and the surface are of equal or greater importance...and some transfer takes place ‘instantaneously’ at times less than one second, disproving the ‘five second rule.'

Click here to read which surfaces have the fastest transfer rates and which foods will pick up bacteria the fastest.

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