0247 Wasabi Alarm

Stop the presses! Wasabi has escaped the condiment ghetto. Thanks to a team of Japanese researchers, wasabi is not just a sinus-ripping horseradish paste that goes with sushi anymore. Now, it’s also a life-saving device. The chemists invented an alarm that harnesses the power of wasabi fumes to alert people to fire. It seems the fumes contain an irritant active enough to work even when you’re asleep. Plus the food/warning system fusion has the advantage of being effective even for those who are hard of hearing. The team tried out about 100 different smells including rotten eggs before settling on wasabi. For their work, they were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Wasabi, doc? With this alarm, you are. #ceas #hacker #japan