Good Questions: Yawning, Decaf Coffee & Carbonation
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Every Friday, Heather Brown takes a look at some of the Good Questions viewers have sent in throughout the week. This time, she takes a look at yawning, decaffeinated coffee and whether bottled or canned soda tastes better.
Brittney from Minneapolis asks: Why are yawns contagious?
"It's not known why," Liz Cirulli Rogers, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University, said.
It could be people yawn out of empathy, Rogers said. She also added yawning might help get the brain cool down or heat up to an optimal temperature.
Rick from Hastings wants to know: Why does soda taste different in a bottle versus can?
According to Geoff Dubrow, a flavor expert at the University of Minnesota, the different container shapes mean there's a different amount of air above the soda. When the soda is opened, the different airflows means different amounts of aromas released.
Dubrow also said there could be a psychological component as well. Due to advertising, consumers may assume one type of container is superior to another and that causes them to perceive the difference.
Vicki from Shoreview asks: How do they take the caffeine out of coffee?
"It's a process that happens at the farm where the coffee is grown," Lee Carter, owner of Five Watt Coffee, said.
There are a few different methods, but all of them involve steeping the green beans in hot water. At Five Watt, the beans are steeped such that everything -- the flavor, aroma, and caffeine -- comes out of the beans. The caffeine is then removed from the water, and then the opened beans are put back into the caffeinated water.
"So all of that stuff can get back into the coffee," Carter said.
