The fictional scenario has a kernel of truth.
Scientists have discovered in recent years that the dish sponge represents its own ecosystem.
A wet biotope that reveals a lot about us.
The microbiologist and hygiene researcher Markus Egert found out a few years ago that dishwashing sponges are gigantic germ hotels in which up to 54 billion microbes per square centimeter live.
Egert's colleagues discovered that the foam cuboid with its differently sized pores is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria because both loners and sociable protozoa find an ideal home here.
After recent analyses, Egert has now discovered that not only germs can be found in the sponges, but also other microorganisms with a real cell nucleus.
These include genes from fungi, algae and protozoa such as amoebas.
The researcher also found viruses – albeit in manageable numbers.
"However, whether kitchen sponges, like other wet biotopes, also produce significant amounts of methane still needs to be investigated," he said - the man has found a life theme in the dishwashing aids.
We Germans, as statistical surveys have shown, are very reluctant to part with our kitchen sponge.
Some adopt their sponge like a pet and let a particular specimen accompany them through large phases of their lives.
The plastic product is occasionally lovingly cleaned in the dishwasher or irradiated in the microwave - then the little one looks sparkling clean again, just like the offspring after their Sunday bath.
Meanwhile, Markus Egert's love of kitchen sponges is purely scientifically motivated.
"In my opinion, a sponge doesn't belong in the kitchen," the professor of microbiology at Furtwangen University told SPIEGEL in an interview.
In fact, anyone who knows about the swarm of germs in these strange structures would like to banish them all - but please not to the rubbish tip, but to the laboratory.
A practical alternative would be the dishwashing brush.
This device features an easy-to-grip handle that avoids having to repeatedly reach into a mass of microbes.
It is surprising why this practical dishwashing aid only dominates in Denmark and Norway, while the dishwashing sponge reigns supreme in the rest of Europe.
We wish you a nice weekend and a successful Sunday washing up
Your Frank Thadeusz
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Quiz*
Microbiologists like Markus Egert have identified the most hygiene-sensitive room in an apartment/house. This is located...
on the toilet
in the children's room
in the kitchen
According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the improper handling of food causes a significant number of cases of illness every year. The BfR estimates the number of cases at...
10,000
100,000
1,000,000
In a research project, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) examined 100 cooking programs with regard to their hygiene standards. The most common cleanliness sin was...
Blowing your nose at the counter
Wiping dirty hands on the tea towel
Don't wear a chef's hat
*The answers can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.
picture of the week
You can't tell from the look of the Galapagos giant tortoise
that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
In the tropiquarium of the Swiss municipality of Servion, where the animal hatched on May 1st, the albino with the red eyes typical of this disorder has already become a crowd favorite.
Because the world has never seen anything like him: Never before has a case of albinism been observed in Galapagos giant tortoises.
(Feedback & suggestions? )
*Quiz answers:
Question 1:
Answer 3: In the kitchen /
Question 2:
Answer 2: 100,000 /
Question 3:
Answer 2: Wiping dirty hands on a tea towel.
