The physics of junk food: What happens to a Peep in a vacuum?

Phil Plait writes the Bad Astronomy blog for Slate.com. He is also an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelizer, and the author of “Death from the Skies! The Science of the End of the World.”

He spoke at the recent Texas A&M University for the Physics and Engineering Festival, and toured the Mitchell Physics Building and Institute, where he watched students make science demonstrations.

“The Peep demo was one of the first I saw,” Plait wrote in his blog, “and one that made me laugh the hardest. It’s funny, but it’s science!”

So he made this video, posted it on YouTube, and explained the science behind it in his blog.