Fact or Fiction: Uncooked Rice is Bad for Birds

You may have heard that throwing rice at weddings will hurt wild birds. But we’re here to say that myth isn’t backed up by the science -- and we can prove it with chemistry.

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Credits:
Producer: Sean Parsons
Writer: Alexa Billow
Scientific Consultants: James Krupa, PhD; Michelle Boucher, PhD; Brianne Raccor, PhD
Executive Producer: Hilary Hudson


Music:
Loopster from Kevin MacLeod

Sources:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/against-the-grain/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31421/does-wedding-rice-really-make-birds-explode
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/safe-food-for-birds/
https://www.thoughtco.com/do-birds-explode-if-they-eat-wedding-rice-3298982
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1662/0002-7685(2005)067%5B0223%3AACEFTU%5D2.0.CO%3B2
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf034758o
http://sciencemeetsfood.org/rice-science-101-introduction-making-great-rice-home/

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