Don't Get Stuck to That Frozen Pole: The Science Behind Tundra Tongue

Don't lick that cold metal pole in winter - it's a classic childhood mistake that can lead to a painful and embarrassing situation. But how dangerous is this phenomenon, really? And what's the best way to free one's tongue with minimal damage? A graduate student in Norway set out to investigate the underlying science behind this age-old predicament.

Anders Hagen Jarmund, a student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), experienced tundra tongue firsthand in his youth and wanted to better understand the process. So he decided to examine the issue as part of his master's thesis, recruiting several colleagues to the project. This turned into two separate published papers: one in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, and the other in the journal Head & Face Medicine.