If you’ve got a raw milk enthusiast friend, they might be conveniently forgetting that grandma used to boil her "fresh" milk to avoid dying from bacteria poisoning. 

Mind you, it wasn’t all safe in the good old days. In 1978, a Soviet scientist stuck his head in a particle accelerator and got blasted with a proton beam 600 times the lethal dose (and somehow survived). He might be a good candidate for the upcoming Enhanced Games, a sporting competition that openly encourages athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs. 

Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking? Well, AI might finally let us chat with animals, but do we really want to hear what they have to say?

This week's little bits of science challenge long-held assumptions and reveal the unexpected dangers lurking in everyday situations. A groundbreaking study on phantom limb syndrome has overturned decades of medical thinking by proving that the mysterious sensations amputees feel aren't caused by brain changes at all - they're likely nerve-related, opening up entirely new treatment possibilities.

Meanwhile, a man with the world's largest penis broke his arm in a shower accident because he couldn't see his feet, proving that even anatomical fame comes with occupational hazards. The space exploration front delivered its own dose of terror when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano nearly drowned inside his helmet during a spacewalk, with water sloshing around his head while he floated in the vacuum of space. Back on Earth, researchers discovered that smearing Greek yogurt on your windows can cool your house by up to 3.5 degrees Celsius, offering a dairy-based solution to summer heat that sounds ridiculous but actually works.

Perhaps the most spectacular story involves a 1950s nuclear test called Operation Plumbbob, where scientists accidentally launched a 900-kilogram manhole cover at six times Earth's escape velocity - potentially making it the first human-made object to reach space, beating Sputnik by several years. The incident perfectly captures the chaotic, consequence-free spirit of 1950s nuclear experimentation, when scientists would essentially ask "what happens if we nuke this?" and then find out in the most dramatic way possible.