In 2010, Matthews embarked on the Great British Knot Experiment, enlisting kids in eight schools to put string—some of which was looped (with each end clipped together to form a tiny circle), others unlooped—in boxes, jumble them around, and then report the results. Matthews found that looped string formed knots one tenth as often as unlooped string of the same length. In other words, uniting the ends of your earbud cables—with, say, a paper clip—will keep knotting to a minimum.
This finding is a godsend for anyone who has ever battled tangled Christmas lights or struggled with knotty necklaces. But Matthews’s discovery may have a much bigger impact. If pharmacologists are able to control microscopic loops in DNA and viruses, a breakthrough in fighting cancer and other maladies, like infections, could follow. In the meantime, pick up a paper clip and slip on your blessedly tangle-free headphones.
via Mental Floss
