aptly named 鈥淭he Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages鈥�. The researchers placed cans and bottles of beer and other drinks in various proximities to a nuclear explosion, some above ground, some sheltered, and left them to experience the nightmare of a nuclear explosion.
Did the series get it right when they populated the post-apocalyptic wasteland with beer and cola bottles? Yes! Naturally, some beverages were hit by debris and broke, but any that remained physically intact were found to be safe to drink. And drink them they did, declaring that the beverages closest to the blast tasted 鈥渄efinitely off鈥�, but ones from a bit further away were still of 鈥渃ommercial quality鈥�.
Could beer actually help us survive the apocalypse? There have been that ethanol can act as a molecule, reacting with the dangerous free radicals produced by and stopping their ill effects. That would help certainly explain all the drinking in.
Sadly, while ethanol does show some scavenging activity, it鈥檚 fairly weak compared with some of the other bioactive scavengers we know about, like (found in grapefruits) and (found in vegetable oils). Not to mention that the levels of you鈥檙e likely to experience when traversing the wasteland of Canada are going to be a bit high for scavenging molecules to really help.
So, if the bombs do fall, remember that six-pack you have in the garage because, while it might not stop radiation, it might make the apocalypse a bit more bearable. 听
