A study of fat in its many forms is the subject of a new exhibition of fat at the Science Gallery.
Fat claims 2.8 million lives a year around the world but it is vital for our survival. This contradiction is the subject of a new exhibition at the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin.
It tastes delicious, it keeps us warm and it's a remarkable store of energy. Yet, it makes us ill killing millions of people each year and is considered unattractive by many.
Lynn Scarff, Director of the Science Gallery, says that the 'Fat It's Delicious' exhibition examines how something that tastes so good is also bad for us. It asks questions about what constitutes good fat and what constitutes bad fat? Included in Science Gallery are examples of human fat, functional fat, fake fat, and animal fat.
Celebrity chef Kevin Thornton has a demonstration of marinated fat which he plans to cook and eat. His recipe includes 24 pig heads immersed in poteen and brine. The poteen works at breaking down the fat.
The exhibition also has some practical experiments such as examining if fat fingers are less nimble than thin fingers. Another experiment explores how fat levels affect the stickiness of platelets in blood. Researcher Laura Twomey says that the findings of this experiment will be related back to people who exercise and do not exercise. There is also a diner in the Science Gallery with a menu of fat demonstrations.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 15 May 2014. The reporter is Will Goodbody.
