Photographed by Janelle Jones.
If you're like us, you have a love-hate relationship with cheese. While a schmear of Camembert goes great with a glass of Chenin Blanc, the odor lies somewhere between a hamper and a musty basement — not exactly appetizing. Even so, the lingering stench sure isn't enough to keep a wheel of Brie off the table at a holiday party.
To dig deeper into this phenomenon, biologist Christina Agapakis teamed up with Professor Sissel Tolaas, pulling together an exhibit at the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin called Selfmade. "People have a mixture of repulsion and attraction to cheese," says Agapakis. "This gives us a chance to have a really interesting conversation about bacteria and odors, and why they might gross people out."
Speaking of being grossed out, are you ready for this? There are cheeses in the exhibit that are made from the cells of human mouths, navels, and...toes. Yup, the duo literally collected bacteria from the aforementioned body parts, grew it in petri dishes, and added milk to create the cheeses that would challenge the senses. While these disgusting creations sound like a perfect challenge for an episode of Fear Factor, they aren't fit for human consumption. Thank God. Suddenly, Limburger is starting to smell a lot better than it used to...(The Verge)