STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with validation of the five second rule. The saying holds if you drop food to pick it up fast, you can pretend it never happened. Not for the first time, researchers affirm that old joke is actually wisdom. A germ expert tells the British Press Association if you drop food and pick it up quickly, bacteria on the floor are not likely to have attached. If it's not obviously covered with dirt, you can probably eat it, and according to a survey, most people have. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.