:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/TAL-car-filled-parking-lot-PARKINGLOT0223-3d1c0584a849492aa0a31ebc62c4e3da.jpg "This Viral Science Hack Can Help You Find Your Car in a Crowded Parking Lot")
Have you ever returned from a long trip, tired and cautious, only to pull into the airport parking lot and realize you have no idea where you left your car? As the wave of panic washes over you, you try in vain to use your car’s remote alarm, but realize it’s probably out of range. The situation is hopelessly familiar to anyone who has ever parked at a massive airport or stadium.
But fear not: science has your back and can help you locate your car. All you need to do is use your head. Literally.
Boston Science Museum shared a TikTok video in 2023 presenting Alex Dainisa science communicator with a PhD in genetics, who stunned the internet with a quick trick to extend the range of your car’s remote alarm.
“Have you ever lost your car in a crowded parking lot? Well, maybe I have the scientific trick to help you find it,” Dainis said as he grabbed the remote control for his car and brought it up to his face.
“When you’re out of range of your car’s remote control, you can use your head as an antenna,” Dainis added.
He explained that car remote controls work by sending a short-range radio signal, which typically only travels between “five and 20 meters until it turns off.” But you can “use your head to amplify it” and increase the distance that signal can travel.
It works, Dainis said, because the head (“like the rest of the body”) contains a lot of water. So, when you hold the keychain to your head, “the electromagnetic waves from your car remote control interact with the water molecules in your head. This moves them. The movement creates a wave that adds to the remote wave, amplifying it and increasing its range.”
Don’t you love the idea of radio waves traveling through your head? Dainis added that you can also try this trick with a full water bottle if you have one on hand. The trick may seem like an Internet myth, but it has its roots in real physics and could save you a lot of time (and embarrassment) the next time you’re dragging luggage through a sea of sedans.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/TAL-art-of-cheese-fest-wisconsin-CHEESEAWARDS0925-0415030ccd3b4f3698f4c845ff697957.jpg "This Midwestern destination has more award-winning cheeses than France or Italy—here’s how to visit their capital like a cheese expert")
