Is there any science behind cellphones popping popcorn?

Question

A while back, my father showed me this Youtube video about some guys who set a few popcorn kernels in the middle of a ring of five cell phones and then called the phones. Supposedly, the radiation from the phones caused the kernels to pop. This was supposed to be a justification as to why he wouldn't give me a cell phone at the age of 13 (which wasn't all that safe since I was already traveling by public transit at that age), but I was skeptic about a few things.

1. A microwave can't even pop a bag of popcorn without it being in an enclosed area and raising to high amounts of heat. How is it that these kernels popped in an open-air environment on top of a wooden table? The cellphones would have to be hot enough to burn a hole through the table in order to get the job done, right?

2. If cellphones emitted THAT much radiation, wouldn't we all be nearly dead from daily use of it? What about businesspeople who need to use their cellphones almost every other minute? What about teens who text as often as they breate--wouldn't they develop some kind of skin cancer?

What is the science and logic behind this "experiment"? Could it be possible with certain brands and models of phones? Would those phones need to be recalled? Is it impossible with any cell phone? Is it possible with all phones?

Now that I'm writing it, I think it would make an awesome science experiment. XD What do you guys think, should I take it on?

Answer 1

yes, its fake. i think there was a Mythbusters episode about it



i think the myth comes from the fact that cell phones emit microwaves, but they are not done in such a way that it rapidly repolarizes the molecules in the corn.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Yeah, the videos are fakes. If a cellphone were to emit so many microwaves, they'd heat up the fingers and ears of the person using them to boiling point, which would hurt like crazy.

Answer 4

I think the video was fake, it was a viral advert for something, probably cell phones. It was a cool video though, I fell for it at first too :)