I have thought about the issue of weird university studies a few times.
I believe the purpose is to give students experience at conducting in depth studies, without the access to findings of others who have already conducted the same investigation.
In order to have a subject nobody has studied already, professors must turn to the weird and often inconsequential subjects.
So, it is not about the results or topic, but the methods used to reach conclusions.

You can find a university to study anything you choose. You merely have to fund the study or find someone or entity to provide the money.

Before the actual study, the “five second rule” was NOT a ridiculous notion; it was a common belief. And it made sense to think that germs don’t “jump” onto something immediately.

The idea that the earth revolved around the Sun used to be considered a ridiculous notion, too.

Unless a conjecture is abviously false before a study, the conjecture may be ripe for investigation.

Yes…universities will research pretty much anything. You would think they are focused on actual learning, but they really aren’t. As @Patty_Melt said…they are letting students study, but also there have been a number of really ridiculous studies put on by the heads of university departments. Our tax dollars and the kids’ tuition dollars at work!

@zenvelo I don’t know to whom it would make sense, re. “And it made sense to think that germs don’t “jump” onto something immediately.” By the way there would be no jumping necessary, since the eccoli etc., is right there already, so it’s upon contact, not a fraction of a 1/ 1000th second later.

So few people understand the research aspect of colleges and universities, particularly on how such research is funded. More often than not the Federal government and major corporations undertake the funding of such research. The public has some inkling of this in regard to pharmaceuticals for example, but often fails to extrapolate this reality to veritably every product or marketable process imaginable. Everything from Roundup through those teeth whiteners blanketing tv commercials have some university study underlying their advertising claims as well as their suitability (safety wise). The money from such research amountscto pure gravy for the university and the academic heading whichever study as the actual work is undertaken by unpaid students in pursuit of advanced degrees. Like sports, it’s just another one of those rackets that college is all about.

As well, @zenvelo re. “Unless a conjecture is abviously false before a study, the conjecture may be ripe for investigation.”, if a university study said it’s good for your health to eat poop, you would eat it, if a conjecture was made by some people?

Above post edited.

@flo. You’ve never heard of fecal transplant?

Besides, you misrepresented what I said. Stop making things up.

No.

@zenvelo Fecal transplant doesn’t seem to be similar eating it. Eating what was on the floor/ ground other hand is like eliminating the mddle man, right? Besides your answer to my question seems to be yes, if a study says I should it poop, I would.

Eliminating the middle man?