By 1999, Emory University researchers Gary Falcon and James Zimring had been "studying" the solubility of Peeps for two years. During that time, they had exposed the neon sugar-coated marshmallow candies to a number of challenging conditions, initially soaking them in tap water, then moving on to increasingly intense substances like boiling water, acetone, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide.
Left dumbfounded by Peeps' shocking resiliency, they finally reached for Phenol, a protein-dissolving solvent that is lethal to humans in very small amounts, and soaked a single marshmallow chick in the sickeningly tarry-smelling liquid.
