There’s an old joke that muffins and cockroaches would be the only creatures to survive a nuclear holocaust because they would live forever. Actually, we’ll get to that soon enough, but it raises an interesting question about the shelf life of many substances. In our world of convenience, we take for granted that we always have access to things that are usually fresh and usable. But how long do ordinary things last? Some of them probably last much longer than you ever imagined. And others? Not so much at all.
10. The shelf life of gasoline is from 3 months to 3 years.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for fair-weather doomsdayers and those who have wondered how they’d cope with a zombie apocalypse. In many very popular stories, gasoline seems immortal. The only problem most dystopian survivors face is finding gasoline, not whether it’s useful. But in real life, a doomsday gas supply will only get you so far.
There are different grades of fuel, and better and worse ways to store it to keep it usable. But for the most part, if we're talking about regular fuel in your car's gas tank, you'll have three to six months to use it before it starts to break down into something useless. Diesel fuel, however, can last you a full year if you're lucky.
If you choose a fuel like ethanol made from organic materials, like what you'll have to start making for yourself from corn or something like that after the end of the world, you'll only get one to three months of viability.
Heat, oxygen, and humidity can all affect the viability of fuel, so it's hard to give a definitive answer to how long gasoline will last. In a tank that's open and exposed to air and sun? Not very long. In a closed tank in a cool, dark garage? Probably much longer.
But no matter how it's stored, because of all the compounds and processes involved in refining the fuel, it's nowhere near as stable as crude oil. The light hydrocarbons quickly begin to evaporate, changing the chemical composition of the fuel until eventually the combustion engine can't burn it.
9. NASA and Taco Bell Made Tortillas That Stay Fresh for 9 Months
For many people, a tortilla is superior to a slice of bread in many ways. One way is shelf life. A pre-packaged tortilla from the grocery store will outlast a packaged slice of bread by at least a week or two under normal conditions.
If you get the good people at NASA involved in making your tortilla with Taco Bell, you'll end up with a tortilla that has a shelf life of a whopping nine months.
NASA and Taco Bell may not seem like a typical pairing, but astronauts need to eat, and tortillas are a space-saving, convenient food option in space. The fast-food chain had far more experience making tortillas than NASA, so the partnership made sense.
As for the reasons, there are no crumbs like you get from bread that can cause chaos in zero gravity, and the tortillas are easier to handle. So, to make them last long enough for a full space mission, some work was needed, and Taco Bell was happy to help.
With tortillas that can resist bacterial growth for nine months, astronauts can make wraps that work better than sandwiches. Fillings like beef actually stick to the tortilla because of how moisture physics works in space.
8. Human life cannot last longer than 150 years.
Do humans have an expiration date? Our life expectancy in 2022 has been calculated to be 71 years, but that takes into account a number of factors. Where you live, access to food and water, all of those things throw off the averages when it comes to calculations like this. And when you look at the past, people joke about how the average life expectancy was 30 years, which is technically incorrect because that also takes into account infant mortality. If four children are born and only one survives, but lives to be 100, their average life expectancy is still only 25 years, which is silly to look at those numbers.
So, under ideal circumstances, and assuming you avoid accidents and illness, how long can a person live? Recent research suggests that medical technology won't advance us much further than it already has, and humans will never live past 150 years.
The “absolute limit” of human life can be anywhere from 120 to 150 years. After that, nothing short of a miracle could make us live longer, as our bodies are simply not designed to live forever. At that point, the body is thought to have used up all the strength it had to overcome illness, stress, and injury. Basically, at that point, you would be finished, and death would be the only option.
There's always a chance that technology will find a way to make the human body stronger and more resilient, but for now, that seems like the natural end of things. Not that it's a big loss for most of us, considering no one has ever lived to be 150.
7. Twinkies only last for 25 days.
Here he is, the infamous Twinkie. In the film "Zombieland" The fear of Twinkie expiration became a plot point for Woody Harrelson's character, but he was very right that the little cakes don't last forever. This is despite an urban legend that once claimed there was a Twinkie that looked as edible as ever after 30 years.
In fact, despite being sealed in plastic and widely believed to be filled with preservatives and artificial ingredients, Twinkies will only last 25 days or so. Like any food, after the 25-day mark they will begin to taste and look worse, and may be susceptible to the growth of dangerous bacteria.
Is 25 days a long time for a cake? Sure. But that's in no small part because they're sealed in plastic to keep them airtight, and they're made without dairy, which greatly reduces spoilage. The rest of the ingredients, like flour, eggs, sugar, and various regular cake ingredients, plus some preservatives, can only carry it so far.
6. Human blood lasts for about 42 days.
Every time there is a major disaster, you will hear organizations like the Red Cross calling for blood donations. In America, blood donations are fairly steady, with about 6.8 million people donating a total of 13.6 million units. With that amount of blood, you would think we would have enough to handle any disaster, but timing is everything.
Human blood is only good for 42 days. So, although the current demand is 29,000 units per day, which equates to 10.5 million per year, the surplus that appears to exist is not a real surplus at all, as it will spoil.
For example, after the September 11 attacks, Americans donated an additional 500,000 units over the next month. But only 260 units were needed to treat victims of the attack. As a result, 200,000 units were thrown away because they could not be used in time. That is why it is important to donate all the time, and not immediately after a disaster, to ensure that your donation is truly useful.
5. VHS tapes last about 25 years, while CDs and DVDs last less.
If you grew up in the era of video tapes, you already know that these things last a very long time. In fact, many VHS tapes from the medium's heyday are probably on their last legs now if they haven't been properly preserved to preserve them.
VHS tape works because of magnetism, and that magnetism naturally weakens over time. According to Kodak, you can expect noticeable degradation in quality between 10 and 25 years for most tapes, while other sources put it down to 15 to 20 years. This short lifespan is partly responsible for, and continues to drive, the drive to digitize media. For years, there has been a big boom in putting old media on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray.
Digital media also has a lifespan, and the type you choose really determines whether it will outlive you. Some cheap dual-layer DVD+ discs last 5 to 10 years, making them virtually pointless to use. However, a CD-R made with phthalocyanine dye and that metallic gold layer can last over 100 years.
4. Honey has an unlimited shelf life.
Guns N' Roses once said that nothing lasts forever, and while that's empirically true for a cold November rain, it's not true for honey. It's one of the few edibles that doesn't have an expiration date and can potentially remain useful indefinitely.
Honey has a natural pH level of 3 to 4.5. Because it is acidic by nature, bacteria cannot take hold because it will simply die. If left uncovered, honey will eventually spoil. It is hygroscopic and absorbs water from the air. But sealed and bacteria-resistant, it can last not just years, but thousands of years. Honey found in jars in Egyptian tombs was still edible.
3. The shelf life of beer is 6 months
Alcohols like wine and whiskey are known to improve with age. The sugars and alcohol in wine can change over time, significantly altering the flavor profile. Spirits like whiskey change as they absorb the flavors of the wooden barrels they are stored in. So what happens to beer?
The compounds in beer don't react to aging the same way wine and whiskey do. If stored properly, away from heat and light that can destroy it, your beer should last four to six months. Refrigerated, it can last a couple more months.
2. Bottled water has an expiration date.
In 2021, 15.3 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the U.S. So it’s safe to say that people really like bottled water, and some other people probably got rich off the idea. But that’s neither here nor there.
Given how popular it is, it’s safe to assume that most of us drink it occasionally, or are at least familiar with it. So, have you ever noticed the expiration date on your water bottle? Everyone has one these days, and it can be a little confusing.
Single-use plastic water bottles have a shelf life of two years. Water expiration dates are not regulated by the USDA or FDA, but manufacturers put the date on the plastic bottle, not the water in it. This is because chemicals in the plastic can begin to leach into the water after that point.
If you store bottled water in a cool, dark, dry place, chances are it will outlast the two-year mark, perhaps even a very long time. And if you store water in containers where chemicals aren't an issue, water can last indefinitely, too.
1. The cake will keep for about a year if stored properly.
Few things are more divisive around the holidays than fruitcake. In recent years, it has become a punching bag on social media, with people proudly proclaiming how much they hate it or how they've had it in their cupboard since Christmas 1986. And while there's comedy to be had from the concept of a 40-year-old fruitcake that's as hard as a rock, it's technically no longer a "good" fruitcake.
While a properly canned cake made with alcohol as a preservative may last for a while, you probably won't want it after a year, and that's in the freezer. The USDA recommends one month in the pantry and six months in the refrigerator, and that's it.
Sure, people have found cupcakes that are over 100 years old. Now, 143 years seems like the oldest on record. But you can keep anything for 143 years, that doesn't mean you should eat it.
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