Worried about sneaky friends stealing all your beer? Put your brews—along with any other food you don’t want pillaged—in the last place anyone would think to look: a Marshall amp, or rather, a convincing mini-fridge that look like one. Real logos, fret cloth, and a brass-finished faceplate help sell the illusion that there is definitely nothing delicious hiding inside. Even the knobs on the front aren’t just for show—they can be used to control the temperature. Musicians will love having the 32-inch pseudo-amp, which also comes with a .4 cubic foot freezer for frozen goods. Now, they can crank up the cold and enjoy some drinks while they play. (And yes, the knobs go up to 11.)

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

Americans consume nearly 9.5 pounds of chocolate per capita annually, with December being one of the busiest seasons for chocolatiers. The sweet treat is made from the fruit of the cacao tree, native to Central and South America, although it’s now grown in regions all around the equator. When the fruit is harvested, the sweet, pulpy flesh is scooped out and fermented before the seeds are separated and dried. These seeds are the cacao beans, which are roasted (usually), ground, and processed into chocolate.

According to Michael and Sophie Coe’s book The True History of Chocolate, for most of its history chocolate was a drink. The Maya were the first to grow cacao millennia ago, drinking it hot or cold and blended with flavors such as honey, chili, or vanilla. Chocolate came to Europe in the 16th century, where it became wildly popular in part because it was the first caffeinated beverage introduced to the continent, predating tea and coffee. The first chocolate bars didn’t come around until the 19th century, when, as Deborah Cadbury writes in her book Chocolate Wars, chocolate makers in Europe devised the process of blending ground cacao beans with extra cocoa butter (the fat present in the beans), as well as sugar, dairy, and other ingredients.

The process of making high-quality chocolate continues to be innovated today. Mental_floss spoke with Rhonda Kave of Roni-Sue’s Chocolates, Peter Gray of Raaka Chocolate, and Andrew Black of MAST Chocolate—three New York-based bean-to-bar chocolate makers—for their insights into this ancient confection.

1. KNOWING WHERE CACAO BEANS COME FROM IS IMPORTANT.

Most mass-produced chocolate is made from what’s known as “commodity” cacao. Kave moved away from commodity cacao because she felt there wasn’t enough transparency in how the chocolate was sourced—much commodity cacao is grown on the Ivory Coast, where child labor is used. Gray feels similarly: “Bean-to-bar brings a lot of focus on to sourcing. You’re finding out where it comes from and letting the consumer know what they’re getting. For us, the most important step is sourcing.”

2. CACAO FROM DIFFERENT PLACES TASTES DIFFERENTLY—LIKE WINE.

Whereas commodity chocolate is made from beans from multiple regions that are blended to create a consistent product, being bean-to-bar—which means a company starts with unroasted cacao beans and oversees the process through to finished chocolate—entails embracing the variations in single-origin cacao beans. Not only do beans grown in different areas taste differently, but cacao harvests from the same farm can taste different during different seasons. Terroir, or the qualities of the place where chocolate is grown, can affect acidity, fat content, aromatics, and more.

“Where the region is, what grows around it, the nutrients in the soil … that all determines what the cacao tastes like,” Black explains. For example, he says the cacao that MAST sources from Madagascar tends to be really fruity and acidic, with a taste like fresh berries, while their beans from Tanzania are more earthy, toasty, and nutty, and have a higher fat content.

3. THERE WERE THREE MAJOR VARIETIES OF CACAO—BUT THAT’S CHANGING.

Generally speaking, there are only three varieties of cacao—criollo, forastero, and trinitario. (Most of the world’s production is made from forastero.)

“But that’s kinda all blown up with genetic profiling,” Kave says, pointing to the work being done by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund. “What they’re doing is going out into the field in all the various cacao-growing regions of the world, getting samples of cacao people find pleasing, or have an interesting flavor, and then genotyping the trees.” The group hopes to understand each tree, so they can breed for certain qualities, or blend the chocolate in different ways. “There are a lot of different varieties of cacao now; much more subvarieties than previously thought. … It’s kinda a cool time to be interested in cacao.”

4. TWO BARS LABELED WITH THE SAME PERCENTAGE WON’T TASTE THE SAME.

When a bar says it’s 60% or 80%, the percentage refers to the amount of cacao solids in the bar. In general, a bar with a higher percentage is more chocolatey, but can also be more bitter. But two bars with the same percentage won’t taste the same: Not only do beans from different areas taste unique, but the remaining percentage can be made up of any combination of sugar, dairy, emulsifiers, and other ingredients. Kave mentioned a 60% from Brazil that uses goat’s milk and tastes vastly different from any other 60% bar on the market.

5. INSPIRATION COMES FROM INGREDIENTS.

Kave is known for the bold flavors of her truffles, which include pomegranate, sour cherry, key lime pie, pear-walnut-gorgonzola, pickle, and many more. Kave says, “I love to go to different markets and different shops, like Kalustyan’s on Lexington Avenue.” Kalustyan’s is known to New Yorkers as an ingredients-focused store with an enormous spice selection, a huge offering of exotic imported foods, and even fresh produce like hatch chilies and makrut limes. “I can go in there and go ‘what the hell is this? I need to learn how to make something from this.’”

Raaka offers pink sea salt, ghost pepper, and smoked chai tea chocolate bars. Their motto is “Be as innovative as possible.” They’ve started a club called “First Nibs.” Every month, subscribers get two flavors that “are a little wild and experimental,” according to Gray—like porcini mushroom or pine needles.

MAST, meanwhile, has a six-bar herb collection (with flavors like bay laurel, lemongrass, and sage) that Black says is inspired by springtime trips to the greenmarket, as well as a “fruity, savory” olive oil bar. But Black notes that adding flavors to chocolate can be tricky, since cacao has a strong taste on its own: “Sometimes you’ll add a flavor in there that you think may work well, but you can’t even taste it because the chocolate is too overpowering.”

6. STORE YOUR CHOCOLATE DRY—IF YOU’RE STORING IT AT ALL.

“You should always store your chocolate at room temperature,” Black notes. If you put it in the fridge, condensation can develop, and “water is the enemy of chocolate.”

Gray agrees. “It’s good to store between 55-70 degrees. But I’m always baffled by people who don’t eat it within a couple days … at the most.”

7. YOU SHOULD EAT CHOCOLATE BECAUSE IT’S BIGGER THAN YOU.

Gray feels an almost spiritual connection with chocolate. “It’s something that’s been consumed for 3000 years. The consumption of chocolate has outlasted most cultures and societies and empires. It’s bigger than me. It’s rare that there’s something that’s good for your body, mind, and soul—and I think chocolate is that.”

Kave feels that “Craft chocolate makers now are doing really exciting and innovative work, and I love to see that … It’s almost like a rediscovery.”

8. EVEN YOU CAN LEARN TO MAKE CHOCOLATE.

Roni-Sue’s, Raaka, and MAST all offer opportunities to learn about chocolate-making. Kave always starts her classes off with a chocolate tasting, while MAST offers tours that include tempering and wrapping your own chocolate. Raaka, meanwhile, will be launching classes on bean-to-bar chocolate-making in January 2017. Both Roni-Sue’s and Raaka also offer occasional chocolate-focused trips to cacao-growing regions; visit their websites for details.

With additional reporting by Bess Lovejoy.

All photos via iStock.

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Humans have a wide spectrum of reactions when it comes to light sources. If you’ve ever wondered how changes in color, intensity, or exposure can affect you, take a look at these 9 illuminating facts about the human body and its fascinating responses to light.

1. A TYPE OF SKIN CANCER CAN BE SENT PACKING.

Actinic (also known as solar) keratoses are bumpy, precancerous lesions that develop as a result of sun exposure, and approximately 10 percent of these growths can become squamous cell carcinoma if left untreated. To prevent that from happening, dermatologists look to blue light therapy. When the lesions are treated with a photosensitive chemical and exposed to the wavelength, oxygen radicals are created that destroy problematic precancerous and cancerous cells.

2. LIGHT CAN WAKE US UP.

Exposure to blue light can also help us feel more alert, according to one 2006 study. Study participants were divided into two groups, exposed to either blue or green light, and then asked to rate their energy levels. The subjects shown blue light described themselves as feeling more awake, and demonstrated quicker reaction times and longer attention spans than those exposed to green light.

3. IT CAN ALSO COMBAT SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER.

When the human eye is exposed to a bright light, cells in the retina connected to the hypothalamus region of the brain (which controls circadian rhythm) are stimulated. For people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), those rhythms can become disrupted once the days get shorter and there’s less sunlight to take advantage of. Artificial light exposure can help restore the balance, offering relief to people who experience symptoms of depression as a result of that disruption.

4. LIGHT MIGHT BOOST MEMORY.

Some exciting research is being done investigating how light-sensitive cells called ipRGCs and the melanopsin protein within can influence how our brains process information. In one study, subjects were shown blue, orange, or green light while they performed a memory assignment, then were asked to sit in the dark. After that, they did the memory test again, this time in green light. Those who viewed orange light first had more activity in their brains’ prefrontal regions—that’s the area associated with problem solving and complex thought processes—than the groups exposed to other colors.

5. TASK FOCUS GROWS SHARPER.

You might be surprised at how an increase in lumens (the measurement of light intensity) can affect your accuracy when it comes to focusing on tasks and fine motor control. One study indicated that pharmacists who used a light source with at least 1500 lux (measuring light concentration spread over a specific area) had an error rate of only 2.6 percent compared to the 450 lux group’s rate of 3.8 percent.

6. LIGHT EXPOSURE COULD BE A PAIN RELIEVER.

A 2005 study that compared hospital patients with varying exposures to sunlight found that those who received 46 percent more of the sun’s rays than those who were stationed away from hospital windows needed 22 percent less pain medication on an hourly basis than those who didn’t have as much access to light.

7. WE PROCESS MORE VITAMIN D.

While sunlight is a common source for this valuable vitamin, our bodies may be able to metabolize it with help from exposure to artificial light containing UV radiation as well. The finding may be beneficial to shift workers or those who have only limited access to sunlight.

8. RED LIGHT CAN HELP US SLEEP.

Warmer lighting, as opposed to blue light, tends to be less effective at suppressing melatonin production, which allows us to settle into a more routine sleep/wake cycle. Ensuring your night lights are dim, red bulbs could improve your rest.

9. WE EVEN REACT TO LIGHT THAT ISN’T THERE.

In 2012, scientists discovered a peculiar quirk of our pupils: They’ll constrict when presented with graphic designs that give off the appearance of having a bright center, even when no actual light is being transmitted into the eye. The illusory perception may be part of our bodies’ efforts to protect us from exceptionally bright light sources. Whatever the reason, it’s clear we have a relationship with light that continues to be surprising.

From what we’re feeling to the details we notice, light can transform the everyday into something extraordinary. Click here to see how GE’s reveal lightbulb—and its clean beautiful light—can transform every room in your home.

Though it has been sitting atop the box office since its release last week, Rogue One—the latest installment in the Star Wars saga—has been repeatedly criticized for one glaring omission: the iconic opening crawl that has been a hallmark of the franchise since A New Hope first hit theaters nearly 40 years ago. So one enterprising fan decided to right this wrong.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles-based writer Andrew Shackley spent about an hour creating the opening crawl he would have liked to see kick off Rogue One, first writing the text then dropping it into the Star Wars Intro Creator, and posting the final product to Reddit, where it found some instant traction.

“When I was formulating the crawl, I needed it to do two things,” Shackley told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was important for it to conform to the pulpy style and language of the series, and it needed to contextualize the action we were about to see … If any film in the new Star Wars canon needed a crawl just to let people know where we are in time in this universe, it was Rogue One. At the very least, I feel these words give added weight to the opening prologue of the film.”

Check it out for yourself below.

[h/t: The Hollywood Reporter]

Birds are magic, you guys. They may not have mammals’ sweet mammaries or fishes’ shiny scales, but birds still clean up when it comes to hidden talents and clever life hacks. There are pigeons that can read mammograms and crows that use bait to catch fish. Some birds set fires to trap their prey. Some build little patios outside their nests. Others divorce their parents and go find new ones.

Not sold yet? Check out the video above from the mental_floss List Show for even more avian awesomeness.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen was a smasher of stained-glass ceilings. From traumatic beginnings, she fought and flourished, becoming one of the most accomplished and enduring authors, artists, healers, composers, and visionaries of the Middle Ages.

THE TITHE

Hildegard was born in 1098 to noble parents in West Franconia, now part of Germany. At the age of three, she is said to have experienced her first vision of dazzling, divine light. A strange and sickly child, within a few years her parents had passed her off to the church. After all, devout Christians were obligated to tithe, or give the church one-tenth of all they owned—and Hildegard, by many accounts, was their tenth child.

By the time Hildegard was eight, her parents had delivered her to the monastery at Disibodenberg. There, she was assigned to serve a young noblewoman named Jutta von Sponheim. Jutta was not content simply to pray; she wanted to be literally buried in religion. She dressed herself in rags, moved into a tiny cell, and brought Hildegard with her. Then she told the monks to wall them in. Jutta had sealed herself, and her charge, within a living tomb, becoming what was known as an anchoress. For the next three decades, the two would receive all of their food, water, and contact with the outside world through a small window.

THE SCRIBE

As Jutta’s behavior became more and more fanatical, Hildegard prayed harder and studied more. She learned to read and write, and a sympathetic monk brought her books on botany and medicine and pushed them through the cell’s small window. Hildegard devoured them. Jutta continued to deteriorate and undertook long fasts that left her weakened. More noble families delivered their daughters to the cell inside the wall; like Hildegard’s parents, they considered it a duty to donate their daughters—along with substantial sums of money—to the church. Left with no alternative, Hildegard took them under her wing.

After Jutta’s death in 1136, Hildegard was named magistra (spiritual teacher) of the growing flock. She continued to read and develop her love of music and words. Then she began to make her own. A voice in a vision instructed her to “tell and write”—and so Hildegard did. She began composing sacred music.

She recorded her visions and the prophecies of her angelic visitors. She described and drew the plants she saw in the monastery courtyard and their medicinal properties. She illustrated religious texts with luminous images from her dreams. And she began to object to the corrupt monks who would imprison children for the sake of the dowries that came with them.

 
As Hildegard’s voice on the page grew stronger, so did the threat she presented to the monks who held her and her charges captive. Word of her healing and prophetic abilities had spread, bringing visitors, ailing supplicants, and devotees. But women weren’t supposed to write or publish books. They weren’t supposed to talk to God, or heal the sick, or write hymns. And they definitely weren’t supposed to criticize the church. On their own, each of these crimes looked bad. Viewed all at once, they looked a lot like heresy.

THE FIREBRAND

Hildegard was not oblivious to the risks of her nonconformity. She knew the best way to protect herself would be to obtain the blessing of higher church authorities, and so in 1147 she wrote to the supportive abbot Bernard of Clairvaux for aid. Clairvaux in turn interceded on her behalf with Pope Eugenius III, who endorsed and encouraged her. Hildegard responded with her thanks—and an exhortation for him to try harder to reform his church.

By this time, Hildegard had become unpopular in the Disibodenberg monastery. And the place became more hostile than ever after her conversation with the Pope. So when a holy voice told her to take her charges and escape to a ruined monastery near Bingen, she did not argue. Monastery leaders attempted to stop her, but Hildegard fell suddenly and violently ill—a sign, some said, that God was angry the monks had interfered. Hildegard recovered and told her flock to prepare for their journey.

THE ABBESS

The magistra and her new religious order reached their new home at Bingen around 1150. A new vision inspired Hildegard to dress her brides of heaven not in Jutta’s self-congratulatory rags, but in fine cloth and tiaras.

Over the next two decades, she would tour the country to preach. She would publish treatises on the natural world, including plants, animals, and stones. She would write a handbook of diseases and their cures. She would invent languages and words and imaginary lands. All this her detractors begrudgingly allowed.

But the final straw came in 1178 when Hildegard and her nuns respectfully and knowingly buried a man who had been excommunicated from the church before his death. The convent was stripped of its rights. There could be no Mass, no sacraments, and no music.

Hildegard fought and argued and pled. Finally, in March of 1179, the interdict was lifted.

THE LEGEND

Her legacy secure, Hildegard could, at last, rest. She died in September 1179 at the age of 81, leaving behind a wealth of sacred music, writings, and teachings that are still widely read and enjoyed today. Her work has enjoyed particular popularity since the late 20th century, when her mysticism and the feminist elements of her life and work gained new attention in part from a burgeoning New Age movement.

She was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, who called her “perennially relevant” and “an authentic teacher of theology and a profound scholar.”