Death by.... Chili Pepper?

Back in 1912, pharmacist Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville heat scale to measure a pepper’s hotness. For instance, your basic bell pepper has 0 Scoville Heat Units, while a jalapeno pepper can have 50,000! Show your students this infographic that breaks down where all peppers fall on the Scoville Scale.

For a laugh: This viral video of a boys’ choir in Denmark singing “O Come All Ye Faithful” after popping a mega-hot ghost pepper will show your students the wild physical effects of heat! (The action kicks in around 1:30.)

If your students ever eat a pepper that’s too hot, tell them not to drink water. Instead, go for milk, or even ice cream--those contain a protein that breaks down the spice-producing capsaicin in the pepper.