Mankind found a way to send humans to the moon. Mankind turned 1's and 0's into a world wide web. Mankind discovered a vaccination to eradicate smallpox. And yet, for all the innumerable, incredible achievements of mankind, we have not successfully made crispy bacon in the microwave.

It’s responsible for one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies ever, but even I know not to put aluminum foul in the microwave. (For more reasons why not, physicist Dave McCowan explains in a recent Takeout Food Science article.)

When I told my mom I hadn’t purchased a microwave for the house I moved into a year ago, she balked, then offered to send me money to buy a microwave. Thoughtful coworkers have also volunteered to spearhead crowdfunding campaigns.

At a young age, we learned the golden rule of America’s favorite convenience appliance: never put metal in the microwave. But why? What would happen? Will it really burn the whole house down like Mom says?