It’s in our nature to want to see reactions and maybe even explosions. Whether as a hobby or just a fascination, homemade physics experiments are a fun way to test out our surroundings. In a recent experiment, a rather new use for tape was discovered.

According to The New York Times, researchers at UCLA have actually produced legitimate X-rays using nothing but Scotch tape.

By simply unpeeling Scotch tape you actually unleash flows of electrons with massive amounts of energy.

The researchers determined that these electric currents were bursting with nearly 300,000 X-ray photons.

These homemade X-rays are bright enough to actually X-ray a human finger. As the cost of tape is $3 per roll, next time you see a doctor’s bill you can give doc an earful.

Though the process is simple, it cannot be conducted just anywhere. Air, likely moisture, causes the X-rays to fail, so the tape must be unrolled inside a vacuum.

The scientists used a 3M clear adhesive standard tape. They also tried duct tape, but the attempts failed.

Clearly excited about discovering Scotch tape’s hidden secret, the scientists speculated on possible benefits citing medical, mechanical, and even fusion power as examples of feasible uses.

Such a strong electron burst could be used in the medical world in trying to zap tumors, explained the scientists.

Airplanes using materials that don’t readily show weakness before breaking could be tested using the new Scotch tape methods.

Even fusion power possibilities, which I won’t pretend to understand enough to explain, have come from this simple experiment.

Having the success that the researchers did, I was inspired to try my own homemade science experiment.

I wanted to see if the Mentos in Diet Coke theory worked and if so, if it could propel a small remote-control style car. For those of you who are not familiar with the Mentos and Coke premise, I’ll outline it.

Materials needed are a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke and a pack of mint-flavored Mentos. Regular Coke works as well as diet; it’s just stickier for clean up. Only use mint Mentos because the flavored ones have a coating that renders them ineffective.

Once you’ve collected these materials, drop as many of the mints you can into the soda.

Backing away quickly would be a good idea, as the reaction is actually quite extreme. As they react, a large fountain of launched liquid shoots sometimes up to 20 feet into the air.

In my experiment, I taped the Diet Coke to the top of an old yellow Lamborghini remote-control car that I had. I used a test tube to deposit the whole pack of Mentos as fast as possible.

Though I’m glad none of you could see the first trial, I will tell you that I needed an immediate shower after the event. As I put the car down, the soda was already spraying. The car was too light to keep it from twisting into the air, which is what brought on my soaking.

Even though my car idea crashed and burned, it was still a good time and I encourage you to try out some experiments of your own. If Scotch tape can give us real bone X-rays, imagine the amount of possibilities.

Modern myths get started every day; next time you’re looking for something to do, be a myth-buster yourself. Just by fooling around, the next household discovery could be yours.