Well, normally I would avoid writing about non open access papers here since I like to write about papers all readers can have access to. But I am making an exception here for the entertainment value of the matter. The paper is: Bacterial transfer to beverages during drinking games: ‘beer pong’ – International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health – Volume 5, Number 2/2015
First they surveyed bacteria on ping pong balls and then they studied the transfer of bacteria from such ping pong balls to beer, if they were immersed in the beer. Apparently, the microbes indeed could transfer to the beer. I am guessing this was a student project – meant to be a bit tongue in cheek and to have some fun. And that is how I will view it. There are plenty of projects on microbes in our environment which can be educational, informatics, and fun. Though I do wish they also looked at some other college games with microbiomes angle … but maybe those are on their way.