I Didn’t Know That. . .

Q: How can an ant or other insect survive in a microwave oven?

A: The short, highly simplified answer is that there are “hot” and “cold” spots in the oven. That is why it is necessary to turn the food at least once during cooking and why many microwaves have a rotating turntable. If an ant stays in one of the cold zones, it will survive fine.

More precisely, according to Mark Welsh, vice president of marketing at Amana Corp., the microwave radiation bounces off the walls to form what scientists call standing waves. As a result, there are regions of high energy density and low energy density. If the ant stays in a region of low energy density, it can survive. Better microwave ovens have devices to prevent standing waves from forming so that food cooks more evenly; in such an oven, the ant’s chance of survival would be much lower.