In 1974, explorers recovered canned goods from the wreck of the Bertrand, a steamboat that sank in 1865; analysis of the canned goods revealed that despite the deterioration in appearance and nutritional content, there was no microbial growth and the food was safe to eat.

Customer service representatives at DNA companies like 23andMe are given special training to help informally counsel customers who call upset over DNA results that reveal surprising things about them and their family (like that one or more of their parents is not their biological parent).