The National Institute of Standards and Technology may be the most important government agency youve never heard of. <\/p>\n
The NIST is in charge of the atomic clock, standards for cryptography, and something known as the Standard Reference Materials program. <\/p>\n
Thats where the pricey peanut butter comes in. <\/p>\n
Gizmodo notes the product known as \"standard reference material 2387,\" along with more than a thousand other samples, are used to calibrate sensitive scientific equipment around the world. <\/p>\n
More popular and trending stories <\/p>\n
It works like this: A lab somewhere in the globe wants to make sure their instruments are working properly. They buy a reference material, like the peanut butter, and break it down. The readings of those devices are measured against the standards set by NIST. <\/p>\n
The agency constantly checks for the products they provide. 2387 is popular because fatty foods are highly tested. <\/p>\n
Some of the other products in stock includecrude oil from the Deepwater Horizon well, and whale blubber. <\/p>\n
Gizmodo writes: The strangest part of the SRM catalog may be the array of human products: hair, urine, lung powder, liver powder, and a whole lot of serum. The products are also sorted by what they contain: THC, vitamin D, arsenic, etc. <\/p>\n
More here. <\/p>\n
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