Don’t It Make My Brown M&Ms Blue

Those who scorn blue M&Ms should think twice. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected the food dye Brilliant Blue G—the same coloring that makes blue M&Ms blue—into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rodents regained their ability to walk. Yes, they had a limp. And yes, they temporarily turned blue. But that’s much better results and an infintely cooler side effect than you get from most drugs. Don’t be surprised if Mars raises the quota of blue M&Ms from its current 10% of a bag and launches a new ad campaign: “I’d walk a mile for M&Ms. Or will after I eat enough of them.”