Will apples "bleed"?
Recently, a woman in Zhejiang Province, China, was shocked by the little blood-like beads on apple peel after immersing the apple in boiling water.
She immediately took pictures and asked for help on the Internet, causing worries about apples being stained by unscrupulous merchants.
However, this is in fact a normal and an explicable phenomenon!
From the photos posted by the woman, the apple becomes dull in color after being soaked in hot water. There are some red drops of liquid covered on the fruit.
The woman said that she likes to eat the Red Delicious, a type of apple cultivated in the US. She put the apple into the hot water since she was waked by hunger in the cold weather.
"The apple becomes.... just after lunchtime", she wrote. "Right after those beads were cleaned, more come out... and comparing to those unsoaked ones, it looks a lot lighter. Can anybody explain this for me ?"
It aroused heated discussions among netizens. Some suspected that the merchant had waxed the apples. Some joked, "The apple was killed by you. She was bleeding..."
The local media has consulted the experts and they said the phenomenon was normal. They explained anthocyanins in apple peels will be degraded at high temperatures and since the anthocyanin is a natural pigment, it will seep out red water.
Anthocyanins are antioxidants that fight off free radicals and reduce body damages. The media also pointed out that southern people in the country seldom cook apples, so they are astonished about this while people who live in the north are not surprised at all.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Brent Venables' version of the Oklahoma Sooners is very different than the ones that previously reached the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma reached the playoff four times in the 2010s — once under Bob Stoops and three times under Lincoln Riley. Those squads were known for their high-scoring offenses and relatively leaky defenses, with the best example being a 54-48 loss to Georgia in a national semifinal after the 2017 season.
Times have changed. The eighth-ranked Sooners (10-2) feature a rugged, aggressive defense that leads the nation in tackles for loss (9.6 per game) and is tied for the nation’s lead in sacks (3.42) heading into next Friday’s first-round home game against No. 11 Alabama (10-3).
Venables, who led Oklahoma and Clemson to national titles as a defensive coordinator, took over defensive play calling duties this season after the Sooners went 6-7 last year in his third season. Now, he has gone from the hot seat to the playoff.
“I didn’t want anybody else to have to show up every day and carry that burden,” Venables said. “I wanted to carry it. It’s my responsibility. And that’s, again, something that I’ve cut my teeth on. It’s why I was hired. And so I had confidence in our roster and confidence in our staff to play at the level that we’re playing at.”
Oklahoma ranks fifth nationally in rushing defense (81.4 yards per game), seventh in scoring defense (13.7 points per game) and ninth in total defense (273.6 yards per game). The Sooners have allowed a combined 67 points in wins over Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU.
Defensive end R Mason Thomas was named second-team All-Conference despite missing the past three games. He injured his hamstring while running a fumble back 71 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee. He paces the team with 6.5 sacks.
Defensive tackle Gracen Halton and linebacker Owen Heinecke also were named to the second team. Defensive back Courtland Guillory was named to the coaches' SEC All-Freshman Team. Defensive lineman Taylor Wein leads the way with 14 tackles for loss and Heinecke is second with 10.
Linebacker Kip Lewis tops the team with 72 tackles, followed by Heinecke and safety Robert Spears-Jennings. Kendal Daniels, the versatile transfer from Oklahoma State, is fourth on the team in tackles. Brothers Peyton and Eli Bowen lead the team with two interceptions each.
Venables said the heroes have been many on a mature, disciplined team that has often kept the Sooners in games without complaint.
“I think the credit goes to the players,” Venables said. “Just their determination, their toughness, their ability to adapt and adjust, their strain, their physicality, their precision — that’s where it starts.”
Venables said his coaching staff agrees on most things and works well together, making adjustments relatively easy.
“We all kind of get back to the same answers,” he said. “We’re not in five or six different places. We’ve got a really good staff that works well together cohesively in a very short amount of time and come up with a few small, minor adjustments. But at the end of the day, the players are the ones that are out there making whatever scheme we have really good.”
Alabama's defense wasn't at its best during a 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide can't afford to struggle again, given Oklahoma's consistency on defense. It may not take many points to put Oklahoma over the top.
“It’s going to be a physical game," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "It’s going to be be hard fought. I know it’s going to be an awesome environment, especially on a Friday night to kick off the playoffs.”
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables celebrates with linebacker Kip Lewis (10) after defeating LSU during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
