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Why Rice Krispies Go Snap, Crackle, Pop

'So why DO Rice Krispies sing out "snap, crackle, pop" when you pour milk on them? Using all the tools and inventiveness of science, a food scientist from the University of Minnesota has figured it out.

Credit the high temperatures used to make the cereal. During cooking, exceptionally strong bonds are formed that hold the rice's starch molecules together. It's during this cooking process that each piece of rice expands and a network of air-filled caves and tunnels form inside, Labuza told LiveScience.com writer Corey Binns.

Pour on the milk and as it flows into the crispy kernel, the milk puts pressure on the air inside those caves and tunnels and pushes the air around. The air just keeps moving around against the walls of each of those little pockets until they finally shatter like glass at which point they emit the familiar snap, crackle and pop.

Look closely and you can also see tiny air bubbles escaping to the surface. Once the milk is fully absorbed into the rice kernels and the air pockets have all burst, your cereal will get very quiet. And soggy.'