Is it real gold? Bite it and see

It’s not a chocolate coin wrapped in gold foil. Olympic medals are composed of various metals, so why do athletes bite them?

There are a few reasons, these days the main reason is that it’s a pose photographers really, really like to capture.

“It’s become an obsession with the photographers,” said David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians.

“I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don’t think it’s something the athletes would probably do on their own,” he added

Biting down on a hunk of metal is more likely something someone might have done during the Gold Rush to test whether the shiny golden rock they just panned for was actually pyrite or fool’s gold.

Human teeth are harder than gold but softer than pyrite, according to the Mohs Hardness Scale, which categorizes how easily minerals scratch. Giving you a good indication of whether or not you are biting down on real gold or not.

The practice also once served to see whether coins were solid gold or just gold-plated over a cheaper metal.