I don't know how much of this story is a legend or not but this is how a scientific (Claude Lorius) for the idea of collecting data from the air bubbles trapped in the arctic ice. (This data is now the base of climate science)

After a day of drilling on the arctic, as they were releasing in the evening they decided to use ice cubes from the ice they just drilled for their whisky. Drinking ice that is several hundred thousands years old is quite cool. While drinking the whisky the scientific noticed the air bubbles coming at the surface, then he got the idea that of he could analyze the air trapped in the ice he would get information about the atmosphere of the past.

A lot of scientists sample the wares. It had to be explicitly banned at my workplace. "Organoleptic testing" was how they put it. There were several incidents, but the one with polyols was extra. (Sugar-free gummi bears will give you the gist of it. Link below) They just get bored and stupid. They'll check the LD50 (if known), then go to town if it's tasty enough.

https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonreviews/comments/11otwx0/the_horror_that_is_haribo_sugarfree_gummi_bears/

Scientists aren't being paid enough, that's how they found out, right?

This conversation would have been with normies.

Other scientists would be like "What type of almond? Also we need peer review!"

Fun fact: the alternative sweetener, aspartame, was also discovered to be sweet when the discoverer licked his finger after lifting the piece of paper contaminated with the substance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame?wprov=sfla1

So there's cyanide in the soil?