Today you'll find Pop Rocks in the candy aisle, and you might even see it as a garnish on your favorite drink, as it's one of the unique ways experts garnish non-alcoholic drinks.

Pop Rocks—General Foods' famously carbonated candy—flew off shelves in the 1970s, but rumors of exploding children brought the food fad to an untimely end.

But when it happens to Pop Rocks, you know you’re getting what you paid for. So what exactly is it about the candy that makes it just as much of a science experiment as a sweet snack? The answer ...