A fist bump might not be as professional as a handshake, but at least it’s cleaner. Biologists at Wales’ Aberystwyth University coated rubber gloves with nonpathogenic E. coli, then exchanged greetings with sterile-gloved researchers. They found that fist bumps transferred only about one-tenth of the amount of bacteria as handshakes did. Even high-fives were half as germy as a more traditional clasp. So the next time someone offers you a hand, just say, “Pound it.”
