In a case that gives ammunition to those who contend that homework is hazardous to health, a New York University senior bit into a razor-filled muffin left on a classroom table last week, according to university officials.

The student was not injured.The muffin was baked for a philosophy course. According to a spokesman for the university, John Beckham, a student brought in the booby-trapped confection along with several normal muffins as part of a project on absurdism, a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless. The professor, Heidi White, forgot to throw them out afterward, Mr. Beckman said.

At a later class held in the same room, student Benjamin Jarosch and others began to eat the treats, unaware of the danger.

“A friend of mine, another student, picked them up and said, ‘Hey, there’s free muffins,’ and being college students, we never turn down free food,” Mr. Jarosch said yesterday in an interview. “The muffin I happened to grab had razor blades in it.” [NY Sun]