We’ve all been there. The endless licks that lead to zero results. A Tootsie Roll Pop. For almost 20 years, people have been tortured by one simple question: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Even the wise, old Mr. Owl couldn’t figure it out. Eventually it was just accepted that “the world may never know.”

Now, when almost all hope was lost, an answer has been found. Researchers from New York University and Florida State University have developed a theory to answer the impossible question. It has been concluded that for a regular lollipop it takes around 1,000 licks to get to the center, but to get the the Tootsie Roll center it takes around 2,500.

The reason it has been so difficult for Tootsie Pop lovers to answer the age-old question is because the Tootsie Roll hidden in the center is just too tempting, and resisting the urge to chomp down into the delicious treat is nearly impossible.

“I don’t even know why I tried to figure out how many licks it would take,” freshman Jaxson Allen said. “I thought it was going to take like 1,000 licks, but I couldn’t even count all the way to the center. It got really boring.”

Now all questions have been put to rest. The great scientists of the world have conquered our greatest wonders. Even Mr. Owl is surprised.