/oss/taxonomy/term/497/all en /oss/article/history-did-you-know-general-science/its-hermetically-sealed <p>According to Greek mythology, Hermes moved freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine and it was his job to conduct souls into the afterlife. He was quick and cunning, often outwitting other gods for his own satisfaction or for the sake of humankind.</p> Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:43:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10326 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/rhinoceros-horn-ginseng-or-spanish-fly-boost-romance-hardly <p>Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and passion, these substances are meant to specifically stimulate the libido and represent the Holy Grail for people who in some way feel unfulfilled.</p> Wed, 05 Feb 2025 21:42:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10246 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/how-celluloid-produced-great-billiard-balls-fire <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article706869.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>I have a set of billiard balls sitting on my desk in a box with a partially torn label on which the words “Hyatt” and “Billiard Ball Company” are clearly visible. That makes these balls, purchased years ago in Warrensburg, N.Y., at what is reputed to be the largest garage sale in the world, a historic item. However, I wasn’t sure exactly how historic. And that started me on an interesting exploratory journey.</p> Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:25:04 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10242 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know-general-science/male-musk-deer-owes-gratitude-chemistry <p>Arab perfumers in the sixth century were the first to discover that diluting the obnoxious smelling dried contents of the little pod found near the anus of the male Asian musk deer not only resulted in a pleasant odour, but when added to perfumes allowed the scent to linger longer. Musk was even incorporated into the mortar of important buildings so that it would waft a pleasant smell into the air. There was even a belief that the aroma had aphrodisiac qualities and would therefore enhance the pleasure of activities that might be engaged in.</p> Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:01:17 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10239 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history-did-you-know/vitamins-are-vital-life <p>The term “food accessory factor” was coined by British biochemist Frederick Gowland Hopkins in 1906 after he demonstrated that rats fed a diet of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals failed to grow. Although these substances were known to be the major components of the food supply, they were not sufficient to maintain health. Something was missing. When Hopkins supplemented the diet with minute amounts of milk, the rats thrived. There was something in the milk in addition to the usual nutrients, some “food accessory factor” that was necessary for growth. </p> Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10233 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know/bubbling-new-year <p>So, you celebrated the new year with a glass of the bubbly. But was it the right kind of glass? A little background first. Champagne is produced mainly from black grapes in the Champagne region of France. From the moment the Pinot noir grapes are pressed in the vineyard, where almost fanatical care is taken to ensure that not even a trace of black skin ends up in the white juice, to the moment the cork pops, champagne receives more care and attention than any other wine in the world.</p> Tue, 31 Dec 2024 20:54:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10216 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know/santa-and-his-high-flying-reindeer <p>Let’s talk about flying reindeer. And to start, let’s travel to the snow covered fields of Lapland and Siberia, where the legend of Santa Claus may have originated. Hundreds of years ago the inhabitants of these barren lands tried to domesticate reindeer. But herding these animals was not a simple task, at least not until the herders found a most unusual ally in the form of a little red and white mushroom. Reindeer, it seems, just loved <i>Amanita muscaria</i>, or Fly Agaric, as it is better known.</p> Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:07:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10212 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history-did-you-know/peanut-butters-history-goes-back-incas <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article561786.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Slap a tariff on peanuts!</p> <p>That was the decision arrived at by the U.S. Congress in 1921 after hearing testimony about how American peanut farmers were being undercut by imported peanuts from China. The witness was George Washington Carver, who also expounded on all the uses to which peanuts could be put.</p> Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:04:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10209 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know-general-science/it-all-comes-out-wash <p>Unless you are in the habit of reading the ingredients list on your laundry detergent, you are not likely to be familiar with sodium carbonate. Yet this industrial chemical of great importance has a fascinating history. So important that in 1775 the French Academy of Sciences offered a prize to anyone who could develop an efficient process for producing this substance, commonly known as “soda.” </p> Wed, 11 Dec 2024 22:11:46 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10195 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history-did-you-know/murder-most-foul <p>One of my favorite detective stories is Agatha Christie's "The Crooked House." The plot revolves around an elderly tycoon who requires daily insulin shots. He also suffers from glaucoma for which he has been prescribed eyedrops. Everything is fine until someone in the "Crooked House" switches the eyedrops with the insulin. Murder most foul!</p> Thu, 05 Dec 2024 18:25:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10189 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-history/fluoride-controversy <p>The nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services is a travesty. His ideas about vaccination, raw milk, hyperbaric oxygen, HIV, Wi-Fi and COVID fly in the face of evidence-based science. But once in a while, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn, so not all of Kennedy’s ideas are outrageous. The American diet with its plethora of highly processed foods needs change, the pricing of drugs and some of the advertising antics of pharmaceutical companies need to be addressed.</p> Wed, 27 Nov 2024 19:31:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10180 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history/wolfsbane-has-long-dark-history <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-wolfsbane-has-a-long-dark-history">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has nerve and he has knowledge. Palmer and Pritchard were among the heads of their profession.”</p> Fri, 22 Nov 2024 22:29:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10175 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history-did-you-know/bite-science-venoms <p>You are likely aware of the large number of drugs that have been developed from chemicals found in plants, including aspirin from willow bark, atropine from deadly nightshade, and both morphine and codeine from the opium poppy. Indeed, more than a hundred-twenty, or over one-quarter of all drugs that currently exist, are derived from plants, although many of these have been chemically modified from their original form so as to improve potency and/or reduce unwanted side effects.</p> Fri, 22 Nov 2024 16:02:03 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 10173 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history-did-you-know/sometimes-luck-serves-springboard-science-0 <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-sometimes-luck-serves-as-a-springboard-for-science">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>It is a lifesaver, stocked in every emergency room! N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is amazingly effective as an antidote to acetaminophen poisoning.</p> Fri, 15 Nov 2024 22:57:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10165 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history-did-you-know/lorenzos-oil-contributed-treatment-devastating-disease <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-lorenzos-oil-raised-awareness-about-a-devastating-disease">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Given that he had trained and practised as a physician before turning to filmmaking, it is no surprise that George Miller was so captivated by the story of Michaela and Augusto Odone’s struggle to save their son from a deadly disease that he decided to turn it into a movie.</p> Fri, 08 Nov 2024 22:05:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10154 at /oss