/oss/taxonomy/term/236/all en /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/masked-kids-are-alright <p>It is easy to raise the spectre of science to scare people. Talk about a new vaccine technology messing with your DNA and you’ve conjured up instant anxiety. It is an especially potent technique when the target of the sciency boogeyman is a child. Children are frequently at the center of moral panics, from video games to heavy metal music, from alleged Satanic ritual abuse to reactionary views on gender expression.</p> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:56:31 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9039 at /oss /oss/article/history/powder-sympathy <p>Four hundred years ago Belgian physician Johann Baptist Van Helmont was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church for promoting the use of the “Powder of Sympathy” that was supposed to treat wounds by applying it to a dressing that had previously covered the wound. The exact nature of the substance varied, but iron or copper sulfate seem to have been common ingredients. This folly was first proposed by physician and scoundrel Sir Kenelm Digby, but Van Helmont bought into the idea. Somehow the effect of the powder on the bloody dressing was to be communicated to the blood still in the body.</p> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:33:41 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9037 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/what-we-know-about-kids-and-masks <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/christopher-labos-what-we-know-about-kids-and-masks">the Montreal Gazette</a></p> Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:06:13 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8791 at /oss /oss/article/climate-change-contributors/fossil-fuels-greenhouse-gas-and-impact-our-changing-composition-atmosphere <p>British Petroleum [BP] is a giant, global fossil fuel [oil and gas] company. Its 2019 sales were >$282 billion dollars, and with headquarters in London has over 70,000 employees worldwide. It supplies ~3.8 million barrels of oil per day. So it is big.</p> Wed, 10 Mar 2021 15:15:32 +0000 Raymond Johnson PhD, Contributor 8650 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/lets-have-gas <p>Many consumers today are shying away from soft drinks because of legitimate concerns about their sugar or artificial sweetener content. Plain water is the ideal alternative, but a lot of people enjoy the palate tickling action of carbon dioxide bubbles and are looking towards plain carbonated water to satisfy their thirst. This has triggered questions about the safety of this beverage.</p> Fri, 10 Jul 2020 18:38:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8333 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/shaking-champagne-bottle <p>People readily understand that solids can dissolve in a liquid. Salt or sugar dissolve in water and the warmer the water, the faster the rate of dissolution. We learn this in elementary school. But for some reason, the idea that gases can dissolve in water causes more confusion. Indeed, they do dissolve. If oxygen from the air did not dissolve in water, for example, fish could not survive. And if carbon dioxide did not dissolve in water, we wouldn’t have carbonated beverages. Temperature, on the other hand, has a different effect as to how gases and solids dissolve in water.</p> Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8044 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/spaceships-recycle-everything-except-astronauts-poop <p><span>Astronauts inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, just like you and me. On Earth, where exhaled air warmed by our bodies naturally rises away from us, the possibility of inhaling too much carbon dioxide isn’t usually a worry. But for astronauts, </span><a href="https://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Daily_life">it’s a major one</a>. Without the ventilator fans installed in shuttles and stations, carbon dioxide would accumulate around an astronaut.</p> Wed, 30 May 2018 19:37:31 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7121 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/your-allergies-are-getting-worse-because-climate-change <p>If you feel like your recent periods of coughing, sneezing and shaking your fists at the trees for producing so much pollen are getting longer, you’re probably right.</p> Thu, 10 May 2018 17:48:44 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7068 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-quirky-science/letting-fizz-out-fizz-keeper <p>A little pump called the “Fizz Keeper” is available in kitchen supply stores to pressurize previously opened soft drink bottles and prevent loss of carbonation. The idea appears to make sense, but actually, the device does not work. Pumping the bottle can restore the pressure above the solution so the bottle feels hard, just like when it was purchased. But the manufacturers are unaware of Henry’s Law.</p> Sat, 04 Jan 2014 20:28:55 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2060 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-news/high-stakes-challenge-capturing-carbon-dioxide <p>It is clear that no longer can we continue to spew carbon dioxide recklessly into the atmosphere; and it is also clear that eventually we will run out of fossil fuels. So, how about killing two birds with one stone? (Only figuratively, of course.) The challenge consists of capturing the carbon dioxide formed in combustion processes before it is released into the atmosphere — and then finding a way to convert it into useful compounds.</p> Thu, 01 May 2014 00:38:05 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2139 at /oss /oss/article/environment-quirky-science-you-asked/humans-and-animals-exhale-carbon-dioxide-every-breath-why-not-considered-be-problem-far-global <p style="text-align:justify">The carbon dioxide we exhale does not contribute to global warming for the simple reason that we also take up an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide from the air, albeit indirectly. Everything we eat can be traced back to photosynthesis, the process by which plants take up carbon dioxide from the air and use it to produce the vast array of organic compounds needed for life. Our bodies can be regarded as living engines that require fuel and oxygen to produce the energy needed to sustain life. In that sense we are not all that different from a car.</p> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:00:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1918 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-you-asked/how-did-birds-nest-kill-whole-family-who-had-rented-holiday-cottage-england <p>The birds had built their nest in the chimney which blocked the flow of air and resulted in a buildup of carbon monoxide when a fire was lit in the fireplace. Carbon monoxide is produced alongside carbon dioxide any time gasoline, wood, oil or natural gas burns. The amount depends on the availability of oxygen; the more limited the supply, the more carbon dioxide forms. It is an insidious poison because it has no smell or taste but can cause headaches, nausea, breathlessness and even death. Basically it kills by depriving cells of oxygen.</p> Mon, 06 May 2013 21:07:26 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1928 at /oss /oss/article/drugs-quirky-science/ballistic-bomb <p>The Ballistic Bomb is a hardened cake of chemicals that is designed to be dropped into the bath water. It produces vigorous fizzing, supposedly the cause of pleasure in the "Southern Hemisphere," while releasing a plethora of scents which claim to relax the bather and put a smile on his or her face. Different bombs have different scents. They range from "aphrodisiac jasmine" and "soothing rose" to "Sicilian orange" and "neroli" which costs "an absolute fortune" but is guaranteed to put anyone in a good mood.</p> Tue, 25 Dec 2012 03:17:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1845 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/climate-change <p>As we sit here freezing and dreaming of southern climes, it is hard to conceive of global warming. But it is happening and the long term effects will not be pleasant. How do I know that the climate is changing? Well, I remember that when I was back in high school, we used to start playing hockey on outdoor rinks in December and played at least up to the end of February. There was never any thought of a mid-winter thaw that might prevent us from playing. That just did not happen. Today, there are many days in winter when the thermometer climbs above zero. So what does this mean?</p> Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:33:56 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1643 at /oss /oss/article/quirky-science-you-asked/why-does-lipstick-cause-beer-lose-its-foam <p>It just wouldn’t be the same without the foam, would it? Beer I’m talking about. You don’t want the glass to be full of it, but you certainly want enough to tickle your lips when you go bottoms up. But if you happen to be wearing lipstick, you may have a problem. The foam may just collapse around your mouth! So what’s going on?</p> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:57:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1815 at /oss