/oss/taxonomy/term/437/all en /oss/article/you-asked-general-science/it-true-rubbing-olive-oil-knife-will-lead-tearless-chopping <p>Not having carried out a proper scientific investigation in the kitchen, I can’s safe for sure, but I would doubt it makes a difference. Let’s delve into a little onion chemistry which will of necessity involve some chemical terminology that hopefully will not make you cry. Remember that you cannot make any judgements about a chemical based on the complexity of its name.</p> Fri, 10 Dec 2021 21:31:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8947 at /oss /oss/article/health-history/celebrating-hanukkah-candles-latkes-and-bit-history <p>Why are potato latkes a traditional food to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah? Frankly, it isn’t clear. But first, a quick recap of what Hanukkah is all about...</p> Thu, 10 Dec 2020 22:21:42 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8529 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/fear-frying <p>The Wienerschnitzel was so large it hung off the plate. Topped with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and lemon juice, it was an absolute treat. To this day, my mouth waters whenever I recall my first schnitzel experience. My aunt, who had arranged for us to come to Montreal after we had fled Hungary during the 1956 uprising, owned the “Riviera,” a European style restaurant. It was there that I was introduced to the delights of a serving of veal, pounded almost paper-thin, battered in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs, and quickly fried to a golden brown. I just loved it. In fact, I still do.</p> Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:35:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8488 at /oss /oss/article/technology-general-science/electricity-streets-were-filled-gas-lights <p>A long, long time ago, before electricity, fire was the only weapon against darkness. Ancient civilizations made use of torches but by 4500 B.C. oil lamps made out of shells or hollow rocks were in use. Candles were introduced some 1500 years later. Oil lamps burned plant- and animal-derived oils, whilst candles burnt wax and tallow. While the light produced was sufficient to read at night, it was too soft and localized to illuminate any significant space.</p> Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:39:03 +0000 Morgan Sweeney, OSS Contributor 8052 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/how-can-i-make-perfect-french-fry <p>So, you’re tired of eating lousy french fries. You’re sick of those limp dark brown grease sponges. What can you do? Make them! Let’s for a moment forget nutrition and health. In this area, french fries have no redeeming value. We eat them because we like them, in spite of what they may be doing to the lining of our arteries. So let’s at least make it worthwhile. A perfect fry has to be cooked through and through, should be a golden brown on the outside, cannot be limp and must not be saturated with grease. This is no small task. Numerous factors come into play.</p> Fri, 29 Nov 2019 17:05:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8012 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-essential-facts-essential-oils <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-zvosxdvizoy" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Essential facts on essential oils" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/zvoSxdVIzoY?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-zvosxdvizoy&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Essential facts on essential oils" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Essential facts on essential oils</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 26 Aug 2019 14:57:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7884 at /oss /oss/article/environment-general-science/can-rain-extract-blood-stone <p>When the land has been dry and it starts to rain, there is a peculiar smell in the air, an earthy scent called petrichor. In the 1960s, two Australian scientists, Isabel Bear and Richard Thomas, began to steam-drill rocks exposed to dry conditions and they discovered the oil that serves as a precursor to petrichor. This oil is secreted by plants during the dry season and seeps into rocks and clay-based soils. When it finally rains down on the porous ground, small air bubbles containing this oil form and migrate to the surface of the soil and become air borne.</p> Tue, 20 Nov 2018 17:23:31 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7457 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-many-uses-petroleum <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-auxeemtfhxu" width="640" height="390" title="Dr Joe Schwarcz: The many uses of petroleum" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/auxeeMtfhXU?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-auxeemtfhxu&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr Joe Schwarcz: The many uses of petroleum" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr Joe Schwarcz: The many uses of petroleum</iframe> </div> </p> Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:32:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7207 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/luminescent-chemistry-lava-lamps <p><span>If you think back to the 60’s and 70’s your memories are probably illuminated by a lamp filled with swirling globs of colourful goop that really </span><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-lava-lamp-21201966/">didn’t shed much light at all</a>.</p> <p><span>Lava lamps were </span><a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US3570156">invented</a> in 1963 by a British accountant, Edward Craven-Walker, and marketed under the name Astro Lamps. The name might have changed since then, but the chemistry largely hasn’t.</p> Thu, 19 Jul 2018 16:54:28 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7177 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/are-all-oils-essential-are-essential-oils-even-oils <p><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil">Oils</a></span><span> are defined as any net uncharged chemical substance that is a thick liquid at room temperature and is both hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (does mix with fats, or lipids). When we think of them, our minds tend to focus on the kitchen: olive, canola or peanut oil. But there are also oils in your garage (motor oil), bathroom (conditioner) and your art collection (oil paints).</span></p> Thu, 28 Jun 2018 16:02:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7152 at /oss /oss/article/environment/its-thanksgiving-and-time-talkturkey <p>Eventually we will run out of oil.  There is no doubt about that.  The earth is of a fixed size, and the amount of oil stored in the ground is not infinite.  We take it out of the ground and do not replenish it.  Therefore we will run out.  It’s just a question of when.  When people think of the uses of oil, they think of course of gasoline, heating oil and aircraft fuel.  But you have to remember that the raw materials we need to make plastics, cleaning agents, many medications, cosmetics, fibres and a myriad of other consumer items are also sourced from oil.  Indeed, when we run out we wi</p> Mon, 09 Oct 2017 21:47:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 4094 at /oss /oss/article/cosmetics-environment-health-quirky-science-you-asked/does-emu-oil-have-any-benefits <p>So what is an emu? A bird. It can grow to about six feet and is native to Australia. It is a strange looking bird, but not as strange as some of the health claims being made for its oil. Dozens of conditions ranging from acne and arthritis to eczema and hemorrhoids supposedly respond to emu oil treatment. A pharmacist even says that rubbing emu oil on his bald head grew hair! Patients say their shingles and carpal tunnel symptoms improve. Cuts and burns heal faster. Emu oil even takes the sting out of fire ant bites. Supposedly 95% of NBA teams use emu oil to help injuries heal.</p> Mon, 16 Sep 2013 01:07:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2013 at /oss /oss/article/health-news-toxicity/oil-your-problems-away <p>Oh my! Yet another sure-fire detox! This time it's "oil pulling." I'm not pulling your leg with this one. The claim is that you swish oil, usually sunflower, sesame or coconut, around your mouth for 15-20 minutes without swallowing. Why would you want to do that given that it is likely to be a rather unpleasant experience? Because it improves oral health and to boot, the oil sucks toxins out of your body via the salivary glands.! And of course this then cures every condition you have ever heard of.</p> Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:29:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2111 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/controversial-science-food-health/lets-preserve-rational-thinking-when-it-comes-preservatives <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=6934"><img alt="preservatives" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2014/11/preservatives-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Open a box of old crackers or potato chips and a smell emerges. It isn’t pleasant. The same goes for that bottle of oil that’s been sitting in the cupboard for months. It’s the smell of rancid fat. Technically speaking, the smell, which consists of numerous compounds, is the result of oxidation. Simply put, that means fats have reacted with oxygen in the air causing them to break down into smaller molecules. Not only are these malodorous, detectable at an unbelievably low concentration of 1.5 picograms per liter of oil, they can have nasty health consequences. It is not a good idea to eat foods in which the fat has gone rancid. Annoyingly, it is the healthier, polyunsaturated fats, that are more prone to rancidity. These fats have multiple double bonds in their molecular structure, a feature that enhances reaction with oxygen. Initially the fats are converted to hydroperoxides which are unstable and decompose to yield compounds like vinyl ketone, nonadienal and malondialdehyde. On top of having very low odour thresholds, some of these, malondialdehyde specifically, can cross-link proteins and DNA molecules and that is bad news. Such an affront to DNA can trigger cancer.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Knowledge of the mechanism of such oxidation reactions has led to the use of “antioxidants” that react with hydroproxides and prevent their breakdown. The most effective ones have the tongue twisting names of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA) which are added to foods containing solid fats or oils such as shortenings, baked goods and cereals. These chemicals are not just randomly added, like all other food additives, their use is strictly regulated. Manufacturers can add BHA or BHT up to 0.02% of the weight of the fat in a food which is an amount determined by extensive studies on animals.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Of course if you give enough of any chemical to a test animal something will eventually happen. For example, BHA can cause carcinomas in the forestomach of rodents at a dose of 230 mg per kg per day. Internet bloggers can parlay that into scaring consumers who are unaware of the principles of toxicology and species differences. Humans do not have a forestomach and human exposures are actually less than 0.1 mg/kg/day. So while BHA can indeed be declared to be an animal carcinogen, this has no relevance to humans. On the contrary, studies have shown that at concentrations of 125 ppm which is close to food additive levels, both BHA and BHT have anticarcinogenic properties. Not only have there been no studies correlating these additives with human cancer, rates of stomach cancer have ben significantly decreasing possibly due to the use of preservatives.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2014/11/28/lets-preserve-rational-thinking-when-it-comes-to-preservatives">Read more</a></p> Sat, 29 Nov 2014 04:28:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2216 at /oss