/oss/taxonomy/term/887/all en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/facial-creams-and-lotions-offer-hope-jar <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-facial-creams-and-lotions-offer-hope-in-a-jar-and-profits-naturally">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>It used to be that cosmetics were sold for what was in them. Creams and lotions would hype their copper peptides, antioxidants, collagen, bull semen, ambergris (whale regurgitation), caviar, placenta extract, crushed pearl, snake venom or nightingale poop. Yes, snake venom and nightingale poop!</p> Fri, 14 Jun 2024 20:05:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9978 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-technology/science-sourdough-and-how-jar-microbes-could-help-keep-your-bread-fresher-longer <p>Its catapult to popularity may have been triggered by the pandemic-induced yeast shortages, but even months later, when instant yeast is once again available at most grocery stores, sourdough’s contemporary stardom is barely starting to fade. Sure, many of us turned to making a sourdough starter to simultaneously combat yeast scarcity and our newfound fear of going to the grocery store. But lots of us have kept up with our strange new hobby of mixing water with flour and leaving it on the counter for reasons beyond just the practical.</p> Tue, 28 Jul 2020 21:49:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8347 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/bacteria-our-body-are-not-just-inactive-hitchhikers <p>We share our body with bacteria. They live in our mouth, on our skin and mostly in our digestive tract. There are up to a thousand different varieties, and their total number, some 100 trillion, is many times greater than the total number of human cells in the body. Luckily bacterial cells are much smaller than human cells, their total weight is only about three pounds, so we don’t look like bacteria.</p> Mon, 27 Nov 2017 17:10:55 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6832 at /oss