It is a common misconception that aspirin is found in the bark of the willow tree. A related compound called salicin does indeed occur in willow bark, thereby explaining the use of the bark as a...
“Au” is also the chemical symbol for the element. “Aurora” was the Roman goddess of the dawn and her name became associated with gold because of the colour of the sky at dawn. Ian Fleming named his...
Seemingly everyone is talking about The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary in which some of the men behind social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube look upon their creations and despair....
Sometimes called “ear rocks”, small crystals of calcium carbonate (essentially limestone) are found in your inner ear. The technical name for these tiny stones wrapped in a matrix of protein is ...
Believe it or not, lobsters, as well as other crustaceans such as crabs and crayfish, have teeth in their stomach! The teeth are part of a system called the “gastric mill.” Through rhythmic...
It is quite amazing how very small changes in an odourant’s chemical structure can radically change our perception of its scent. For example, octanol, a synthetic compound used in perfumes and...
You may have already heard that peanuts are not nuts. They are actually legumes and are members of the pea family. But did you know that cashews, almonds, and several other common “culinary nuts”...
In the early hours of April 15th, 1912, over the course of 2 hours and 40 minutes, the RMS Titanic sunk. It’s believed that upwards of 1500 people died in the accident, however, amongst the...
Can gargling with Listerine be of any help in reducing the risk of coronavirus infection? That is one of the numerous questions that has been raised by the increasing army of straw-clutchers. After...
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