Subscribe to the OSS Weekly Newsletter!

Register for the Trottier 2024 Symposium!

Are Summer Clothes Protecting Your Skin from Sunburns?

26 Jul 2019

How much protection does your white T-shirt offer you in the summer when you’re out in the sun? Would you say it’s impossible to get a sunburn underneath that garment?

I am looking into buying a product to kill dandelions. Is Wilson Weedout safe?

10 Jul 2019

Wilson Weedout contains 4-chloro indole acetic acid as an active ingredient which really is quite effective against broad-leaved weeds. It is a naturally occurring plant hormone that triggers the...

Why Mosquitos Bite You and How to Make Them Stop

5 Jul 2019

Summertime means hammocks, BBQs, fireworks, and mosquito bites....

The Moral Panic Over Smartphones Takes on Satanic Overtones

27 Jun 2019

It began life as “prominent exostosis” and, at the peak of media coverage, British tabloid The Sun was scaring us with “HELL PHONES” and many people got the impression that our children were...

The Fascinating Chemistry of Airbags

21 Jun 2019

Leonardo De Vinci was fascinated by flight and dreamed of various flying machines. He was realistic enough, though, to consider the risks and thought that brave men who strapped on wings should...

The Right Chemistry: Teflon

17 Jun 2019

Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on Teflon chemicals

What's the Story With E-books at Bedtime?

28 May 2019

​This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette....

Looking at the Science of Sunglasses

24 May 2019

The sunglasses at the dollar store feel flimsy, yet I buy a pair. It costs me $1.43. The sticker on one of the lenses states “UV 400 Protection”. I walk over to a fancy sunglasses store and ask the...

The Connection Between Frosted Lightbulbs & Bad Pick-Up Lines

21 May 2019

Way back in 1771, Swedish chemist Karl Wilhelm Scheele was investigating the properties of a mineral known as fluorspar (calcium fluoride). He mixed the pulverized rock with sulfuric acid and...

Pages

Back to top