General Science

Conned by Logarithms - How Our Minds Misread Risk

Ben Selinger FRACI, CChem — Fri, 02 May 2025 17:14:26 +0000

History

John Napier is credited with discovering/inventing logarithms but nature had already beaten him to it. Our bodies had already figured it out. Our senses—sight, hearing, taste and touch— use a logarithmic transform to cope with the enormous range of the signals our senses need to handle.

Sabine Hossenfelder Asks If Science Is Dying. It’s Not.

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 15:30:19 +0000

Physics is dying. It’s mathematical fiction. Science is failing. Most of academic research that your taxes pay for is almost certainly bullshit. I don’t trust scientists.

Would you believe me if I told you these statements came from a popular science communicator?

It’s a Gas!

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:35:42 +0000

There were no Guinness Records back in 1772, but if there were, Joseph Priestley would certainly have been awarded one for discovering eight new gases in a single year. That is a record that will never be broken! Priestley, though, didn’t call them gases. To him they were different “airs,” with the most famous one being “dephlogisticated air” which we know today as oxygen.

The Powder of Sympathy

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:41:49 +0000

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.” The idea had been originally introduced by “natural philosopher” Sir Kenelm Digby who claimed that a powder produced with the help of astrological guidance could heal injuries by being applied not to the injured part of the body but on whatever had caused the injury. Digby’s book on this mythical salve went through 29 editions!

RECCO Reflectors Echo Safety Signals

Cat Wang, B.Sc. — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:56:48 +0000

A goal of mine in 2025 was to tackle a new outdoor sport: backcountry skiing. With the promise of untracked snow and uncrowded runs, venturing off-piste was enticing. But with that also came the need to ensure safety — I geared up with an avalanche kit, most of which was intuitive: Shovel? Check. GPS? Check. But one thing that kept coming up was the RECCO tag on all sorts of gear. As I read the logo time and time again, I wondered — what was this technology?

I’ve Been Wearing Sunscreen Wrong

Ada McVean M.Sc. — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 03:54:38 +0000

This article was first published in The Skeptical Inquirer.

A Little Hairy Chemistry

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 04:56:10 +0000

Hair is composed of a type of protein called keratin that is formed within the hair follicle, a cavity in the skin surrounded by cells that provide the amino acids and other components needed for protein formation. Genetics dictates the specific fashion in which the follicle assembles these components into the three-dimensional structure proteins, and it is this structure that then determines if an individual’s hair will be curly or straight.

Roger Bacon, Gunpowder and Virgins

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:01:46 +0000

In the 1960's the Dupont Company adopted the slogan: "Better Living Through Chemistry." The catchy motto quickly caught on in an era when science reigned supreme. The space race had captured everyone's imagination and people reveled in the new plastics and fibers produced by a proud chemical industry. Environmental concerns were not yet on the agenda.

It’s Hermetically Sealed!

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:43:40 +0000

According to Greek mythology, Hermes moved freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine and it was his job to conduct souls into the afterlife. He was quick and cunning, often outwitting other gods for his own satisfaction or for the sake of humankind.

How Celluloid Produced Great Billiard Balls of Fire

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:25:04 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

I have a set of billiard balls sitting on my desk in a box with a partially torn label on which the words “Hyatt” and “Billiard Ball Company” are clearly visible. That makes these balls, purchased years ago in Warrensburg, N.Y., at what is reputed to be the largest garage sale in the world, a historic item. However, I wasn’t sure exactly how historic. And that started me on an interesting exploratory journey.

The Male Musk Deer Owes Gratitude to Chemistry

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:01:17 +0000

Arab perfumers in the sixth century were the first to discover that diluting the obnoxious smelling dried contents of the little pod found near the anus of the male Asian musk deer not only resulted in a pleasant odour, but when added to perfumes allowed the scent to linger longer. Musk was even incorporated into the mortar of important buildings so that it would waft a pleasant smell into the air. There was even a belief that the aroma had aphrodisiac qualities and would therefore enhance the pleasure of activities that might be engaged in.

Gummi Bears, Jell-O, and King Kong’s Poop Have This Thing in Common

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:17:14 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

What do King Kong’s poop, Gummi Bears and Jell-O have in common? They all feature a substance produced by heating an acidified extract of animal bones or skin referred to as “hydrolyzed collagen” but better known as “gelatin.”

The Dangers of Mirror Life

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 18:40:42 +0000

One of the better-known episodes of the original Star Trek series is called “Mirror, Mirror” and it dramatizes a freak transporter accident which sends Kirk, Uhura, Bones, and Scotty to an alternate universe. Their mirror universe colleagues on the Enterprise are greedy, violent, and bent on conquest. And Mirror Universe Spock sports a goatee, so we know he’s evil.

Lactose-Free Milk

Angelina Lapalme — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 02:08:44 +0000

Ice cream, milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, butter and all other dairy products haunt the dreams of people with lactose intolerance. Over 68% of the world’s population has some degree of lactose malabsorption which is the inability to properly digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy products. Until the introduction of lactose-free milk, these unfortunate souls had to take Lactaid pills just to be able to indulge in some of their favourite treats.

The Smelly Truth About Fragrances

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 19:38:53 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Can a “fragrance-free” product have a smell? Absolutely. Can an “unscented” product contain any ingredients that have a smell? Yes. It’s all a matter of semantics, although there are no universally recognized definitions here.