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How Long Can a Virus “Live” Outside the Body?

8 Apr 2020

One of the frequently asked questions about the SARS-CoV-2 virus is how long the virus can live outside the body. “Live” is not exactly the appropriate term, as viruses are not really "alive"...

Conclusions Change as Evidence Accumulates

1 Apr 2020

I remember once giving a talk on vitamins and having someone come up to me after with a comment along the lines of “I was in your class years ago and you were talking about the benefits of vitamin...

There is a connection between TNT, the male musk deer, and your perfume

26 Feb 2020

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...

How can I stop getting static shocks?

20 Feb 2020

If you live in Canada, you know what a nightmare winter can be for your hair. No, not because of hat hair, (or at least not entirely because of hat hair), but because of static electricity! All...

Why is the Sky Blue? Or Better Yet, Why is the Ocean Blue?

31 Jan 2020

The sky is blue due to a phenomenon called Raleigh scattering. This scattering refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (of which light is a form) by particles of a much smaller...

What is "Hormesis"?

24 Jan 2020

Just about every textbook of toxicology pays homage to Paracelsus, the sixteenth century alchemist. Why? Because he introduced the idea that “only the dose makes the poison.” It makes no sense to...

Before electricity, streets were filled with gas lights

17 Dec 2019

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...

Shaking a Champagne Bottle

17 Dec 2019

People readily understand that solids can dissolve in a liquid. Salt or sugar dissolve in water and the warmer the water, the faster the rate of dissolution. We learn this in elementary school. But...

The Seen and Unseen Consequences of Albinism

13 Dec 2019

Today I learned two things. First, that we apparently have an albino squirrel on our campus. Second, that seeing an albino squirrel before a test is good luck....

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