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The Curious “Science” of Oscillococcinum

20 Mar 2017

Take the carcass of a duck and place 35 grams of its liver and 15 grams of its heart in a one liter bottle filled with a solution of pancreatic juice and glucose. When after forty days the liver...

What is liquid smoke?

20 Mar 2017

Subjecting various foods to smoke is an age-old method used both for preservation and flavouring. But there are issues. Smoke contains a variety of cancer causing compounds. And in this case, we...

Hype, Hope and Ginseng

20 Mar 2017

Probably what first attracted the Chinese to the odd looking root was its shape. It had a decidedly human appearance and was therefore given the name "ginseng," meaning "man- like." The uncanny...

The Mystery of Maya Blue Finally Solved

20 Mar 2017

Maya Blue, a vibrant light blue colour, characterizes the civilisation that flourished across Mesoamerica between the 3rd and 10th century. The pigment was used to decorate pottery, murals and...

How was “SpaceShipOne” powered?

20 Mar 2017

Who would have ever thought that rubber tires and laughing gas would be instrumental in getting a privately funded craft into space to claim a prize of ten million dollars? Yet, that is just what...

Are Vitamin K2 Supplements Recommended?

20 Mar 2017

It isn't clear. But there clearly is some interesting history here.

Welch's Grape Juice

20 Feb 2017

Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of state, William Jennings Bryan, was ridiculed in 1913 for serving Welch’s grape juice instead of wine at a dinner honoring the British ambassador. This proved to be...

Chemistry lesson for The Food Babe… and everyone else #17: The Carnation Tragedy of the '30s

17 Feb 2017

Back in the 1930s a flower merchant with a greenhouse full of carnations got worried when the weather forecast called for extremely cold temperatures. So he placed a kerosene burner in the...

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