You’ve probably heard of the bounce test for dead batteries- simply drop a battery, and if it bounces, it’s dead. It turns out that this isn’t completely true. Conventional batteries have an outer...
Bourgeonal is an aromatic aldehyde used in perfumery with a fragrance resembling that of the Lily of the Valley. What’s so special about this fragrance? It is secreted by the ovum within the...
Sperm whales produce a black, smelly substance called ambergris which changes to a pleasant smell when exposed to air. It is rare and expensive but is used as a base in some perfumes. Ambergris...
Such warnings have become ubiquitous as a result of California’s Proposition 65, a well-intentioned law that has gone haywire and has caused undue anxiety among consumers. The intent was to protect...
As you can imagine, the ad caught my eye. “Earth Smart Laundry CD works on the principles of quantum physics, not chemistry.” I had to have it. So I sent in my sixty dollars and waited. A couple...
"I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet." With these words Victor Frankenstein began his account of the...
I remember back in high school math class, wondering aloud (to the teacher, no less- I was not shy) why I needed to take math. I was absolutely certain that I would never be entering a profession...
The scientists working at the Raytheon Company during World War II were undoubtedly highly stressed. Britain was being attacked by Nazi warplanes and their task was to develop an electronic system...
The advertisement for the jacket was particularly seductive because of the claim that it was made from recycled plastic bottles. I have long criticized the excessive use of such bottles, especially...
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