Subscribe to the OSS Weekly Newsletter!

Cheating on the National

20 Mar 2017

On The National, Peter Mansbridge reported the results of a survey on cheating in Canadian universities.  Reference was made to data gathered from over 40 universities about the number of students...

What is Cream of Tartar Good For?

20 Mar 2017

It is a cheap, safe, readily available mild acid.  It is ideal for the generation of carbon dioxide from baking soda.  In fact, one version of baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and...

Letting the Fizz Out of the Fizz Keeper

20 Mar 2017

A little pump called the “Fizz Keeper” is available in kitchen supply stores to pressurize previously opened soft drink bottles and prevent loss of carbonation. The idea appears to make sense, but...

A nail polish to detect drugs?

20 Mar 2017

The press went crazy jumping all over a report that four North Carolina students invented a nail polish to detect "date rape" drugs. Just dip a finger into a drink, and watch for a colour change...

Sliding Away the Nonsense Around Non-Stick Coatings

20 Mar 2017

So you want to buy a "green" pot or pan to avoid those nasty chemicals associated with "synthetic" non-stick coatings? They're available. A line of non-stick pots and pans is being advertised as...

Triacetone Triperoxide- the Elusive Explosive

20 Mar 2017

We have become familiar with the routine at airports. Your carry-on bags are passed through an x-ray machine after which an officer will often wipe your bag with a piece of fabric which is then...

Pyrex Wonders

20 Mar 2017

Glass is made by mixing and heating silica (sand), sodium carbonate (soda) and limestone (calcium carbonate).  But, as we know, glass breaks quite easily, especially when subjected to sudden...

Unexpected consequences are part and parcel of science

20 Mar 2017

Science is as a quest for knowledge. Sometimes it ends with a clear-cut result, often not. The Earth goes around the sun. Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. The speed of light is 299,792,458...

Pages

Back to top