“Truth serum” refers to various drugs that have been used in attempts to extract truthful statements from people. Wine was the basic method for extraction during ancient times, however, the first...
What makes people believe the unbelievable? Sometimes it’s desperation. Sometimes it’s wishful thinking about simple answers for complex problems. Sometimes it is blind trust in the untrustworthy....
Obesity is one of North America’s greatest nutritional challenges and it is now creeping into the developing world as well, thanks to the export of our dietary habits. But maybe we can import a...
If you see reddish stains in your sink, bathtub, or heaven forbid, on your laundry, it's a good bet you've got iron in your water. Don't look for nuts and bolts dripping from your tap, this kind of...
Imagine your brain literally turning to sponge. That’s just what happens in a family of diseases known as the “spongiform encephalopathies” which leave the brain riddled with holes. In humans,...
What makes us exchange saliva, sebum, bits of food and millions of bacteria with each other? In other words, why do we kiss? This is not an innate activity. South Pacific islanders, for example,...
During the Middle Ages monks were required to shave the crown of their head, a function commonly performed by itinerant barbers. Also, under ecclesiastic law, monks had to be periodically bled....
Onion chemistry is extremely fascinating and extremely complex! We’ve been intrigued by this vegetable ever since our prehistoric ancestors gathered and cooked wild onions. By the time of the First...
A sensational sounding e-mail about “exploding coffee” has been making the rounds. It describes the misadventures of an unfortunate soul who heated up water for coffee in a microwave oven. When he...
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