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What is "Bordeaux Mixture?"

20 Mar 2017

It isn’t a blend of wines from the Bordeaux region of France to sell to undiscerning customers. Bordeaux mixture is a fungicide made of copper sulphate and calcium hydroxide, the latter better...

What makes a stink bomb stink?

20 Mar 2017

The classic stench of rotten eggs produced by a stink bomb is produced when the ammonium sulphide in the stink bomb breaks down to hydrogen sulphide and ammonia. Commercially, this ammonium...

What is all the talk about “Paradox Blanc?”

20 Mar 2017

If you take a look at all the literature put out by the French wine industry, you'll start to wonder whether you should replace wine drinking by intravenous infusions of red wine. They make a case...

Why do lobsters change colour on cooking?

20 Mar 2017

Believe it or not, shrimp and lobster have something in common with carrots. They have a good dose of carotenoids in their body. Carotenoids are yellow-orange compounds that are quite widespread in...

Is it true that a single espresso can damage your heart?

20 Mar 2017

“A single espresso a day can damage heart.” “Just one espresso can put your heart at risk.” “One caffeine-packed cup can slow blood flow to the heart by 22%.” Whoa! Those are headlines that can...

Why do we kiss?

22 Feb 2017

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,...

Why does a barber's pole have a red stripe?

20 Feb 2017

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....

Why do onions make you cry when you cut them? And why are they sweet when you fry them?

20 Feb 2017

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...

Can coffee explode in the microwave?

20 Feb 2017

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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