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The Vaccine is Here But So Is The Fear

15 Dec 2020

No, we will not become genetic mutants when we finally get to roll up our sleeves and agree to be jabbed with a vaccine containing modified messenger RNA (mod-mRNA). That scare is making the rounds...

Kiss and Tell

4 Dec 2020

An Italian lady showed up at a clinic complaining of generalized itching and swelling of her lips about 30 minutes after making love with her husband. The reaction resolved after treatment with...

How Long Does the COVID Virus Live on Surfaces?

16 Oct 2020

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

The Science of Sourdough and How a Jar of Microbes Could Help Keep Your Bread Fresher Longer

28 Jul 2020

Its catapult to popularity may have been triggered by the pandemic-induced yeast shortages, but even months later, when instant yeast is once again available at most grocery stores, sourdough’s...

There is More to Microbes than Viruses

23 Jun 2020

We have been inundated with discussions of viruses but there are other types of microbes out there as well. Fungi, algae, protozoa and of course, bacteria. The latter are not only out there, but...

DYK: Penicillin used to be recycled from urine

3 Jun 2020

After Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of a mold that inhibited Staphylococci bacteria growth and the first treatment of a patient with penicillin in 1942, demand for this antibiotic grew rapidly...

What Does It Mean When a Vaccine Contains an Inactivated Virus?

27 Mar 2020

A vaccine contains an attenuated or inactivated microorganism (or part of one) so that your immune system can prepare itself for an eventual infection. The content of the vaccine must be...

Liquid or Bar? Soapy Tales

6 Mar 2020

Never has “Happy Birthday” been sung with such frequency. Two stanzas are just about the right length of time, about twenty to thirty seconds, for a proper hand wash. And we should be washing....

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