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Don’t Throw the Baby Out With the Hydrogenated Bathwater

23 Feb 2024

This article was first published in the Montreal Gazette. “Congratulations! You have in your hands one of the best available tools to increase your health and vitality.”

From the Earth to the Moon

25 Nov 2021

No, this story is not about space travel. It is about the naming of elements, specifically, selenium, discovered by the Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzelius in 1817. He named it after Selene, the...

No Silver Lining in Colloidal Silver

13 Oct 2021

As early as the ancient dynasties of Egypt, silver coins were placed in the drinking vessels of the nobility to protect them from harm.  Of course, this was not the result of any scientific...

Is there any validity to the claim that some people are “human magnets,” with their bodies able to attract an assortment of objects?

24 Sep 2021

Leonid Tenkaev and his wife claim that the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine transformed them into human magnets. Pictures of the couple show spoons, keys and even irons sticking to their...

The Right Chemistry: Teflon

17 Jun 2019

Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on Teflon chemicals

Did you know there is ink in your tea?

22 Nov 2018

Like any plant, the tea plant is composed of hundreds of different compounds. Some of the most interesting ones fall into the category of polyphenols, so called because of their molecular structure...

Are vegetables grown in "tire gardens" safe to eat?

2 Aug 2018

When it comes to chemical composition, tires are extremely complex. Different kinds of rubber, carbon black, vulcanizing agents, antioxidants, antiozonants, polymerization accelerators,...

How are mirrors made?

13 Jun 2018

Imagine the surprise of the first cave person who ever glanced into a reflecting pond. The image probably wasn't too pleasing but the effect was surely intriguing. Vanity was instantly born and the...

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