The Pitohui of New Guinea is the only known bird that produces a poison. Its feathers contain batrachotoxin, a nerve toxin also found in South American poison dart frogs. The Pitohui rubs its eggs...
Ali Maow of Somalia has the distinction of being the world’s last recorded victim of smallpox, a disease he acquired in 1977. For the first time ever, through a program of vaccination and...
During Magnetic Resonance Imaging the patient is placed inside a giant magnet and is exposed to radio waves. Hydrogen nuclei in the body behave as tiny magnets and orient themselves with the...
Nutmeg is a spice introduced to Europe by the Arabs during the middle ages. Its essential oil has been used topically to treat arthritis pain and orally with small amounts of honey or sugar, to...
Cranberries are commonly associated with Thanksgiving but in early America they played a varied role. Besides the berries serving as food, the plant’s leaves were commonly used for tea or as a...
Xylitol often appears in candies and gum as a low calorie sweetener. It has the added benefit that unlike sugar it does not support the growth of bacteria that can cause cavities. Xylitol’s name...
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