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This Pulp Isn't Fiction

4 Jan 2023

I've often watched people do battle with the albedo, trying meticulously to remove every last vestige before popping a segment of "naked" orange into their mouth. Probably the same people who...

Brown Isn't Always Dull

7 Jul 2021

When an apple is cut in half, the exposed surface quickly turns brown. Do the same thing to an orange, and nothing happens. The noted Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi was intrigued by this...

Apples- Getting to the Core

16 Jun 2021

I鈥檓 fond of apples. Maybe it has to do with some youthful memories of an upset tummy being soothed with a grated apple sprinkled with lemon juice. Or perhaps biting into one rekindles thoughts of...

Can one rotten apple really spoil the whole barrel?

3 Dec 2019

Is there any truth to the聽expression, "one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel"?聽You bet.聽Because once an apple is rotten or has physical damage, (ie a bruise), it聽produces ethylene, which in turn...

Apple Watch Isn't Great As a Medical Device

27 Nov 2019

鈥婽his article was first published in聽The Montreal Gazette.

Why does lettuce turn brown?

11 Oct 2018

That鈥檚 an interesting question.聽How lettuce turns brown is well known.聽But why this happens is a different story.聽Lets deal with the how first.聽The chemistry that takes place when lettuce leaves...

Electronic Waste

20 Mar 2017

Some people are concerned about radiation from cell phones possibly causing brain tumours. Others worry about exposure to wi-fi causing cancer. And now I鈥檓 getting questions about whether cell...

Apples and Sex

20 Mar 2017

Did Eve eat an apple to have a better sex life with Adam? One might come to that conclusion after reading a paper published in the Archives of Gynaecology and Obstetrics with the alluring title ...

Why do they spray wax on apples?

20 Mar 2017

Pick an apple off a tree, buff it a little and it will shine! That鈥檚 because the fruit is coated with a layer of natural wax that protects it from drying out and helps to prevent fungi from getting...

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