/oss/taxonomy/term/1017/all en /oss/article/history-you-asked/should-you-add-milk-tea-or-tea-milk <p>Everyone seems to have an opinion on making the best cup of tea.</p> Fri, 13 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9349 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-videos/sept-24-2020-covid-more-guest-dr-paul-offit <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"></div> Thu, 12 Nov 2020 20:55:17 +0000 OSS 8483 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-quackery/tilapia-and-poop-connection <p>Fishermen tend to embellish the size of their catch, hence the expression “fish tale” for exaggerated stories like the ones making the rounds about tilapia, a fish that is increasingly showing up on dinner plates. Indeed, it is now the most widely consumed fish after salmon and tuna. Typically, headlines scream about tilapia being “Poop Fish,” “Worse Than Bacon,” “No Better for You Than A Doughnut” and that it is “ Like eating a rat!!” Relax. Tilapia will not poison you. You are better off eating it than bacon or doughnuts.</p> Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:34:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2572 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-household-products-technology/electronic-waste <p>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’m getting questions about whether cell phones are toxic because they contain benzene. No, cell phones do not contain benzene. Where does this notion come form? A misinterpretation of a quest by some environmental groups to have Apple in China stop using benzene along with another solvent, hexane, in the production of electronic equipment such as cell phones.</p> Fri, 16 May 2014 13:21:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2147 at /oss /oss/article/uncategorized/yummy-broccoli <p>Say broccoli to kids and they say "yuck." Say broccoli to researchers at Johns Hopkins University and they say "yumm!" Maybe not for the taste, but for the vegetable's biological effects. Thanks mainly to the pioneering work of Professor Paul Talalay at Johns Hopkins, we know that broccoli, along with other "cruciferous" vegetables like cauliflower and Brussels sprouts contains glucoraphanin, a chemical that upon chewing is converted to sulphoraphane which in turn induces the formation of enzymes that ferry foreign substances out of the body.</p> Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:30:42 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2159 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/it-true-garlic-china-grown-human-feces-and-watered-urine <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4216" rel="attachment wp-att-4217"><img alt="garlic" height="225" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/02/garlic-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></a>It is possible that sewage is used as fertilizer, as it is in many parts of the world although there is no evidence that garlic in China is fertilized in this fashion. In any case, there is no problem with this, human waste is as effective a fertilizer as is animal waste. Spreading human sewage on fields that grow crops doesn't sound appealing, but it is safer than you might think. Urine is normally free from the pathogens that cause diseases, while soils <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125694.400-faeces-on-food-crops--safer-than-youd-think.html">help to filter and clean</a> bacteria found in feces. Actually the skin on garlic is effective at preventing penetration into the bulb. Of course it is a good idea to wash the bulb before using, no matter where it comes from. A dip in boiling water is an added safeguard.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/02/25/is-it-true-that-garlic-in-china-is-grown-in-human-feces-and-watered-with-urine/">Read more</a></p> Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:00:23 +0000 OSS 1877 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/how-safe-imported-fish-china <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=5268"><img alt="fish" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/05/fish-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Your question is way to inclusive to accurately answer ---the answer is "it depends"----some fish can  be perfectly safe to eat and other imports can be quite problematic. Here is a <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4507743&page=1#.UZONgJW6Xww">recent short article</a> produced by ABC news in the U.S. I believe that this piece provides one with the appropriate caution.  If you are absolutely sure of the store's policies where you shop, go ahead and consume but with the warnings out there--be careful.  Here is a statement that can give one pause: "Also this week, (March, 2013) regulators in China closed 180 food plants after uncovering more than 23,000 food safety violations. Despite the crackdown, China denies that its food exports are dangerous." This is a classic case of "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) but China is a major exporter of fish so checking the internet for warnings would be wise. It is simply impossible to make a blanket statement about the safety of all fish from China.   <strong>David Harpp</strong></p> Fri, 17 May 2013 13:15:12 +0000 David Harp PhD 1938 at /oss