/oss/taxonomy/term/1087/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-general-science/stress-can-change-shade-your-strands <p>My first gray hair appeared when I was the age of twenty-three, within two months of my mom passing away. Of course, this is anecdotal evidence and should not be taken as proof that stress causes hair to go gray. However, as it turns out, science agrees with my anecdote, and research has repeatedly shown that hair (or fur in non-human animals) can turn gray due to high stress levels.</p> Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:00:52 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9604 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-did-you-know-general-science/are-cat-breeders-sexist <p>Black, white, and orange – the signature colours of a calico cat. Subtract the white and you’ve got tortoise shell colouring. But there is gender colour discrimination at play: calico and tortoise shell patterns only occur in female felines.</p> Fri, 17 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9137 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/brown-isnt-always-dull <p>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 observation because the brown colour seemed to him to be very similar to the skin pigmentation often noted in patients suffering from Addison's disease. He was studying the disease which had been described by Thomas Addison in 1855 and knew that it was characterized by an underactive adrenal gland.</p> Wed, 07 Jul 2021 18:50:43 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8779 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-general-science/olives-body-are-only-skin-deep <p>Does a mole on the nose testify to an insatiable lust in the bedroom? Strange as it may sound, some people in ancient Greece used to believe that. Moles were referred to in one early book as the olives of the body. By looking at the shape of a mole and its position, some claimed they could divine the future. It even had a name: moleomancy.</p> Wed, 10 Mar 2021 16:56:03 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8652 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/seen-and-unseen-consequences-albinism <p>Today I learned two things. First, that we apparently have an albino squirrel on our campus. Second, that seeing an albino squirrel before a test is good luck.</p> <p>While I have seen photographic evidence of the former, I remain skeptical of the latter. I think it might just be a great marketing gimmick for the<a href="http://albinosquirrel.com/about.html"> Albino Squirrel Preservation Society</a> founded on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. (I am not making this part up!)</p> Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8046 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/it-true-bilberries-are-good-eyes <p>It seemed that the bilberries improved the pilots' night vision and made them more successful in dogfights. Or so the story goes... But - “Fake News!” because there is no documented evidence that the pilots actually ate bilberry jam. Some accounts suggest that the rumour was spread by the military to distract the Germans from the fact that the British were testing radar equipment on their planes. In some versions of the story, it were carrots that was the cause of the pilots success.</p> Thu, 11 Apr 2019 18:31:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7717 at /oss /oss/article/health/colour-meat <p>It’s a different world today, especially if you shop for your meat at a supermarket. You select your cut, pre-packaged meat from the refrigerated case, and the butcher who prepared it may not even be at that location. This is “centrally processed, case-ready meat” referred in the industry as CPRM. The central processing facility may be miles away from the supermarket. Of course, there is an economic consideration to central processing but it also helps deliver a safe, consistent, high-quality product with longer shelf life. And there is a lot of science involved here.</p> Thu, 03 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7505 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/where-does-colour-go-when-i-bleach-my-hair <p><span>Hair naturally gets its colour from a pigment molecule called</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin"> melanin</a><span>. There are 2 types of melanin:</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin#Eumelanin"> eumelanin</a><span>, which gives hair and skin a brown or black hue, and</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin#Pheomelanin"> pheomelanin</a><span>, which gives the red hue.</span></p> Wed, 28 Feb 2018 18:52:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6939 at /oss /oss/article/environment/can-science-explain-new-star-wars-planet <p>Science fiction movies are usually a little more fiction than science, but you never know where you might catch a glimmer of the real world. For instance, take the bona fide space classic: <em>Star Wars</em>. Of course, “using the force” to make things happen is just about as scientifically credible as using <a href="/oss/article/controversial-science-health-news/healing-code">“energy medicine”</a> to cure diseases. However, while watching the final scene of the film’s most recent instalment, <em>The Last Jedi, </em>I noticed something very interesting.</p> Mon, 05 Feb 2018 17:18:29 +0000 Cassandra Lee, OSS Intern 6913 at /oss /oss/article/aging-cancer-controversial-science-cosmetics-drugs-health-history/does-hydroquinone-have-dark-side <p>They were once mistakenly thought to be caused by a disease of the liver, so they are called “liver spots.” Actually these skin blemishes are caused by a buildup of the skin pigment melanin and are associated with aging and long-term exposure to ultraviolet light. Technically referred to as “Lentigo senilis,” these hyperpigmented spots usually just present a cosmetic problem unless they develop irregular borders and undergo a colour change, in which case they need to be evaluated by a physician. People bothered by such “senile freckles” can look to hydroquinone for help.</p> Tue, 26 May 2015 10:41:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2261 at /oss