/oss/taxonomy/term/139/all en /oss/article/history/learning-movies <p>Both groups struggled with the same problem. How to extract and purify a chemical that is part of a complex mixture? For researchers led by Dr. Frederick Banting at the University of Toronto in 1921 that chemical was insulin, while in the late 1930s at Oxford University for Drs. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain the target was penicillin. Both teams eventually solved the problem, but the paths leading to success were anything but smooth, as can be seen by anyone willing to delve into the extensive popular and scientific literature describing the discoveries.</p> Fri, 18 Mar 2022 18:14:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9053 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-bisphenol <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-axsoticmqbo" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe on bisphenol A" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/aXsotiCmqbo?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-axsoticmqbo&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe on bisphenol A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe on bisphenol A</iframe> </div> </p> Fri, 21 Feb 2020 17:35:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8135 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/chemical-confusion <p>There are two myths that are a constant irritation in the fight against pseudoscience. One is the equating of the term “chemical” with “toxin,” the other is the suggestion that “natural” substances are superior to “synthetics.” Everything in the world is of course made of chemicals. Whether we are talking about water or nerve gas, we are talking about chemicals. Whether or not a chemical is “toxic” depends on its molecular structure and on the extent and type of exposure. It does not depend on whether that chemical was made by a chemist in the lab or by “Mother Nature” in a bush.</p> Tue, 15 Aug 2017 19:43:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2599 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-food-health-toxicity-you-asked/plastic-chemical-our-bread-so-what <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <div> </div> Thu, 06 Feb 2014 07:55:29 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2089 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-news/us-toxic-substances-control-act-tsca <p>Amidst the cacophony of jingoist, vacuous blather at the Republican Convention there were some noteworthy phrases that probably slipped by most viewers. A number of speakers talked about the need to reign in the activities of the Environmental Protection Agency, the “EPA.” That is something one would expect from Republicans who want as little government interference in their life as possible. But these are the same Republicans who voted to update the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act that finally was passed in June by Congress with bipartisan approval after ten years of debate.</p> Sat, 27 Aug 2016 08:44:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2352 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-food-health-quirky-science-toxicity-you-asked/you-asked-video-about-young-girls-experiment-purportedly-showing-dangers-chemical-used-sweet <p>You asked about a video floating in cyberspace that describes a little girl's project purporting to show the risks of conventional produce.</p> Wed, 18 Dec 2013 20:23:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2046 at /oss /oss/article/toxicity/mirror-image-insecticides <p>Everything in the world, except perhaps a vampire, has a mirror image. But mirror images are curious things. Imagine that you place a ping-pong ball in front of a mirror. If you could somehow pick up its image from behind the mirror, you would find it to be identical with, and exactly superimposable on the original. But now imagine that you hold your left hand in front of the mirror. The reflection you see is a right hand. Were you able to pick up this mirror image hand, you would not be able to superimpose it on the left hand.</p> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:18:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1852 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/its-chemical-free <p>If you buy a chemical-free product, you’re not getting a good deal. You’re buying nothing. A vacuum. What’s a vacuum? A space empty of all matter. And what is matter? Anything that has mass and occupies space. What is matter made of? Simple. Chemicals. Everything in the world is made of chemicals, a term that encompasses everything from simple elements like gold to incredibly complex molecules such as DNA. There are over fifty million known chemicals, both naturally occurring and synthetic.</p> Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:37:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1621 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/how-chemicals-affect-us <p>A recent New York Times article featured the headline “How Chemicals Affect Us.” Even before reading a single word, I was pretty sure the columnist was not going to discuss how antibiotics cure infections, how preservatives protect us from eating moldy food or how detergents clean our clothes. I knew I’d be reading a litany of warnings about toxins, poisons and endocrine disruptors. Unfortunately, that’s what the term “chemical” has come to mean. To many, chemicals are the substances that insidiously invade our lives and shorten them. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2012/05/09/how-chemicals-affect-us/">Read more</a></p> Wed, 09 May 2012 20:33:11 +0000 Dr. Joe Schwarcz 1696 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/chemistry-lesson-food-babe-and-everyone-else-1-polydimethylsiloxane-explained <p>I think instead of criticizing the Food Babe on a regular basis, which could easily become a second career, it is time to take a different approach. Maybe we can be pro-active here and attempt to teach her some of the chemistry she so sorely lacks.</p> <p>Vani, in your attack on polydimethylsiloxane, a chemical used to prevent foaming in frying oils, you make the following claim: “The FDA allows dimethylpolysiloxane to be preserved by several different chemicals that don’t have to be listed on the label either, including formaldehyde!”</p> Wed, 15 Feb 2017 20:18:38 +0000 Dr. Joe Schwarcz 1452 at /oss