/oss/taxonomy/term/1979/all en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/how-nature-solved-problem-too-much-dna <p>When you consider how babies are made, you bump up against a basic math problem. No need for calculus here, or even the mental gymnastics of carrying the one. It’s a problem of doubling.</p> Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:20:46 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9139 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/how-come-you-never-see-baby-housefly <p>Simple. Because baby houseflies don’t exist. A little backgrounder on the flies’ reproductive cycle can clear up this apparent conundrum. Within a week of mating, a doggie-style activity lasting from a few seconds to several minutes, not unlike humans, a female fly will lay an average of 120 eggs. Nice warm manure is preferred. Then in roughly 12 days, the eggs develop into larvae, then into maggots, and then into pupae from which flies emerge fully grown. That’s why you will never see a baby fly!</p> Fri, 16 Jul 2021 22:03:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8787 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/identical-twins-are-not-identical <p>There is a common parental misunderstanding that arises when the term “identical twins” is paraded around. Identical twins are known scientifically as “monozygotic twins.” This Scrabble winner of a term refers to the fact that these types of twins arise when a single sperm fertilizes a single egg to form a zygote, and this zygote goes on to split into two masses of cells that give rise to the twins. By contrast, fraternal twins are essentially regular siblings that are born at the same time.</p> Thu, 21 Jan 2021 22:37:58 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8572 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-nutrition/you-can-determine-colour-egg-looking-chickens-earlobe <p>Yes, that's right. Chickens do have ears although they are hidden by the feathers on the side of the head. But when the feathers are pushed aside, the openings that serve as ears appear. There is no outer ear, such as we humans have, but chickens do have earlobes which can be clearly seen. The colour of the lobe varies with the breed of the chicken, ranging from white to almost black. Chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs exclusively while birds with dark lobes lay brown eggs. The fascinating Araucana breed of chickens can even have earlobes that are a pale green or blue colour.</p> Thu, 18 Apr 2019 19:35:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7725 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-you-asked/you-asked-there-really-dirty-secret-about-almonds <p>Anytime you see an article that starts off with the heading “The Truth About….,” it’s a pretty safe bet that you will not get the truth. And so it is with an article circulating about almonds. “The Truth About Almonds: Almost No One Knows This Dirty Secret.” What is the “dirty secret?” That the almonds are treated with the fumigant propylene oxide to prevent contamination by salmonella bacteria. Salmonella infection is not pleasant to say the least. But people mostly associate it with contaminated eggs, not almonds. Where do the bacteria come from? Mostly fecal matter.</p> Mon, 30 Mar 2015 01:37:09 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2247 at /oss