/oss/taxonomy/term/2203/all en /oss/article/general-science/put-cork-it <p>I’ve never been one for cork sniffing. I always thought it was kind of a snobby thing to do, but I never really investigated the practice since I’ve never really cared much for wine. Then one day, while out for dinner with a friend, I really got into it. He ordered wine, sniffed the cork, and promptly declared the bottle unacceptable and sent it back. “Decidedly mushroomy,” he said. “Decidedly snobbery” I thought. After sniffing, he had disdainfully tossed the cork on the table from where I picked it up, ready to give it a whiff and declare that I smelled nothing. But that was not to be.</p> Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:31:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9423 at /oss /oss/article/environment-you-asked/what-are-oxo-biodegradable-plastic-shopping-bags <p>Polyethylene shopping bags are a big convenience but they also present a big problem. While they can be recycled, many just get carelessly discarded and end up in the environment not only as an eyesore but as a danger to wildlife. Estimates are that only about 3% of plastics that can be recycled actually are. Polyethylene does not degrade easily in the environment and the bags can end up as pollutants for decades. Some clever chemistry can, however, help the situation.</p> Thu, 22 Dec 2016 20:52:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2363 at /oss /oss/article/environment-quirky-science-science-science-everywhere-you-asked/what-environmental-problem-referred-witches-knickers-ireland <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4422" rel="attachment wp-att-4423"><img alt="" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/03/knickers1-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Plastic bags that have been carelessly discarded and get caught up on tree branches. Polyethylene bags fluttering in the wind, desecrating our beaches and piling up in cabinets under our sinks, waiting for uses that never seem to materialize, have become symbolic of our throw-away society and lack of environmental conscience. We use a lot of plastic bags, that much is for sure. Worldwide, roughly a million every minute of every day. Why? <a href="/oss/what-is-the-environmental-problem-referred-to-as-%E2%80%9Cwitches%E2%80%99-knickers%E2%80%9D-in-ireland/">Read more</a></p> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:31:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1890 at /oss