/oss/taxonomy/term/2356/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/faraday-dickens-and-lighthouses <p>I have a longstanding fascination with Victorian arts and sciences. It was the era when Darwin published the “Origin of the Species,” Perkin synthesized dyes, Lister introduced antiseptic surgery, Conan-Doyle and Charles Dickens thrilled audiences with the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Oliver Twist. It was also the time when Michael Faraday laid the foundations for the practical use of electricity.</p> Fri, 22 Dec 2023 13:18:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9771 at /oss /oss/article/history-environment/little-ice-age-made-christmas-white-forever <p>Our collective vision of Christmas landscapes is so immersed in snow that the very phrase “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” conjures up imagery that is nearly all frosted, sparkling and white. This even though a snow-covered Christmas is the exception rather than the rule for the majority of the world.</p> Fri, 23 Dec 2022 11:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9338 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/do-holidays-cause-heart-attacks <hr /> <p>This article was first published in <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/artificial-trees-secular-greetings-and-holiday-heart-attacks-some-answers-to-your-christmas-queries/">The Skeptical Inquirer</a></p> Fri, 24 Dec 2021 00:00:07 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8966 at /oss /oss/article/history/celebrating-christmas-science <p>The Royal Institution was founded in 1800 by leading British scientists under the guidance of Benjamin Thompson “for diffusing the knowledge and facilitating the general introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements, and for teaching by courses of philosophical lectures and experiments the application of sciences to the common purposes of life.” Thompson, perhaps better known as Count Rumford, was by all accounts a ruthless, arrogant, cunning, devious, unprincipled womanizer who was also a philanthropist and a clever scientist.</p> Thu, 12 Dec 2019 20:12:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8049 at /oss /oss/article/health/holiday-heart-attacks-one-more-thing-worry-about <p>A new study in the <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4811">British Medical Journal</a> might be enough to ruin your Christmas mood because it suggests that the risk of having a heart attack is higher during the holidays and on Christmas Eve in particular.</p> <p>Swedish researchers looked at their national registry, the Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART), and looked for patterns of when people have heart attacks.</p> Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7500 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/magic-mistletoe <p>There's been a mystique around mistletoe since ancient times, probably on account of the curious way it grows. The plant is a “hemiparasite,” meaning that it can either grow in soil, or, more commonly, it can spring from the branch of a tree. How did "kissing under the mistletoe" become a thing? People probably stood under the branch in awe, admiring the pretty flowers, giving others an opportunity to take a little liberty with their smooches.</p> Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7501 at /oss /oss/article/history/origins-santamaybe <p>Reindeer, it seems, just loved <i>Amanita muscaria</i>, or Fly Agaric, as it is better known. They could be led around by the nose, as it were, just by sprinkling pieces of the mushroom in front of them. Why the animals were so fond of these fungi was a question that must have occurred to many. To find the answer, all they had to do was taste the mushroom. A blissful euphoria quickly permeated their body and vivid visions, perhaps even of sugarplums, danced before their eyes. Heavenly sounds resonated in their ears. Unless they overindulged. Then there was dead silence.</p> Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7499 at /oss /oss/article/history/myrrhy-christmas <p>Both frankincense and myrrh are natural exudates of certain trees found in the Middle East. When the bark is injured, a sap containing a variety of natural fungicides and bactericides oozes out and prevents the entry of microorganisms into the trees' circulation. The stuff eventually hardens into a resin which can be scraped off.</p> Tue, 18 Dec 2018 16:47:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7504 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health-and-nutrition/what-you-need-know-about-poinsettias-and-poison <p><span>If you have avoided having poinsettias in your home because of small children or animals, you’re not alone. But despite the commonly held belief that poinsettias are toxic, they aren’t. This myth seems to </span><a href="https://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/poinsettia.asp">have originated in 1919 </a><span>with a misattributed poisoning of a child and perhaps persisted because </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbiaceae">several members of the same family</a><span> as the flower are quite toxic. </span></p> Tue, 05 Dec 2017 15:48:18 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6840 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/mistletoe <p>The original mistletoe, Viscum album, (different from the ornamental North American version) got its name from the Anglo-Saxon word “mistel” for “dung” and “tan” for “twig.” Dung-on-a twig really is an excellent description of the plant’s origin. Mistletoe would often appear on a branch where birds left their droppings which contained mistletoe berry seeds that had passed through their digestive tracts. Interestingly, birds are not bothered by the seeds which are highly toxic to humans.</p> Sun, 14 May 2017 02:32:42 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2447 at /oss