/oss/taxonomy/term/2434/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/sweet-and-sticky-science-sugar <p>Sugar is sweet and sticky.  That’s a fact.  In fact, during the reign of Edward the Confessor in the early eleventh century, "ale tasters" were employed to check on the work of brewers.  They would test the ale by spilling some on a wooden seat and sitting on the spill in their leather breeches.  If they had difficulty getting up after a short time because their breeches stuck to the seat, they knew that the ale had been sugared.  Today we don't have to worry about such adulteration of our ale, and I think in any case we would have a hard time finding leather breeches.  But the stickiness o</p> Fri, 03 Dec 2021 23:31:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8944 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/little-dogs-are-trying-look-tough-when-they-raise-their-leg-really-high-pee <p>Female dogs opt for less yoga-like squatting postures than their male companions, who can sometimes be seen with their leg so far in the air they seem about ready to topple over. It turns out that the height to which male dogs raise their leg has a lot to do with their body size, where they are, and who’s around.</p> Wed, 08 Aug 2018 15:57:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7221 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/wombats-poop-squares <p>Wombats are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wombat#Characteristics">surprisingly aggressive</a> and territorial given how adorable they look. They will fight to defend their burrows and offspring, a feat especially important considering they reproduce only <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/common-wombat/">once every 15 months</a>.</p> Tue, 06 Feb 2018 17:02:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6915 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/ostriches-do-not-really-stick-their-heads-sand <p>Despite popular misconception, ostriches do not stick their heads in the sand. This myth <a href="https://www.scienceworld.ca/blog/do-ostriches-really-bury-their-heads-sand">originated in ancient Rome</a> and is so pervasive that it’s used as a common metaphor for someone avoiding their problems. It’s thought that this belief began after observing ostriches nesting and being stalked by predators.</p> Sun, 20 Aug 2017 15:07:39 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2604 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/youre-annoying <p>Scientists are now beginning to believe that people who annoy us are actually changing the way our brain works when we look at them. According to a study done that the University of Southern California, our brain mimics movements of people that we are watching. For example, if someone stubs their toe, we feel a form of physical empathy towards them. However, this process changes when we look at someone that annoys us – someone we don’t want to empathize with. In fact, if someone that annoys us begins to move, our brain perceives them as moving much slower than they actually are.</p> Wed, 24 May 2017 23:17:10 +0000 OSS 2487 at /oss