/oss/taxonomy/term/2717/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/critical-thinking-general-science/power-belief <p>Scientifically speaking, it’s not very pleasing.<br /> A jolly old man with reindeer flying high, criss-crossing the night sky?<br /> It makes for a charming story, but surely it must be phony!<br /> How can he be here and there, delighting children everywhere,<br /> Giving little girls splendid toys, even remembering naughty boys?<br /> Surely, the old gent must be a fake; who would do all this just for goodness sake?<br /> But stop! The children’s laughter and smiles are as real as can be,<br /> And consequently, so is he!<br /> From life’s little trials he spells relief,<br /></p> Wed, 20 Dec 2023 11:30:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9765 at /oss /oss/article/health/dip-and-flip-better-double-dipping <p>Although the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-4565.2008.00137.x/abstract" target="_blank">study</a> isn’t new, its message needs to be reiterated — taking a bite out of something that has already been bitten once and then dipping it into something is by no means a sanitary practice. A group of undergraduate students at Clemson University in South Carolina investigated whether dipping a piece of food into several different dips would transfer bacteria <em>into</em> the dip, and to what effect the <em>type</em> of dip had on the extent of bacterial contamination.</p> Thu, 27 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7502 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/food-health-quackery/dr-ozs-two-day-holiday-detox-should-be-flushed <p>One would think that producers of the Dr. Oz show would pay at least a little attention to the widely publicized study that appeared in the British Medical Journal examining the health recommendations made on medical talk shows. The researchers looked at eighty recommendations made on the Oz Show and found that evidence supported 46%, contradicted 15%, and no evidence was found for 39%. Not exactly a stellar performance. Yet on the heels of the stinging paper, what does the Dr. Oz Show come up with? A segment that has no supportive evidence whatsoever.</p> Thu, 08 Jan 2015 00:52:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2228 at /oss