/oss/taxonomy/term/2992/all en /oss/article/contributors-history-general-science/chemistry-inks-old-and-new <p>When we write the old-fashioned way, with ink on paper, we rarely think of the pen’s ingredients. For hundreds of years <i>gall ink</i> was used to produce documents such as Shakespeare’s will and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The drafts of the latter were written on hemp paper, whereas, luckily, parchment made from sheepskin was used for the final copy. Why did it matter?</p> Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9973 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-general-science/deception-temporary-tattoos <p>Tattoos are a way to express creativity, individuality, even loyalty (though in the latter case designs often end up getting removed if loyalty fades). Sounds appealing but the idea of permanence leaves people hesitant. Enter the widely advertised, semi-permanent, “stick-and-poke” tattoos. Let’s poke the science.</p> Fri, 10 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9130 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/did-you-know-when-you-are-drinking-tea-you-are-also-drinking-some-ink <p>Like any plant, the tea plant is composed of hundreds of different compounds. Some of the most interesting ones fall into the category of polyphenols, so called because of their molecular structure. These compounds, specifically a sub-category called “tannins” are responsible for the dark colour you sometimes get in tea and they also account for the possible health benefits of tea.</p> Thu, 22 Nov 2018 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7460 at /oss /oss/article/technology/e-readers-are-more-paper-you-think <p><span>Our days are dominated by screens: the morning news, ads on the metro, work documents at the office, the dozens of texts we send a day, and to top it off, a good TV show in the evening. But for a lot of people, novels are best enjoyed on paper. And that’s even after the invention of electronic book readers (e-readers like Kobo’s or Amazon’s Kindle), which can hold all the books in the world in a single lightweight device.</span></p> Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:53:23 +0000 Cassandra Lee, OSS Intern 6921 at /oss