/oss/taxonomy/term/336/all en /oss/article/you-asked-general-science/it-true-rubbing-olive-oil-knife-will-lead-tearless-chopping <p>Not having carried out a proper scientific investigation in the kitchen, I can’s safe for sure, but I would doubt it makes a difference. Let’s delve into a little onion chemistry which will of necessity involve some chemical terminology that hopefully will not make you cry. Remember that you cannot make any judgements about a chemical based on the complexity of its name.</p> Fri, 10 Dec 2021 21:31:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8947 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology-environment/unlocking-molecular-puzzle-cannabis <hr /> <p class="note"><strong>Take-home message:</strong><br /> - There is no evidence for the existence of GMO weed.<br /> - Genetic information shows that labels in cannabis shops (about strain, ancestry, and name) cannot be trusted.</p> <p>Despite what some chronic users may claim, the cannabis plant is not mystical. Like any living species, its cells house genes that encode proteins which, through an impressively choreographed dance influenced by the environment, yield a distinct organism.</p> Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:34:59 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7391 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-technology/cracked-science-06-arctic-apple <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-0a4mgxc5moo" width="640" height="390" title="Arctic Apple (CS06)" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0A4mGxc5mOo?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-0a4mgxc5moo&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Arctic Apple (CS06)" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Arctic Apple (CS06)</iframe> </div> </p> Thu, 10 May 2018 18:02:17 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7071 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-quackery/science-and-pseudoscience-vegetarian-culture <p>Hi! I’m Ada and I’m a vegetarian.</p> <p>Forgive me if I sound like I’m confessing to being an alcoholic or naturopath, but with all the misinformation, pseudoscience and nonsense that plague the vegetarian and vegan worlds, being a vegetarian scientist can sometimes feel like being a walking oxymoron.</p> <p>In my experience there are 3 main reasons one becomes a vegetarian (not including a distaste or allergy for meat, in which case their vegetarianism is less of a choice and more of a mandate):</p> Tue, 23 Jan 2018 03:10:35 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6898 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-and-nutrition-quackery/firing-gun-seeds <p>Scary pictures circulating online would have you believe that scientists use a syringe to inject DNA into food. Don’t be silly. They use a gun.</p> <p>But before we get to the gun (which, like Chekhov’s, will go off before this story has ended), we must talk about genes.</p> <p><strong>Banging on the hood of a car</strong></p> Thu, 26 Oct 2017 14:00:03 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 6796 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/purple-tomatoes <p>Are you ready for purple ketchup? What about purple pizzas? Scientists in Britain have recently developed a new type of genetically modified tomato enriched with anthocyanin, the pigment also found in blueberries. Various animal studies have shown that this compound, an antioxidant, has proven to be effective in fighting cancers. Perhaps in less than two years’ time, we’ll be seeing purple tomato juice for sale in North America. Consumers stand to benefit directly from this application of genetic modification.</p> Wed, 10 May 2017 18:22:46 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2426 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-food-health-news-technology/seeds-hope <p>Why would anyone oppose a technology that dramatically increases crop yields and protects farmers from excessive exposure to pesticides? Because of irrational fears about the technology involved, which is of course genetic modification. A battle is now brewing in India and Bangladesh over the planting of eggplant that has been genetically modified to resist attack by insects. Eggplant is a staple in many dishes in India and Bangladesh but unfortunately the plant is susceptible to attack by the fruit and shoot borer and farmers have to spray to prevent infestation on a regular basis.</p> Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:30:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2214 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-quirky-science/when-mayo-isnt-mayonnaise <p>If you ask Unilever, producers of “Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise”, which is the market leader in the 11.3 billion dollar a year global mayonnaise industry, it’s when the product contains no eggs. The Federal Food and Drug Administration agrees, defining "mayonnaise" as a condiment that must contain a specific amount of vegetable oil and egg yolk. But what if you just shorten the name and call it “Just Mayo?” Does it still have to contain eggs?</p> Wed, 31 Dec 2014 01:09:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2227 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-food-health-news/there-are-no-fish-genes-tomatoes <p>During a public lecture on genetic modification I described an experiment that involved enriching soybeans with the amino acid methionine. Soybeans are widely used to raise animals but are low in this essential amino acid often necessitating the use of methionine supplements. Brazil nuts produce a protein that is particularly rich in methionine so the idea was to isolate and clone the gene that codes for the production of the methionine-rich protein and insert it into the genome of the soybean.</p> Tue, 26 May 2015 10:44:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2262 at /oss /oss/article/environment-food-health-technology/biotechnology-africa <p>I have never really been hungry. Sure, I’ve had occasions when I could hardly wait to wolf down a slice of pizza or a serving of veggie goulash and I’ll admit to looking forward eagerly to the end of the traditional Yom Kippur fast. But frankly, it isn’t very hard to fast for twenty four hours if you’ve filled your stomach with matzoh ball soup and roast chicken. And the hunger pangs aren’t too bothersome when you know that a superb stuffed cabbage waits to stuff you. I suspect that most of you reading this piece have never felt real hunger either. Sure, we know hunger exists.</p> Fri, 24 May 2013 22:49:50 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1948 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health/citrus-greening <p>You have probably never heard of the Asian citrus psyllid. But this insect, no bigger than the head of a pin, could be the reason that within a couple of years you will not be drinking orange juice or eating oranges from the U.S. The insect spreads a bacterium, which is harmless to humans and animals, but is devastating to citrus trees. Infected trees suffer from what has been called “citrus greening” because they produce green, misshapen fruit that is bitter and inedible. Once infected, the trees die within a few years.</p> Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:52:46 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2292 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-food-health-news/theres-big-hole-cheerios-boast <p>Make no mistake about it: General Mills’s introduction of Cheerios sporting the label “Not made with genetically modified ingredients” is a mere marketing ploy and has nothing to do with health or nutrition.</p> <p>Let’s start the dissection of this blatant attempt to capitalize on the anti-GMO paranoia by looking at the main ingredient in Cheerios, namely oats.</p> Sat, 08 Feb 2014 12:12:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2091 at /oss /oss/article/environment-food-health-quirky-science/critter-cuisine <p>We hear a lot about food these days. Whether it is about healthy choices, food security and feeding the planet, environmental impacts of food production or the science of GMO biotechnologies, hardly a day goes by without food appearing in our headlines.</p> <p>Curiously, the most readily available source of low-fat animal protein found just about anywhere in the world (outside of Antarctica) is largely ignored by most food cultures. It might be time we start talking about eating insects, or entomophagy.</p> Sat, 11 Jun 2016 06:14:31 +0000 Adam Oliver Brown PhD 2340 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-diets-environment-food-health-news/anthocyanins-stir-interest-potential-disease-preventers <div> <p>“I wouldn’t drink that juice if you paid me!”</p> <p>And so began my conversation with a fellow traveller sitting next to me at the airport, as we waited for our flight. She had glanced at my laptop and saw an item I was perusing with the headline “Purple tomato juice from genetically modified fruit engineered for health benefits.”</p></div> Sat, 15 Feb 2014 04:23:06 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2099 at /oss /oss/article/food/many-scientists-smell-rat-french-gmo-rat-study <p>A recent French study that purports to show a link between the consumption of genetically modified corn and a variety of ailments, including cancer, was just the tasty morsel that critics of genetically modified foods (GMOs) hungered for.  For many scientists, however, the study proved to be a source of indigestion.</p> <p> </p> Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:42:04 +0000 OSS 1869 at /oss