/oss/taxonomy/term/3372/all en /oss/article/environment-you-asked/does-weather-really-cause-headaches <p>When the weather forecast foretells a coming storm, some get out not only their umbrella and wellies but also the Advil. The weather has been blamed for ailments from arthritis flare-ups to coughs, but is it culpable when it comes to headaches?</p> Fri, 04 Aug 2023 16:59:27 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9595 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/drink-hot-drinks-hot-weather-cool-down-faster <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/old-wives-tales-and-truths-2-0/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> <hr /> <p>Nothing pairs better with hot summer weather than an ice-cold drink, right? Well, as the old saying goes, a hot drink on a hot day will cool you down faster.</p> Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9563 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/shivers-goosebumps-and-good-dose-lizzo <p>I looked out the airplane window and then at my 20-month-old, who had no idea that after enjoying the warmth of Florida for two weeks, we were about to enter the frozen tundra of Montreal. “Get ready, Zoe. It’s going to be cold when we go outside!” And as if instinctively, I started chattering my teeth, as one normally does when they’re shivering from the cold, and she looked at me in bewilderment. She’s too young to string together full sentences, but her furrowed brows said it blatantly – “Mommy, what are you doing with your teeth??” Good question, I thought…</p> Fri, 06 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Emily Shore, B.A, Dipl. PR Management 9351 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/why-do-we-wake-feeling-cold <p>A few different bodily processes in humans follow a stable, roughly 24-hour cycle. For example, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568897/">cortisol</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0748730404273983">melatonin</a> levels in our blood. Physical parameters like your <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.HYP.18.2.199">blood pressure and heart rate</a> too.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9251 at /oss /oss/article/climate-change-contributors/fossil-fuels-greenhouse-gas-and-impact-our-changing-composition-atmosphere <p>British Petroleum [BP] is a giant, global fossil fuel [oil and gas] company. Its 2019 sales were >$282 billion dollars, and with headquarters in London has over 70,000 employees worldwide. It supplies ~3.8 million barrels of oil per day. So it is big.</p> Wed, 10 Mar 2021 15:15:32 +0000 Raymond Johnson PhD, Contributor 8650 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-general-science/bioclouds-science-air <p>Imagine a wall-mounted device that continuously scans the air and alerts you to the presence of the coronavirus. This would be a boon for commercial buildings, hospitals, schools, and mass transit hubs during this interminable pandemic, allowing their administrative staff to quickly shut down an area and thus quell any local outbreak.</p> Fri, 19 Feb 2021 17:00:18 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8623 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-technology/magical-ring-was-claimed-predict-covid-19 <p>As the NBA resumes its basketball season in Florida, sports journalists are pointing out that players will have the option to wear<a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/look-nba-players-can-wear-oura-ring-to-track-potential-covid-19-symptoms-when-season-resumes-in/"> a $300 ring fitted with the latest technology</a> to act as an early warning system if the player is coming down with COVID-19. This claim is based on a study, not yet published, that the ring makers conducted with a team at West Virginia University.</p> Fri, 26 Jun 2020 14:53:25 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8313 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-general-science/your-forehead-good-enough-fever-check <p>Your forehead is about to get a lot of action. Is it greasy? You may want to wipe that sweat off. In the age of COVID, our forehead will become the target of fever spot checks. Thermal cameras and non-contact infrared thermometers will get deployed in an effort to prevent people with a fever from entering into an area where they may infect others. The only question is, do these temperature-sensing technologies actually work?</p> Fri, 05 Jun 2020 13:33:41 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8276 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/mood-ring-technology-powers-your-lcd-tv <p>A substance is said to exhibit thermochromism if it changes colour according to temperature. The most popular example of this is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_ring">mood rings</a>, the hot fashion item of the 70s. These pieces of jewelry contain <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal">liquid crystals</a> (the same liquid crystals responsible for your LCD TVs) sealed underneath a (usually fake) gemstone.</p> Wed, 05 Sep 2018 17:45:18 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7331 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition/how-caloric-value-food-determined <p>A very good question to tackle because many people do not have a good understanding of calories.  First of all, a calorie is not a thing and therefore cannot be full or empty.  You cannot put calories in a bottle.  A calorie is a unit of measure of energy.  Very specifically, it is the amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one mL, (which is also one gram), of water by one degree Celsius.  If you really want to be a stickler for detail, it is the energy needed to raise the temperature from 14.5 to 15.5 degrees C.  The word calorie was actually coined by the great Fren</p> Thu, 06 Sep 2018 18:39:09 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7337 at /oss /oss/article/health/can-previously-frozen-thawed-and-cooked-food-be-refrozen <p>Most foods previously frozen, thawed and then cooked can be refrozen as long as they have not been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours. Remember that freezing does not kill bacteria, only prevents the microbes from multiplying. So thawed food will have some bacteria that can multiply at room temperature, meaning that if the food is refrozen, there will be an increase in bacterial count by the time it is thawed again. This becomes a non-issue if the thawed food is reheated to an internal temperature of 75 degrees C.</p> Thu, 16 Aug 2018 17:50:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7311 at /oss