/oss/taxonomy/term/373/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/erythropoietin-ticket-olympics-or-recipe-disaster <p>What if I told you that a simple one letter change in your DNA could have landed you seven Olympic gold medals? You’re right, it’s probably a little more complicated than this. But winners of this genetic lottery, like Olympic cross-country skier Eero Manytrata, have a natural tendency to perform better in aerobic sports. What exactly was it that gave Eero Manytrata an unequivocal advantage? </p> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:00:52 +0000 Daniela Padres 9600 at /oss /oss/article/environment-food-health-news/new-meaning-natural-vanilla-flavor <p>Vanilla is the most popular flavor in North America. But it is not that often that one gets the chance to taste the “real stuff”. The flavor made from the beans of the vanilla orchid is expensive. This is why 99% of the time what is found in food comes from synthetic vanillin. The compound, which is also present in natural vanilla, can be prepared from wood pulp but today most of it comes from guaiacol a substance extracted from a petroleum derivative. Recently though a Japanese chemist, Mayu Yamamoto prepared the synthetic flavor from cow dung.</p> Tue, 30 Sep 2014 09:05:15 +0000 Ariel Fenster 2199 at /oss /oss/article/environment-history-quirky-science/how-asian-bug-led-first-synthetic-plastic <p>During the first years of the twentieth century the demand for shellac outstripped the supply. People did not develop a sudden penchant for shiny furniture, but electricity was starting to take the world by storm and electrification required the use of insulating materials. Shellac was a very effective insulator! The problem was that it was hard to come by. Shellac is the resinous secretion deposited on some species of Asian trees by Laccifer lacca beetles.  Workers scrape off the resin, heat it and filter it to produce the commercial product.</p> Tue, 25 Feb 2014 23:15:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2103 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/social-tonics <p>If it isn’t illegal, it must be legal. That’s why benzylpiperazine pills, under names such as Purepillz, Peaq, The Good Stuff, Frenzy and Pure Rush can be sold in Canada. And what are these pills? “Social tonics” they’re called and are meant to provide energy, produce euphoria and invigorate sexual experiences. Basically they’re stimulants. The human penchant for stimulants is nothing new. Since time immemorial people have been trying to dope up hum-drum lives with chemicals. Alcohol is perhaps the best example, but there are numerous others.</p> Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:21:42 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1588 at /oss