/oss/taxonomy/term/846/all en /oss/article/student-contributors-environment/botanical-sexism-really-blame-increased-pollen-allergies-urban-cities <p>The story starts with horticultural epidemiologist Thomas Ogren. His <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/guest-blog/botanical-sexism-cultivates-home-grown-allergies/">major citation is that of the 1949</a> USDA Yearbook of Agriculture where it was recommended that “when used for street plantings, only male trees should be selected, to avoid the nuisance from the seed”. He claims this led to a major skew toward planting male trees in urban cities in the following years in attempts to reduce the work needed to pick up the petals, berries, and fruits produced by female trees.</p> Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:25:36 +0000 Daniela Padres 10077 at /oss /oss/article/medical/no-eating-honey-wont-help-your-seasonal-allergies <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/christopher-labos-no-eating-honey-wont-help-your-seasonal-allergies">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Apparently, if you search the internet, you will find articles saying that eating honey will help treat your seasonal allergies. It won’t. Honey can do many things, but it can’t do that.</p> Fri, 21 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9483 at /oss /oss/article/history/under-microscope-rose-petals <p>Nowadays roses are mostly used for Bachelorette ceremonies and hipster lattes, but once upon a time roses, and their fruit, rose hips, were widely used as medicines.<br /> Diarrhodon is the name given to herbal treatments containing roses, and there are lots of them, said to treat everything from liver problems to heart problems to digestion issues. Traditional Chinese medicine made use of the China rose for regulating menstruation, pain relief, thyroid problems and diarrhea.<br /></p> Mon, 06 May 2019 17:58:23 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7746 at /oss /oss/article/environment/under-microscope-pollen <p>Grains of pollen actually produce the male gametes (sperm cells) of flowering plants. They become dehydrated to better allow themselves to be carried on by wind, water and animals to other plants where they land in the gynoecium, the innermost part of a flower that contains the ovaries. After rehydrating itself, a pollen grain forms a pollen tube, through which it transfers sperm cells into the ovaries of the flower, completing the pollination process.</p> Mon, 11 Mar 2019 15:17:19 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7642 at /oss /oss/article/environment/under-microscope-bees-knees <p><img height="1536" width="2048" style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img00008.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p><img height="1536" width="2048" style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img00009.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p><img height="1536" width="2048" style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img00010.jpg" alt="" /></p> Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:01:24 +0000 Adam Oliver Brown PhD and Ada McVean B.Sc. 7635 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/your-allergies-are-getting-worse-because-climate-change <p>If you feel like your recent periods of coughing, sneezing and shaking your fists at the trees for producing so much pollen are getting longer, you’re probably right.</p> Thu, 10 May 2018 17:48:44 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7068 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/does-pollen-transfer-directly-flower-stamen-my-nose <p>And then when I sneeze, can the pollen travel to pistil and pollinate a flower?</p> <p>An interesting question. Given that an allergic reaction is caused by the transfer of pollen to the nasal cavity, the reverse path is theoretically possible when a person sneezes. However the chance that  the amount of pollen transferred is significant enough to cause pollination is minimal.</p> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:01:07 +0000 OSS 1858 at /oss