/oss/taxonomy/term/884/all en /oss/article/student-contributors-environment/sri-lanka-and-organic-farming <p>Nicknamed the teardrop of India for its distinctive shape, the island of Sri Lanka off the southeast coast of the subcontinent has dug itself into an economic hole. In April of 2021, Sri Lanka’s then-president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, banned synthetic fertilizers and agrochemicals (pesticides and herbicides) forcing farmers to use organic fertilizers in the attempt to build a country more “in sync with nature”.</p> Fri, 29 Jul 2022 17:48:48 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9195 at /oss /oss/article/environment/putins-appetite-war-has-world-feeling-pangs-hunger <p>“A butterfly can flap its wings in Peking, and in Central Park, you get rain instead of sunshine.” That memorable quote comes from Jeff Goldbloom in Jurassic Park as he tries to explain how worldly events can be interrelated in a complex fashion. We now have just such a situation with the tragic war in the Ukraine. Its tentacles are reaching all over the world, causing problems ranging from the manufacture of silicon chips for computers to shortages in fertilizer. Ah, fertilizer! To put it simply, fertilizer feeds the plants that feed the world.</p> Wed, 06 Apr 2022 18:37:43 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9074 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/when-you-play-fire <p>There is an old saying that if you play with fire, eventually you will get burned. The same can be said for certain chemicals. Of course, I don’t mean “play” in the literal sense. What I mean is that when chemicals are produced, especially on a large scale, as many are, accidents can happen. However, risk can be minimized by adhering to good manufacturing practice and proper handling and storage of chemicals. Unfortunately, human error, negligence and greed can take a toll.</p> Fri, 25 Jun 2021 17:12:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8769 at /oss /oss/article/environment-you-asked-general-science/why-my-dogs-pee-ruining-my-lawn <p>Most homeowners let their dogs use the backyard as their own personal toilet. Often after a winter of such potty practice, when the snow melts, you’ll often find your lawn speckled with unsightly yellow patches. First of all, what causes these patches? Dog urine contains a variety of nitrogen compounds. Too much nitrogen will burn the grass and create yellow patches. But appropriate concentrations of nitrogen can actually be beneficial to the lawn, which is why you’ll often see rings of thick dark green grass around the yellow patches.</p> Fri, 25 Sep 2020 15:53:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8425 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/shocking-catastrophe-beirut <p>The Beirut explosion may be the worst ammonium nitrate disaster in history, but it is not the first such calamity. Let’s go back to the early morning of April 16, 1947 when spectators flooded to the docks in Texas City, Texas, drawn by the bright orange flames and the massive plume of black smoke that enveloped the S.S. Grandcamp, a French ship that had caught fire in the harbour. Then, as people marveled at the inferno, and quick-thinking vendors circulated with peanuts and other refreshments, there was a reverberating explosion.</p> Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:40:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8358 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/it-true-garlic-china-grown-human-feces-and-watered-urine <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4216" rel="attachment wp-att-4217"><img alt="garlic" height="225" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/02/garlic-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></a>It is possible that sewage is used as fertilizer, as it is in many parts of the world although there is no evidence that garlic in China is fertilized in this fashion. In any case, there is no problem with this, human waste is as effective a fertilizer as is animal waste. Spreading human sewage on fields that grow crops doesn't sound appealing, but it is safer than you might think. Urine is normally free from the pathogens that cause diseases, while soils <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125694.400-faeces-on-food-crops--safer-than-youd-think.html">help to filter and clean</a> bacteria found in feces. Actually the skin on garlic is effective at preventing penetration into the bulb. Of course it is a good idea to wash the bulb before using, no matter where it comes from. A dip in boiling water is an added safeguard.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/02/25/is-it-true-that-garlic-in-china-is-grown-in-human-feces-and-watered-with-urine/">Read more</a></p> Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:00:23 +0000 OSS 1877 at /oss /oss/article/environment-news/guano-back <p>The other day, at the garden center, I noticed a box of fertilizer announcing that it contained a "natural" fertilizer… guano. In fact, before synthetic fertilizers, such as ammonium nitrate - which unfortunately just made headlines with the accident in West Texas - all fertilizers were "natural." But none of them have a history as extensive as that of guano. It is difficult to imagine that what is basically bird droppings could be the root of so many conflicts, including wars.</p> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:10:34 +0000 Ariel Fenster PhD 1923 at /oss