/oss/taxonomy/term/908/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-general-science/breath-fresh-air-hardly <p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta, is often in the news because of its mandate to protect the health of the public. These days it is almost impossible to have a conversation about Covid-19 without the name of CDC popping up. Of course, the organization deals with much more than illness due to viral infections. The effect of fragrances on health is also in its domain.</p> Fri, 17 Nov 2023 14:51:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9728 at /oss /oss/article/medical-environment/its-matter-altitude <hr /> <p><em>Cover Image: Patricia Brubaker and Stephen Poulin fly the flag of Cabbagetown, Toronto, at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.</em></p> Fri, 13 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9689 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/masked-kids-are-alright <p>It is easy to raise the spectre of science to scare people. Talk about a new vaccine technology messing with your DNA and you’ve conjured up instant anxiety. It is an especially potent technique when the target of the sciency boogeyman is a child. Children are frequently at the center of moral panics, from video games to heavy metal music, from alleged Satanic ritual abuse to reactionary views on gender expression.</p> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:56:31 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9039 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-you-asked/there-any-point-drinking-oxygenated-water <p>Oxygen is critical for life and that also makes is susceptible to chicanery. If oxygen is so essential that the brain is permanently injured after just four minutes of deprivation, then surely more must be better! That’s the argument used by sellers of “oxygenated water” who often target athletes with claims that their product can improve athletic performance. Well, all water is actually oxygenated water because oxygen from the air dissolves in water, although not to a great extent since its solubility is only about 25 mL per liter.</p> Thu, 23 Dec 2021 23:55:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8963 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/you-asked-can-someone-really-suffocate-being-covered-gold-paint-jill-masterson-goldfinger <p>No. We do not breathe through our skin. James Bond seemingly was unaware of this fact given that after discovering the golden corpse he tells M: “She died of skin suffocation, it’s been known to happen to cabaret dancers. It’s all right so long as you leave a small bare patch at the base of the spine to allow the skin to breathe.” That view was shared by the director who made sure that actress Shirley Eaton’s stomach remained unpainted while the scene was being shot.</p> Fri, 28 May 2021 19:56:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8748 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/lets-puncture-some-myths-about-masks <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-lets-puncture-some-myths-about-masks/wcm/9f9976a6-b044-44eb-b1a0-0b8c9353f56b/">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> <hr /> <p>The other day, while running on the mountain, I was stopped by a well-meaning bystander who warned me not to wear a mask while running. He had heard from a friend of a friend that if you exercise while wearing a mask, your lungs could explode. He then nodded knowingly and went along his way.</p> <p> </p> Thu, 02 Jul 2020 15:45:03 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8318 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-do-house-plants-clean-air <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-utansvujqja" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Do house plants clean the air?" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/UtansvUJQjA?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-utansvujqja&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Do house plants clean the air?" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Do house plants clean the air?</iframe> </div> </p> Thu, 19 Dec 2019 23:01:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8055 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/shaking-champagne-bottle <p>People readily understand that solids can dissolve in a liquid. Salt or sugar dissolve in water and the warmer the water, the faster the rate of dissolution. We learn this in elementary school. But for some reason, the idea that gases can dissolve in water causes more confusion. Indeed, they do dissolve. If oxygen from the air did not dissolve in water, for example, fish could not survive. And if carbon dioxide did not dissolve in water, we wouldn’t have carbonated beverages. Temperature, on the other hand, has a different effect as to how gases and solids dissolve in water.</p> Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8044 at /oss /oss/article/health/colour-meat <p>It’s a different world today, especially if you shop for your meat at a supermarket. You select your cut, pre-packaged meat from the refrigerated case, and the butcher who prepared it may not even be at that location. This is “centrally processed, case-ready meat” referred in the industry as CPRM. The central processing facility may be miles away from the supermarket. Of course, there is an economic consideration to central processing but it also helps deliver a safe, consistent, high-quality product with longer shelf life. And there is a lot of science involved here.</p> Thu, 03 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7505 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-what-liquid-oxygen <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-rdldz-zuvbu" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz discusses 'Liquid Oxygen'" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/RDLDz-zUVbU?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-rdldz-zuvbu&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz discusses 'Liquid Oxygen'" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz discusses 'Liquid Oxygen'</iframe> </div> Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:33:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7208 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-are-proponents-hydrogen-water-all-wet <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-3"></div> Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:30:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7206 at /oss /oss/article/health/heat-wave-fury <p><span>Like all warm-blooded mammals, we humans need to get rid of the heat we generate with every chemical reaction in our bodies. Most animals, like dogs, get rid of heat by panting. Panting is actually a fairly bad way to get rid of heat because you cannot run and pant at the same time. So a dog can only run around for a short period of time before it overheats and has to stop to pant. Dogs make for bad endurance athletes.</span></p> Mon, 16 Jul 2018 19:48:33 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7169 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/spaceships-recycle-everything-except-astronauts-poop <p><span>Astronauts inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, just like you and me. On Earth, where exhaled air warmed by our bodies naturally rises away from us, the possibility of inhaling too much carbon dioxide isn’t usually a worry. But for astronauts, </span><a href="https://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Daily_life">it’s a major one</a>. Without the ventilator fans installed in shuttles and stations, carbon dioxide would accumulate around an astronaut.</p> Wed, 30 May 2018 19:37:31 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7121 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere-you-asked/soft-drink-bottles-are-made-plastic-called-polyethyleneglycol-terephthalate-or-pet-while-plastic <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4403"><img alt="" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/03/wine-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>While PET has a very low permeability when it comes to carbon dioxide, it readily allows oxygen to pass through. And oxygen is the enemy of wine! When we talk about storing soft drinks, permeability to carbon dioxide is the critical factor. A beverage that loses carbonation loses its appeal. In this case oxygen permeability is not an issue. While oxygen passing into a plastic soft drink bottle from the air may react with some of the flavor components, the effect would be minor given that we don’t store soft drinks for extended periods. But of course we do store wine to age it. And this is where oxygen becomes a problem. <a href="/oss/soft-drink-bottles-are-made-of-a-plastic-called-polyethyleneglycol-terephthalate-or-pet-while-this-plastic-is-fine-for-storing-soft-drinks-why-is-it-not-recommended-for-storing-home-made-wine/">Read more</a></p> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:24:28 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1889 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/can-placing-avocado-seed-guacamole-prevent-discolouration <p>Whether you're a guacamole lover or not, everyone knows that the beautiful enticing green colour of fresh guacamole can quickly turn to a dismal unappetizing brown. Perhaps the reason that guacamole is traditionally made with peppers and tomatoes stems from the observation that these components retard the browning reaction. In terms of chemistry, the reaction is fascinating.</p> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:38:41 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1647 at /oss