/oss/taxonomy/term/910/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/what-exactly-green-chemistry <p>In 1942 nylon went to war. American paratroopers dropped from the sky with nylon parachutes and hunkered down in nylon tents. Soldiers on leave hoped to seduce European women with gifts of nylon stockings. Bristles for toothbrushes, strings for tennis racquets, insulation for wires, bearings for machinery, catheters, sutures, umbrellas, undergarments, shower curtains and numerous items of clothing all made of nylon soon hit the market. Consumers were absolutely taken with this miraculous new material.</p> Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:52:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8716 at /oss /oss/article/environment-quirky-science-science-science-everywhere-you-asked/what-environmental-problem-referred-witches-knickers-ireland <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4422" rel="attachment wp-att-4423"><img alt="" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/03/knickers1-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Plastic bags that have been carelessly discarded and get caught up on tree branches. Polyethylene bags fluttering in the wind, desecrating our beaches and piling up in cabinets under our sinks, waiting for uses that never seem to materialize, have become symbolic of our throw-away society and lack of environmental conscience. We use a lot of plastic bags, that much is for sure. Worldwide, roughly a million every minute of every day. Why? <a href="/oss/what-is-the-environmental-problem-referred-to-as-%E2%80%9Cwitches%E2%80%99-knickers%E2%80%9D-in-ireland/">Read more</a></p> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:31:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1890 at /oss