/oss/taxonomy/term/999/all en /oss/article/history-you-asked/what-safety-glass <p>Basically, glass that keeps you safe from flying shards should you be nearby when it breaks. There are two types of safety glass, laminated and tempered. The laminated version has an interesting history that dates back to 1903 when French chemist Edouard Benedictus clumsily dropped a glass flask on the floor. The flask shattered but the fragments did not fly apart</p> Fri, 02 Jul 2021 20:57:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8774 at /oss /oss/article/technology/fascinating-chemistry-airbags <p>Leonardo De Vinci was fascinated by flight and dreamed of various flying machines. He was realistic enough, though, to consider the risks and thought that brave men who strapped on wings should also strap on bags of air to protect them in case they should fall out of the sky like a rock. </p> Fri, 21 Jun 2019 02:50:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7806 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-you-asked/concrete-truth-about-batteries-stored-concrete <p>Have you heard the one about batteries discharging when stored on concrete? Apparently, some people have taken to storing 12V batteries—the kind used in electric wheel chairs and emergency lighting systems—on wooden shelves to maximize their life expectancy. Is there a spark of truth to this or is this claim dead in the water?</p> <p>A bit of research reveals this to be a zombie truth: it <em>used to be </em>that batteries would discharge faster when stored on concrete, but newer technology put the kibosh on this phenomenon. Yet the belief persists.</p> Mon, 20 Nov 2017 18:21:15 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 6825 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-news-science-science-everywhere/formula-science <p>I’m not a huge fan of automobile racing, but I do admit to catching a bit of the fever when the Formula One cars roll into town. There is something captivating about these machines, capable of attaining speeds well over 300 km/hr, as they push technology, engineering and driving skills to the limit. This is not a cheap sport. The budget for a Formula One team can run upwards of $120 million a year! Just the tires cost a couple of thousand for a set, and they only last for half a race. Of course these are not ordinary tires.</p> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:12:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1962 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-history/why-black-hair-dye-became-popular-1930s-detroit <p>Well, because Henry Ford decided that younger men could work more productively on his automobile assembly line and so began to fire older workers and higher younger ones. This prompted some of the veteran workers to try to disguise their age with what else, but black hair dye. While Ford does deserve credit for laying the foundations to the modern automobile industry, particularly by introducing the concept of the assembly line, he also can be roundly criticized for his labour practices and ideological views.</p> Mon, 06 May 2013 21:30:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1929 at /oss