/oss/taxonomy/term/507/all en /oss/article/environment-general-science/breaking-down-bioplastics-benefits-and-problems <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-breaking-down-bioplastics-benefits-and-problems">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>What chemical reaction developed in a lab has had the greatest impact on the world? I think I can make a case for polymerization, the process by which small molecules are linked together to make long chains. Specifically, I have in mind the polymerization that produces plastics, a group of materials that can be shaped when soft and then hardened to retain a given shape.</p> Fri, 13 Sep 2024 17:57:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10078 at /oss /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-environment-did-you-know/whipping-some-science <p>Want to add a bit of extra delight to that cake or sundae? No need to bother with whisking some cream when you can just reach for that aerosol cannister of whipped cream. Just squeeze the little trigger and perfectly whipped cream gushes out! For the propellant action you can thank nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas.” That term was coined by the great English chemist Humphry Davy upon noting that “this gas raised my pulse upwards of twenty strokes, made me dance about the laboratory as a madman, and has kept my spirits in a glow ever since.”</p> Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:25:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10026 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-environment-did-you-know/mystery-milky-seas <p>Imagine sailing through a pitch-black ocean night, only to find the waters around you glowing eerily like a vast field of snow. This enchanting phenomenon, known as milky seas or mareel, has both baffled and mesmerized sailors for centuries. These rare events, occurring roughly zero to two times a year globally, are a spectacular display of bioluminescence that turns the sea into a surreal, glowing expanse.</p> Fri, 09 Aug 2024 14:31:17 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 10022 at /oss /oss/article/environment/heat-may-do-more-make-us-feel-miserable <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-its-too-darned-hot">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 05 Jul 2024 15:41:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9996 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-environment/there-are-safe-sunscreens-no-safe-tans <p>When it comes to health matters, scientists rarely make statements that do not begin with “may.” But here is one. Excessive exposure to sunlight causes skin cancer! There’s no “may” about it. And here is another one. Chemical protection can effectively reduce exposure. Uncertainties do, however, emerge when it comes to deciding on which specific chemicals to use. Activists claim that some sunscreens are unsafe and blame regulatory agencies for not looking after the welfare of the public, while manufacturers profess that their products have been thoroughly tested for safety and efficacy.</p> Wed, 03 Jul 2024 02:33:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9993 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-environment/trail-chemtrail-nonsense <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-on-the-trail-of-chemtrail-nonsense">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 21 Jun 2024 16:14:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9984 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-technology-environment-climate-change/folly-water-fuelled-vehicles <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-the-folly-of-water-fuelled-vehicles">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9930 at /oss /oss/article/environment-general-science/niagara-falls-and-nebulous-positive-effects-negative-ions <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-niagara-falls-and-the-nebulous-positive-effects-of-negative-ions">The Montreal Gazette</a>.</em></p> Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:19:33 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9920 at /oss /oss/article/history-environment-did-you-know/does-daylight-savings-time-actually-save-energy <p>The surefire signs that Spring is just around the corner have started to appear – trees are budding, flowers beginning to bloom and there’s more rain than snow. (Full disclosure – I live in the UK now, so if the snow is persisting in Canada, I apologize for the false hope.) Very soon it will be time to move our clocks forward one hour, pushing sunrise to post-7 am, but giving us light until nearly 8 pm.</p> Fri, 08 Mar 2024 21:36:07 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9861 at /oss /oss/article/medical-environment/hoping-breath-fresh-air <p>Twenty-five sextillion is an inconceivably large number. Think 25 followed by 21 zeros. Now take a deep breath! You have just inhaled roughly that many molecules! Quite mind-boggling, but if you want a statistic that may leave you breathless, the single breath you just took contained at least one molecule that had once been exhaled by Napoleon, Einstein, Genghis Khan, or anyone else in history you care, or don’t care to choose. Most of those molecules are either nitrogen or oxygen but there are plenty of others, many of which would be classified as pollutants.</p> Thu, 08 Feb 2024 01:50:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9825 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-technology-environment/dry-water-lets-whet-your-appetite-some-science <p>The poem, “My country”, by Dorothea MacKellar, is recited by every preschooler in Australia. One line is of particular relevance: </p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>“A land of droughts and flooding rains”. </em></p> Fri, 01 Dec 2023 19:00:10 +0000 Ben Selinger FRACI, CChem 9747 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/environment-did-you-know/dark-side-black-plastics <p>I’m sitting here looking around my office for anything made of black plastic. The casing of my computer is in that category, so is my coffee machine, my printer, my cell phone stand, my stapler, a bunch of pens that clutter my desk, my electronic car key, an electric heater, a flower pot, the carbon atoms in my molecular models, the armrest on my chair and a garbage can as well as the garbage bag inside it. Even some of the ducks that adorn my shelves are made of black plastic! No, I am not bored or mentally disturbed.</p> Thu, 17 Aug 2023 20:17:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9603 at /oss /oss/article/environment-you-asked/does-weather-really-cause-headaches <p>When the weather forecast foretells a coming storm, some get out not only their umbrella and wellies but also the Advil. The weather has been blamed for ailments from arthritis flare-ups to coughs, but is it culpable when it comes to headaches?</p> Fri, 04 Aug 2023 16:59:27 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9595 at /oss