General Science

Granitoids, Pebbled Ice and Crescent Chips: Curling Chemistry

Ada McVean M.Sc. — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:48:37 +0000

As you can imagine, there's a lot of physics involved in curling. Rotation speeds, angles, momentum transfer, friction analysis, ecetera. But would you also believe there's a bunch of chemistry at play here, too?

Uniforms are made of Lycra; curling sheet borders are made of high-density foam so that they remain relatively dry; and slider shoes are typically made with a Teflon sole, for the same reason frying pans use it. But there's even more chemistry at play in the ice, and the stones, especially.

Interesting Chemistry Hides in Cookware

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:57:51 +0000

Like most chemists, I like to cook. After all, what is cooking but the appropriate mixing of chemicals? In the lab we use flasks and beakers, but how do we equip our kitchen? Tiffany's in New York offers a silver frying pan for thousands of dollars, specialty stores sell gleaming copper pots for a couple of hundred, while a thin aluminum pot can be had most anywhere for a few dollars. What's the difference?

Don’t Cry Over Ruined Oat Milk

Angelina Lapalme — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:05:00 +0000

Now before we start, let’s get something straight. There is no such thing as “oat milk”. Milk is defined as “an opaque white fluid rich in fat and protein, secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of their young”. Since plants are certainly not mammals, drinks like almond milk, coconut milk and oat milk have all been mislabeled. Instead, their cartons should read “oat beverage” or “oat drink” but that doesn’t sell the milky illusion as well.

Bacteria are Fearsome, Especially When Weaponized

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:22:07 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

They used to call it “wool sorter’s disease” or “hide-porter’s disease” because the affliction struck workers who spun wool or carried animal skins. They would sometimes develop circular lesions on their skin with a coal black centre, hence the name of the disease “anthrax” from the Greek word for coal. In rare instances drummers developed anthrax as they beat animal-skin drums.

Grilling the Science Behind the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

If You Play With Fire, You Can Get Burned

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:20:30 +0000

Fountain candles are small tubes filled with chemicals that when ignited spew out a plume of glowing sparks into the air. They sure capture attention! The effect can last a few seconds (cake fountain candles), up to a minute (bottle fountain sparklers) or several minutes (special effects for stage shows and concerts). These devices all consist of some combustible materials packed into a cardboard tube with the length of the visual effect being determined by the amount and specific composition of the chemicals packed into the tube.

Bumpy, Not Broken: What Turbulence Really Means

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 02:17:29 +0000

If you’re anything like me, flying doesn’t exactly bring out your most relaxed self. I recently crossed the Atlantic and encountered a stretch of turbulence that had me gripping the armrest with the primal determination of a newborn testing its palmar grasp reflex. This is the article I wish I could’ve read at 35,000 feet, somewhere between bargaining with the universe and believing my snack choice was my “last meal.”

A Bear’s Den and a Spaceship May Have More in Common Than You Think

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Having recently moved to Prague, I have spent many of my weekends in the Czech countryside. Life there is slow, with a usual day involving a long walk in the forest as the main event. I am often reminded by my grandmother to keep my eyes and ears peeled (my words, not hers) for wild boars – especially young ones. Now might be a good time to look at this image of these delightful beasts.

Best Before but Not Bad After

Cat Wang MScPH — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 19:13:00 +0000

From grocery stores to our medicine cabinets, dates stamped on products carry a subtle authority. These "best before" or "expiration" dates guide our consumption, influence our purchasing decisions, and, in some cases, shape the ingredients list on our favourite food products. But what do these dates really mean? Who decides them, and how are they determined?

Does Creationism Have a Place in Classrooms?

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

A new

A Century in the Making: The DNA Discovery Story

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:13:49 +0000

When most people hear about the discovery of DNA, they picture James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, triumphantly holding up a model of the double helix. But DNA’s story doesn’t begin, or end, there. In fact, the molecule that carries our genetic code had been sitting quietly in lab notebooks for almost a century before Watson and Crick entered the scene. The journey from obscure cellular “gunk” to the blueprint of life is a tale full of false starts, overlooked heroes, and more than a little scientific drama.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:53:37 +0000

Oh, human nature! When something goes wrong, we try to rationalize why the calamity has occurred. We try to find the cause of our illness or misfortune. Today, many people point accusing fingers at pesticides, vaccines, food additives or electromagnetic radiation as possible culprits that may undermine our health. In less sophisticated times, witchcraft was deemed to be responsible. Natural disasters and physical ailments were thought to be due to spells cast by those in league with the devil. Then, as now, people feared what they did not understand.

Smells

Prithu Mukhopadhyay PhD — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

A lot, in fact. Whether it is cheese, wine, truffles, or durian, smells define them all. When we lose our sense of smell (olfaction), we could be in trouble. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the underrated sense of smell to the forefront. But there is more to the smell. Let’s dig into the science of it.

The Deadly Differences Between Poisons, Toxins and Venoms

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:18:21 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

The puffer fish is poisonous, but not venomous, while a rattlesnake is venomous but not poisonous. Both can kill you with their toxins. Sound confusing? Let’s try to clear it up.

Can Nature Design Technology Better Than Us?

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Biomimicry, a scientific field dedicated to using nature as a model to guide the development of more efficient and better technology, recenters the anthropocentric narrative that often takes the reigns in science.