With readily available pregnancy tests stocked across drugstore shelves, it is hard to imagine a time when determining pregnancy was not so simple a task. Instead of the easy-to-use plastic cartridge we commonly imagine, the earliest reliable pregnancy tests utilised Xenopus laevis, also known as the African clawed frog (Nuwer, 2013). This method for identifying Read the full article…
All elements with an atomic number above 100 are called the “transfermium elements.” These synthetic elements are fairly new discoveries, and therefore were named most recently. While there had been 100 prior elements to set naming precedents, this didn’t ensure a smooth process for the nomenclature of the nine following elements (Elding, 1994). The International Read the full article…
The story of Thomas Midgley Jr. is a cautionary tale of the power of scientific research, and its consequent potential dangers. As an engineer with over 100 patents by the end of his career, Midgley (Figure 1) could always be expected to be working on the next big breakthrough (National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2003). Read the full article…
Whether it is the sweet taste of ripe grapes or the dry flavour of crisp apples, often the first thought that comes to mind when considering champagne are the bubbles, that sparkling signature of facetiousness. What you might not think about is where champagne comes from and its production. What is really in a bottle Read the full article…