Chemistry

The Science Of The Root Beer Float

A few days ago, while talking about mundane business issues, I learned that today, August 19th, was the birthday of that famous childhood delight, the 'black cow', what would later be called a root beer float. If you are not up on your carbonated ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 8 2025 - 7:02pm

USDA Awards Grant To Study Acidic Coatings To Protect Organic Food From Bacteria

Have you purchased organic food and wondered what the chemical is that you need to wash off? Those are alkaline wax-based coatings, designed to preserve food so it looks nice longer. Just like conventional growers use. But chemical wax coatings made includ ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 23 2025 - 12:44pm

Chemical Looping Plastic And CO2: Science Even Environmental Groups Can't Hate

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates about 35 million tons of plastics are generated just in America, and 12.% of that becomes is garbage like plastic containers and bags and even appliances. Sorry folks, politicians in states like California w ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 31 2025 - 2:27pm

Cheminformatics: NIH Funds A More Scientific Mosquito Repellent

Today, the best way to prevent malaria remains DDT. Though banned in the US by a politician over the objections of scientists, it is still recommended by the United Nations for use where malaria has not been wiped out. Our FDA even wrote the book on how to ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 12 2025 - 7:23am

French Chicks Impacted Most: Activists Set Their Sights On Banning Tebuconazole

A French team conducted experiments using sparrow chicks and write in Environmental Research that their tests led to slower growth, with females impacted most.  They targeted the common fungicide tebuconazole, popular on food crops because it can stop ever ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Apr 4 2025 - 2:34pm

'Of Questionable Evidentiary Weight' — Another Nail In IARC's Glyphosate Coffin

It seems like a hundred years ago that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was considered a neutral force for public good- but it was only 51. In 1965, when the Agency was created by the United Nations, there was a lot of optimism about ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Apr 16 2025 - 1:28pm

Safe Water May Be Killing You

The drinking water treatment process is designed to remove harmful pathogens that are prevalent in nature, but a new study suggests that it may be harmful also. Scientists know that inert ingredients are not harmful you but the authors of the new paper inv ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Apr 28 2025 - 10:19am

Practical Chemistry: What Makes Blue Jeans Blue?

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Article - Hank Campbell - May 1 2025 - 9:14am

DFDT: Nazi Cousin Of DDT Has Been 'Rediscovered' But Will People Want It?

Scientists have written a paper talking about how they "rediscovered" a pesticide that had never really been forgotten but had been ignored because it was created during the Nazi regime and really expensive; DFDT, a chemical relative of DDT. Germ ...

Article - Hank Campbell - May 19 2025 - 9:52am

Instead Of Genetically Engineering Bedbugs, EPA Should Re-Evaluate DDT

In the 1950s, the global infestation of bed bugs was nearly eradicated, thanks to the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, popularly known as DDT. Due to outcry from environmentalists and concern about Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1), and ov ...

Article - Hank Campbell - May 20 2025 - 4:22pm