The SCQ is happy to partake in the Week of Science initiative, and will have only textbook pieces for this particular week. If you need a breather, please take a moment to peruse our humour section. That should work nicely – – – DISCLAIMER: This article is intended to help readers understand the role of emergency contraceptive pills in pregnancy prevention, but not to encourage or discourage the use of this medication. Did you know that morning-after-pills can still be effective for pregnancy prevention if given within 5 days after unprotected intercourse? This, despite a name that seems to imply…
The Science Creative Quarterly
From February, 2007
THE THRILL OF THE RIDE: A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY AND SCIENCE OF ROLLER COASTERS
The SCQ is happy to partake in the Week of Science initiative, and will have only textbook pieces for this particular week. If you need a breather, please take a moment to peruse our humour section. That should work nicely – – – “Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really very frightening.” ~Gertrude Stein Roller coasters are the descendents of Russian ice sleds, which first appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries. These large contraptions were simply made of very long steep pieces of wood covered in ice. Riders would typically climb a 20 meters high hill and would…
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH EQUALS PHORPHYRA SP. (IT WOULDN’T HURT)
The SCQ is happy to partake in the Week of Science initiative, and will have only textbook pieces for this particular week. If you need a breather, please take a moment to peruse our humour section. That should work nicely – – – INTRODUCTION The red algal Porphyra sp. is thought to be the single most important seaweed genus for providing food globally (Madlener 1977, Indergaard 1983, Kenicer et al. 2000). It is a common and conspicuous component of rocky intertidal habitats in temperate marine waters worldwide and is widely utilized by humans for its nutritional values nearly universally where…
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH EQUALS PHORPHYRA SP. (IT WOULDN’T HURT)
The SCQ is happy to partake in the Week of Science initiative, and will have only textbook pieces for this particular week. If you need a breather, please take a moment to peruse our humour section. That should work nicely – – – INTRODUCTION The red algal Porphyra sp. is thought to be the single most important seaweed genus for providing food globally (Madlener 1977, Indergaard 1983, Kenicer et al. 2000). It is a common and conspicuous component of rocky intertidal habitats in temperate marine waters worldwide and is widely utilized by humans for its nutritional values nearly universally where…
EBPR METAGENOMICS: THE SOLUTION TO POLLUTION IS BIOTECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION
The SCQ is happy to partake in the Week of Science initiative, and will have only textbook pieces for this particular week. If you need a breather, please take a moment to peruse our humour section. That should work nicely – – – Brief With the recent application of metagenomic techniques to wastewater treatment, the “black box” of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) has been opened. Dirty limericks are included to illustrate some key points. The Solution to Pollution is Dilution: The Old School I once took a poo in a bucket It smelled and I wanted to chuck it…
IF TREES COULD TALK
Q: So, Great Hemlock, you have been in this forest for a while, tell me what it was like back when you were a seedling. A: Ooh, that was 300 years ago, let me think. I remember looking up to see if I could locate my parents. There were many trees that shaded me from the sun, but none that I recognized. Now that I am older and have seedlings of my own, I know that when they are ready, hemlock seeds fly away on the wind and parents never know what becomes of their offspring. I think it is…
ORGANIC FOODS – HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE OR JUST ANOTHER FAD?
As more and more organic foods are appearing on the shelves of our grocery stores and are gaining publicity in mass media, one cannot help but wonder what the big deal is with the presence of the little green “organic” sticker. The word being passed around is that organic foods are “healthier” and “safer” for the consumer than foods produced by conventional farming. And the fear of consuming pesticides, in particular, is a catalyst in the trend towards choosing organic foods. However, there is limited scientific evidence to support the perception that organic foods are safer and more nutritious to…