Upcoming Events		Books
February 8, 2012 "Chemical Confusion" (J. Schwarcz) Ontario Soil and Crop Association London, Ontario 7:30 PM   Click here to see all upcoming events		Now available:       Click here to see all available books and to purchase
Science Issues		Science In The News
Aspirin and Heart Disease A time-honoured medical maxim states, “primum non nocere.”  That’s the way, “first do no harm” used to be taught in medical school when Latin was still part of the curriculum.  Basically it means that for any medical intervention the possible benefits should outweigh any potential harm.  And that goes for the most popular drug in the world.  That drug is aspirin.  About 4000 pills are consumed every second of every day, with a stunning total of some 100 billion tablets a year... more For more, please see Features.		Chlorpropham on Sweet Potatoes There’s no argument about it.  The video on YouTube has impact.  The curtain goes up on a sweet little girl who is preparing to share with us the results of a science experiment that was supposedly suggested by her grandmother.  She shares the spotlight with three sweet potatoes that have been immersed in water to see how they would sprout.  The results are dramatic.  The sweet potato purchased in a conventional grocery store failed to sprout even after weeks, while the organic potato purchased in the same store produced some scrawny vines... more For more, please see Features.
You Asked...		Science From Afar - Melody in Clerkship
Q. Can the mugariga plant actually cure diseases?  Click here to find out... For more, please see Features.		Follow the trials and tribulations of OSS associate Melody Ko, now a medical student at St. George's University Spreading the Word, But Not the Virus
		Lectures on COOL
		Click here to visit COOL (COurses OnLine) Be sure to visit the "Special Lectures" section on COOL as well!
Did You Know?		Coin francophone d'Ariel Fenster
Sigmota, a town in Sweden, holds an “Annual Pee Outside Day.”  The purpose of this is to save on water that is normally used to flush toilets.  Peeing outside for one day cuts water use by 50% for that day.  Citizens are urged to be discreet and not make use of windows.  Placing a brick inside the holding tank of a flush toilet can also lead to significant water savings with no loss of flushing effectiveness.  This is more convenient than scampering outside, especially for the 50% of the population for which tree and walls are not an alternative to the toilet.   Click here for more interesting facts		- Haro sur les croustilles Dans la fable « Les animaux malades de la peste » de La Fontaine, on crie « haro sur le baudet ».  Au lieu du baudet, ce sont les croustilles qui sont aujourd’hui la cible de critiques. Bien sûr, à cause de leur teneur en gras et en sel, mais depuis quelque temps aussi, à cause de la présence d’acrylamide. Que sait-on sur cette molécule et faut-il vraiment s’en inquiéter? suite - La cryothérapie; vous connaissez?Vous pouvez vous demander pourquoi Jason Terry, un joueur des Mavericks, l’équipe de basketball de Dallas, a l’air si heureux. Son corps est immergé dans une chambre cryogénique, à -110 oC! Déjà très populaire en Europe, où elle est surtout utilisée par les athlètes, la cryothérapie du corps entier (CCE) est en train de faire son apparition en Amérique du Nord. suite For more, please see Features.
		"The Dr. Joe Show" on CJAD & CFRB (Sun. 3PM)
		In an attempt to improve public health, Denmark has recently introduced the world’s first tax on a food component.  What component is being taxed? Click here to find out... For more, please see Features.