What is a kilogram? A seemingly easy question with a bizarre answer. The gram (1/1000th of a kilogram) is defined as the mass of one cubic centimetre of water at 0˚C, so it seems obvious that a...
E-readers might be convenient, but they’ll never have that comforting old book smell. It turns out that the smell of old books is due to the organic materials in books (like cellulose from wood...
While it makes for a great album title, the dark side of the moon is simply a myth. As the moon rotates around the Earth, and the Earth around the sun, the moon is exposed to the sun’s light just...
The fear behind the rule of ‘no phones on planes’ is that portable electronic devices could potentially interfere via electromagnetic radiation with the measurement and navigation tools on board....
It’s time to put to rest the idea that plane air will make you sick. While the thought makes sense, as the air on a plane is indeed recycled, and the many passengers are spreading their germs into...
The precious noise-cancelling headphones that every seasoned traveller carries in their bags are actually quite an incredible piece of technology. These headphones work by listening via microphone...
The idea that birth control pills make the user gain weight has been floating around since the first appearance of contraceptive pills on the market in the 1950’s, but hasn’t been true for quite...
A single experiment in 1828 destroyed the theory of Vitalism which held that “organic substances” found in living systems could not be made in the laboratory because they were empowered with a ...
Everyone (well, almost everyone) knows that James Bond liked his martinis “shaken and not stirred.” The science behind this strange request was examined in a study published in the British Medical...