29Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 8 Comments

What is Canola Oil? Does It Pose a Health Risk?

Food
What is canola, the source of canola oil? Have you ever seen this little green plant with a brownish tubular shoot rising above the…? No. Wait a minute. Don’t leave. Not yet anyway. I’m not going to lie to you. There’s no such thing as a canola. What is Canola? What is Canola Oil? What is canola? The word stands for Canadian Oil, Low Acid. So the oil comes from Canada. And, whether naturally or artificially, it is low in acid. But what is a canola? What kind of plant is that? From the rapeseed plant. Sound appetizing? Let’s not judge a book by its cover. A Matter of Breeding? J.Am.Coll.Nutr. (1989), in an article by J. Dupont, et al reports, canola oil is “expressed from a cultivar of rapeseed…
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24Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Misfortune Gave Me Life

Genealogy, People
[caption id="attachment_13225" align="alignright" width="440"] The Honourable Sir Wandesforde[/caption] One woman's misfortune gave me life! How is that? Sometimes things just work out that way. One person’s prosperity results in another person’s misfortune. The opposite is also true. One person’s misfortune can result in the prosperity of someone else. In my case, the misfortune of my 3X-great grandmother opened the way for “yours truly” to prosper. How so? Sometime in Ireland during the interval 1791 to 1795, Bridget “Biddy” Kavanagh was born. Most girls married and Biddy was no exception. It was about 1823 to 1825. The man was Thomas Large. The location was probably Castle Comer, County Kilkenny. The couple was apparently in the employ of the “Honourable” C.H.B.C.S Wandesford [1]. He would also have been their landlord. Life Turns…
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22Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

Quasi-Spherical Orbits – by Author Bob Chester

Mathematics
The Most Interesting Curves You've Never Heard Of by Robert G. Chester [caption id="attachment_13083" align="alignleft" width="340"] Author Robert G. Chester[/caption] Quick, what simple rotations simultaneously generate the circle, the parabola, and the intersection of a cylinder and a sphere? Can these rotations also subsume the hippopede of Eudoxus [1], the limaçon [2], Viviani’s curve [3], rhodonea [4], the lemniscate of Gerono [5], and Fuller’s “great circle railroad tracks of energy” [6]? Quasi-Spherical Orbits, or QSOs, are the dynamic three-dimensional curves that result when a point rotates simultaneously about two or more axes. These intriguing curves provide insights and yield results in mathematics and physics alike. Viviani's Curve [caption id="attachment_13087" align="alignleft" width="133"] Rotation a[/caption] A point rotates in the right hand direction around the z-axis. The orbit is a circle in…
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19Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 5 Comments

Mummy Ötzi and the Bible

Bible, History
[caption id="attachment_13034" align="alignright" width="300"] A reconstruction of Ötzi's axe. Image by Bullenwächter, CC by 3.0.[/caption] Mummy Ötzi and Tubal-cain have what in common? Most scientists do not know. But it has to do with his axe. It also has to do with the Bible. The oldest and best-known naturally preserved mummy was discovered and uncovered in 1991. He had been frozen in ice for more than 5,000 years. Nicknamed Ötzi, a copper axe was found in his possession. What is so special about the axe? Scientists had previously believed metal objects would not be introduced for an additional 1,000 years. Mummy Ötzi Many new things were discovered in connection with mummy Ötzi. But the thing that should most interest sincere Bible students is the axe. Why? Because the Bible informs…
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15Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Magnesium Chloride Anti-Icing Spray

Bible, Chemistry
How does your department of transportation deal with winter? Do they use a magnesium chloride anti-icing road treatment ahead of a snow storm? I am a chemist. I live where it snows a number of times each year. Road safety requires local transportation departments to plow during storms. Their efforts are enhanced if preparation is made beforehand. One way to accomplish this is by spraying roads ahead of time with anti-icing spray. Sand Spreading sand does help traction, but it doesn’t prevent or eliminate ice. There is another reason to use something besides sand. Has the reader heard of sandblasting? Particles of sand are blown against a surface to clean it. In fact, it is used to blast away paint from a painted surface. Is that what you want for…
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12Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 9 Comments

Instant Pudding Thickening Chemistry

Chemistry, Food
Ordinary “cook” pudding, such as Royal Pudding or Jello Pudding, has been around for decades. It is a starch product that, combined with milk, sets into semi-solid form through heating. However, “instant” pudding utilizes a different thickening mechanism. In fact, two thickening mechanisms. What are the mechanisms for instant pudding thickening? A Concrete Thickening Model It’s like making concrete from Portland cement! Really, like that? Think of what the Portland cement contains. It is largely a mixture of silicates. Among these are dicalcium silicate (CaO2)2•(SiO2) and tricalcium silicate (CaO2)3•(SiO₂2). Mixing the cement powder with water yields an inorganic polymer matrix. We will introduce a model for the thickening process of instant pudding in just a moment. First, though, you may enjoy looking at this very early Jell-o Instant Pudding commercial…
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05Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers

Polymeric Water Clusters

Chemistry, Physics
[caption id="attachment_12642" align="alignright" width="480"] Ice floating in water. Image Morguefile by larryfarr[/caption] Polymeric water clusters? What are they? And what do they have to do with life? There’s no point in discussing how important water is to life. It is the single most necessary compound for the existence and survival of human, animal, and plant life. Why Special? What makes water special is its unusual behavior. Typical of liquids, as water approaches freezing, its density increases. Yet just before freezing, it suddenly decreases. This is why ice floats. Once it forms, ice insulates the water beneath it. It prevents large bodies of water from freezing solid. How? Hydrogen bonding. To understand hydrogen bonding, we must first consider the shape of the water molecule. Geometry of a Water Molecule A water…
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24Jan 2016 by Vincent Summers 7 Comments

Natural Snow Removal – How?

Meteorology, Physics
[caption id="attachment_12185" align="alignright" width="480"] Snow - It's a Natural[/caption] What is natural snow removal? It doesn't involve vitamins or minerals. It doesn't involve mulch or compost. From December to March, throughout the United States, sizable snow falls are no surprise. Some are delighted by snow. Others dread it. Neither speeds up or prevents a snow fall. Except through hard work on streets, sidewalks, and such, snow only goes go away by natural means. Natural Snow Removal One natural factor that removes snow is an increase in outdoor temperature. The greater the temperature, the faster snow melts. Of course it melts from the top down or the outside in. But temperature is not the only factor involved in natural snow removal. Sunlight The sun can shine brightly. Snow disappears more quickly…
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23Jan 2016 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

Rigor Mortis – Not a Lucky Stiff

Chemistry, Medicine
When a person or animal dies, it doesn’t take long before the body grows cold and stiff. Cold makes obvious sense, but why stiff? Why does rigor mortis [Latin for stiffness of death] set in? Chemistry of Rigor Mortis Rigor mortis results from chemical changes within the muscles - it’s body chemistry. The chemical enabling muscle flexing is ATP (adenosine triphosphate). When breathing ceases, breathing ceases. Lack of oxygen severely diminishes ATP production. If the individual dies, the body begins cooling right away, but muscle stiffening does not set in immediately. [caption id="attachment_14541" align="alignright" width="280"] Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)[/caption] Before R. M. – a Second ATP Production Process There is a secondary process for producing ATP. It involves anaerobic glycolysis, the breakdown of glucose into lactic acid. Simply written, it is…
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22Jan 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Polyacetylene Conductive Polymer

Chemistry, Technology
[caption id="attachment_12124" align="alignleft" width="440"] Acetylene Welding - NASA[/caption] Metals are electrically conductive, yes. But is there such a thing as a polyacetylene conductive polymer? In a sense, a plastic that is not electrically insulative, but electrically conductive, and a top-notch conductor at that? Ethyne (AKA acetylene) polymerizes to polyethyne (polyacetylene) in the presence of copper catalysts. When prepared in an alternate way, polyacetylene (CH)2 exhibits moderate electric conductivity. Oxidation with iodine increases conductivity of the polymer by several powers of ten. In fact, it approaches the specific electrical resistance of silver. In 2000, Shirakawa, Heeger and McDiarmid received the Nobel Price for this discovery. How is the reaction written? And what is so special about polyacetylene conductive polymer? General Schematic Preparation of Polyacetylene The simple saturated molecule ethane is written…
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