Drugs, facebook and open comments section: admin update

This blog hit some more milestones recently; all-time hit count is now over a quarter million, and Puff has attracted a little media attention. The BBC News linked to the piece on meth, for example, my post about sarin got … Continue reading →

Deadly cloud: The science behind the Syrian chemical weapons attack

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It’s believed that last week the Syrian government*** murdered hundreds of its own civilians with chemical weapons. We don’t know which weapon they used, but we do know it’s one of a handful of chemicals called nerve agents. Nerve agents … Continue reading →

Is evolution a lie?

Honesty and an open mind are critical to science. You have to let the data tell you what to think and not the other way around. If you start out expecting x, and you only accept data that confirms x, … Continue reading →

There’s rat poison in my milk? or, why everything is toxic (even Kombucha tea)

WOULD you like to eat rat poison? Probably not, but that’s OK, because you’ve eaten it already. Most milk in the United States has rat poison added to it. If you find this disturbing, you can always start reading ingredient … Continue reading →

Danger: NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof is emitting formaldehyde

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I don’t read the New York Times regularly, and it’s not because I don’t like them specifically — I just don’t read newspapers anymore. I get my news from a bunch of different sources depending on what I want to know. … Continue reading →

Science on crack, 4: The town that went insane

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In August of 1951, a strange epidemic struck the sleepy little town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in France. Over the course of a single day, hundreds of people lost their minds. A little boy tried to strangle his grandmother. A man realized … Continue reading →

Science on crack, 3: When heroin was a drug you gave your children

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Guns ‘n Roses were infamous for their offstage antics, antics which inspired some of their most famous songs. “Mr. Brownstone” is a song about heroin, a drug with which GnR was very familiar, and the lyrics nicely illustrate why the drug … Continue reading →

Science on crack, 2: Walter White & cooking crystal meth

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How many TV shows can you name that star a chemist as hero and feature references to reductive amination? I can think of only one. Breaking Bad is by far and away my favorite show on TV. It’s got a truly … Continue reading →

Science on crack: the chemistry of illegal drugs, 1

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We all know that drugs like heroin, meth and cocaine have ruined a lot of lives. That isn’t (or shouldn’t) be news. And yet despite their dire effects, the science and the stories behind these drugs is sort of fascinating nonetheless. They’re sort of like … Continue reading →

Airbags and poisoned tea: a mystery story

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Yes, I know, I said I would be closing up shop for a few months. But I saw a paper just today that was kinda intriguing, so I couldn’t resist the temptation to share it here. Aside from this my … Continue reading →

Does beer make you blush? or, why “race” is a myth

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Race is a word with an ugly history. Powerful countries have often used supposed differences between “races” as an excuse to conquer and enslave nations with technology less advanced than their own. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European scholars … Continue reading →

Do vaccines contain toxic chemicals?

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The smallpox vaccine saved hundreds of millions of lives. Arguably it qualifies as one of the most important inventions in history. But that doesn’t mean it was a welcome invention when it first came around. Check out this cartoon apparently … Continue reading →

From salami to soda pop: what does “toxic” really mean?

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It started out as a crazy stunt — a gag to keep commuters entertained. DJs at KDND-FMSacramento had lined up 20 volunteers for a water-drinking contest. Whoever drank the most water without urinating would take a Nintendo Wii home as … Continue reading →