The importance of flavor. With the onset of fall weather, many of us turn to baking to heat up the kitchen and satisfy cravings for carbs. Who can resist the aroma of cinnamon bread or apple pie? What do you associate with baking? Cinnamon? Vanilla? Let’s dive into the biology of these two common...
Ah, the appetizing aromas in the kitchen as meals are prepared: baking bread, sizzling bacon, bubbling sauces. Then there are the scentless emissions: methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, nitrous oxide and nitrogen dioxide. The specialities of gas stoves. Needless pollutants. We’re not used to thinking about how toxic our indoor air might be...
I saw one at my in-laws place in Wisconsin last summer, on the front walk. It was writhing crazily and literally jumping off the ground. Big, fat, ugly. We stomped on it til it spilled its guts. It had that tell-tale light colored band just behind its head. A Jumping Worm! Jumping worms were...
Despite the US EPA rollback of regulations on numerous pesticides, the evidence is overwhelming that pesticides are causing harm to people and wildlife of all kinds, from the soil creatures that make our soil healthy, to the insects that pollinate our crops, to the birds that sing in our backyards, to our pets that...
End of summer, with the cooler night time temperatures, prompts area residents to close their pools for the year. Where does all that pool water go? In my neighborhood, almost half of the neighbors have pools, most are in-ground pools and a couple are above-ground pools. The pool water is gorgeous- clear, blue, inviting...
