Humor
Only a Scientist Could Love!
Have You Ever Wondered...?
Water can Kill???
Many people find it hard to believe that water can actually kill you.
The fact is, it's not the water itself that is poisonous, but the
fact that an excess of its consumption over a short period of time
can lead to the dilution of critical electrolytes (such as sodium
and potassium) in your body. This condition is known as hyponatremia,
or water poisoning. Left untreated, it can lead to death. The artist
Andy Warhol is said to have died from this condition after a surgery
due to the improper monitoring of fluids in his body. For a brief,
but excellent summary on water poisoning, check out the wiseGEEK web site for more details.
(added 3/13/07)
Note: The Have You Ever Wondered...? section is meant as a fun way to learn about intriguing questions concerning everyday (and sometimes not so everyday) things. It is not intended to sway your opinion in one way or another or to express a personal view about a topic. If you have a topic you are interested in, let me know and I'll see what I can find out for you. Previous topics will be archived for later viewing.
Have You Ever Wondered...?
Here's a mystery that has always intrigued me. For those of you that
still use (or remember) ice cube trays (instead of an ice making machine),
you may have opened the freezer to find little "spikes"
of ice coming off the top of the cubes. If you've ever wondered what
in the world causes this, take a look at this web site from Cal
Tech and have your curiosity satisfied.
(added 4/10/06 - Image from Caltech web site)
Note: The Have You Ever Wondered...? section is meant as a fun way to learn about intriguing questions concerning everyday (and sometimes not so everyday) things. It is not intended to sway your opinion in one way or another or to express a personal view about a topic. If you have a topic you are interested in, let me know and I'll see what I can find out for you. Previous topics will be archived for later viewing.
Have You Ever Wondered...?
Aspartame (trade name NutriSweet) is
a nonnutritive sweetener that is used as a substitute for sugar in many
brands of diet beverages. You may have seen the words PHENYLKETONURICS:
CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE
on the sides of beverages containing this artificial sweetener. Have
you ever wondered what this means, or how it might affect you? Here is a great explanation of what this all means. The answer might surprise
you!
(added 11/12/05)
Have You Ever Wondered...?
Why has pseudoephedrine (a common decongestant) been removed from over-the-counter store shelves (in Oregon) and what does it have to do with the making of the illegal drug, methamphetamine?
The answer lies within the structure of the two molecules. Below are images of the pseudoephedrine and methamphetamine molecules (respectively).
The two molecules have some things in common. They both contain a ring
of carbons (in black) known as a benzene ring and both
contain the atom nitrogen (blue) that is part of an organic functional
group known as an amine. The physical structures are
almost identical. In fact, the only significant difference between the
two is the alcohol (hydroxyl) group (made up of an
oxygen (red) and hydrogen (white)) found only on the pseudoephedrine
molecule. In order to convert pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine the
maker must chemically remove the hydroxyl group and replace it with
a hydrogen. Chemically speaking, this is not very difficult to do. However,
the dangerous, flammable reaction chemicals, hazardous by-products and
toxic nature of the drug itself makes it a ticking time bomb for anyone
involved in its use or manufacture. Anyone who has viewed images on
the news of HAZMAT teams in contamination suits going into meth houses
can see how dangerous these chemicals are considered by law enforcement
officials. For further information on this drug I recommend the following
sites:
MethNet:
Web site produced by the Illinois Attorney General's office. Although
it has information specific to Illinois law, there is excellent general
information here as well.
National
Institute on Drug Abuse: Government information on health hazards.
NIDA
for Teens: Site geared towards teens which explores the science
of meth drug abuse. Highly recommended.
Office
of National Drug Control Policy: Extensive facts sheet.
Drugstory:
Excellent information, links and articles.
(added 11/15/05)