Sugar of Lead: A Deadly Sweetener
Did ancient Romans, Pope Clement II or Ludwig van Beethoven overdose on a sweet salt of lead?
February 07, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Bedtime Reading From Beatrix Potter: Amateur Mycologist
Would Flopsy, Mopsy and Peter Cottontail have been conceived had it not been for the biases of Victorian era science?
February 06, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
The Squishy History of Bath’s Buns
Was Sally Lunn a 17th-century Huguenot refugee named Solange Luyon? Or just a great tall tale?
February 03, 2012 |
By Guest Blogger
Questing for Calories in New Zealand’s High Country
There is something liberating in running out of food. Concerns about rationing are out the window and the world is simplified into a playground for foraging
February 02, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Battle for Food in World War II
A new book examines how food figured into the major powers' war plans
February 02, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
To the Bottom of the World—and Back Again
When Felicity Aston, on skis, caught sight of Antarctica's coastal mountains, she told me, "they were like a neon sign flashing at me saying, 'You have finished!' "
February 01, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Where Jet Engines, Football Fans and Eggs Collide
Does the noise in a Super Bowl stadium create enough power to fry up a dozen eggs?
February 01, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Jose Andres and Other Toques of the Town Honor Alice Waters
What do you cook for famed chef Alice Waters? Washington's culinary celebrities faced this challenge at the unveiling of her portrait at the Smithsonian
January 31, 2012 |
By Jeanne Maglaty
Frito Pie and the Chip Technology that Changed the World
As we approach one of the biggest snack days of the year, meet the "Tom Edison of snack food" who brought us the "Anglo corn chip"
January 30, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Saving the Whales (And Eating Them Too?)
What does whale meat taste like, and is it anything like jojoba oil, prosciutto or jellied crustaceans?
January 27, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Picnicking in the Polar Fog
In 1897, S. A. Andree took off for the pole on board his balloon, complete with a tuxedo he intended to wear upon his arrival in San Francisco
January 25, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
The Curious Case of a Gigantic Sham Clam
Geoducks are a staple of Chinese New Year. But did one grow to the size of a wheelbarrow?
January 23, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Meringue Chemistry: The Secrets of Fluff
If these things were made by Renaissance chefs in the days before electric mixers, surely I could manage to whip some up myself
January 20, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
In The Future, All Women Will Be Amazons
A 1950 news report predicted that women in the year 2000 would be "more than six feet tall, wear a size 11 shoe, have shoulders like a wrestler and muscles like a truck driver."
January 20, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Catch and Release: A Wicked Game?
Without doubt, fishing is an effective means of bringing people to the water's edge, their eyes open and hearts thumping, to admire the ecosystem and consider the value in preserving it
January 19, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
A Different Kind of Dinner Bell in the Antarctic
How do you catch a penguin supper when you're trapped in Antarctic ice? Play music
January 18, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
A Closer Look at What You Eat
A photographer uses a scanning electron microscope to zoom in on everyday foods—and makes art
January 13, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
New Zealand and Other Travel Locales That Will Break the Bank
New Zealand is worth visiting, but I'm not sure how long I can keep traveling here while claiming to be "on the cheap"
January 12, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
When Did the Girl Scouts Start Selling Cookies?
What are your favorite varieties, and what do they say about you? And did you sell the cookies as a kid?
January 12, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Tasting Shackleton’s Whisky
The replication of a historic whisky might reflect merely our fascination with artificial artifacts---but the whisky yielded a surprise
January 11, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
