Centuries ago, merchants and shippers would place a lit candle inside barrels used to store biscuits before closing the lid. The idea was that the candle flame would deplete the oxygen inside the barrel to help keep the biscuits from spoiling. These days, the candle flame has been replaced by processes called Modified Atmosphere Packaging […]
What is an Oxygen Deficient Environment? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an environment in which oxygen levels fall below 19.5 percent as an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, which should be treated as immediately dangerous to health or life. When there is not enough oxygen in the air, persons within the affected area may become […]
In modern times, vaccines have been widely used to keep people healthy by protecting them from serious illnesses and diseases. Worldwide, vaccines annually prevent millions of deaths, and their utilization is responsible, in many parts of the globe, for the nearly total eradication of numerous diseases, including polio, measles, and smallpox. According to the U.S. […]
Brewing beer produces carbon dioxide (CO2), especially during fermentation (the process by which yeast converts sugars into alcohol). Estimates are that fermentation yields three times as much carbon dioxide as is actually needed to produce (including brewing, canning, and bottling) each batch of beer, with up to 15 grams of CO2 generated per pint of […]
In March 2018, at two separate fertility clinics, one in Cleveland and the other in San Francisco, the cryogenic tanks storing eggs and embryos malfunctioned, resulting in devastating losses for couples hoping to conceive children. Nationwide, as of December 2019, there were more than 440 sites that store embryos or eggs in specialized storage tanks […]
How about meat without involving animals? Move over, veggie burgers; food companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, among others, have created plant-based meats that smell, taste, and look (imagine a thick, juicy hamburger) like the real thing. Unlike traditional veggie burgers, made from soy and bean paste, which have been marketed primarily to […]
In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, making it the first of many states to ultimately legalize medical cannabis; as of January 2020, an additional 32 states and the District of Columbia have also made medical cannabis legal. Additionally, recreational use of cannabis is now legal in 11 states and is decriminalized in many others. Cannabis legalization […]
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe and used across a variety of industries. Valued for more than simply filling party balloons, helium is of critical importance in many commercial applications, including high-tech, automotive, healthcare, and aerospace. Helium Uses For instance, the manufacture of fiber optics requires an all-helium environment to prevent […]
Criminalization of cannabis cultivation and consumption in the United States began with prohibition by certain states in the early 20th century (between 1911 and 1933, some 29 states banned the cultivation and/or use of cannabis), with the first significant nationwide federal restrictions implemented under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. More recently, just as the […]
