Aroma Chemistry : What Causes the Smell of Old & New Books?
Are you a Bibliophile, someone who loves books? If you are you’ll know the joy of buying, collecting, owning, (smelling?), touching and of course reading these textual marvels. As a bibliophime, is one of your favourite pecadillos the scent of a new book or the musky thrill of an old books smell? In this article we look at the chemistry behind that guilty little pleasure otherwise known as Bibliosmia.
A Naval Historical First – The Battle of the Ironclads
When we picture Naval vessels in a historical context we often see them in some very fixed regonisable form we rarely think about them in their interim ‘ugly duckling’ phases. Such was the state of affairs when the naval first of the ‘The Battle of the Iron Clads’ occurred.
How Medieval People Used to Walk
I expect that you’ve heard of ‘Doing the Hussle’ or maybe even ‘Doing the funky Chicken’ (they’re dances by the way), but what about ‘Doing the Medieval Walk’? No ?
Well, it’s not a dance craze but a real historic thing.
Valentine Conundrums : Why Does an X Stand for a Kiss? and Why Do Humans Kiss?
A valentine’s day conundrum for you : Why does an X stand for a kiss? and why do humans kiss anyway?
Could Huge Dinosaurs Really Sustain Themselves on a Veggie Diet?
On the face of it there seems little hope of working out precisely how a 75ft long, 50 ton Brachiosaur fed itself. However it is possible to make a few guesstimates, by assuming the present laws of physics and chemistry applied 65 million years ago.
The Joy of Slinky – The Physics of a Metal Marvel
I’ve recently re-discovered the joy of the Slinky – one of the simplest of all children’s toys and yet, so beguiling, as it seems to defy the laws of physics by hinting at some sort of perpetual motion. So how on earth does this work?
18 Delightfully Naughty Forgotten English Words We Should Bring Back
As language evolves, new words are born and others die out. In this article we look at some delightful, slightly naughty English words that time has forgotten – maybe you could start your own mini language revival and begin using them in your everyday conversation !
Blue Monday – Urban Myth or Science Fact ?
Blue Monday is the name given to the day in January, typically the 3rd Monday of the month, that it is claimed is the most depressing day of the year. So is this a real thing or not … Urban Myth or Science Fact?
Useful Guernesiais Words And Phrases
After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, Norman French became the official language used at court and by the nobles. It was 300 years before ‘English’ became the official language of England. In Guernsey however the local people continued speaking Norman.
How to Measure the Speed of Light Using Chocolate, a Microwave and a Ruler
It took over 300 years of experimentation and refinement to arrive at the figure for the speed of light which we use as standard today. That being the case, the method proposed in this article for determining that speed yourself might seem more than a little surprising.
Is it True that Opera Singers Really Can Shatter Wine Glasses by Singing ?
The renowned soprano Dame Nellie Melba is reputed to have performed this trick and in 1971 the audio-tape maker Memorex based a very successful advertising campaign around Ella Fitzgerald shattering glass both when singing live and when recorded on its tape cassettes (a claim the company still stands by today).
Two Nations Divided by a Common Language – Some Differences between American & British English
“Two nations divided by a common language” – an expression variously attributed to Oscar Wilde & George Bernard Shaw seems to aptly sum up some of the ‘infurating’ differences between “our version of English” and that of our American Cousins. In this article we present just some of the subtle, and not so sublte, differences in our common tongue.
“Sweating Like a Pig ?” – It has nothing to do with the Animal
Wher does the English idion of “Sweating Like a Pig” come from ?
Is it True that Eating Carrots Helps You See in the Dark?
This is one of those (potential) urban myths that refuse to die … “Do Carrots help you see in the dark ?” (or at the very least do they improve your eyesight?)
5 Classic Christmas Carols and their Origins
They say the old songs are the best and when it comes to Christmas Carols they may well be right. In this article we look at the origins of several popular carols both sacred and secular.
