Aug
1
1
Melody Voith
For Love Of Squid
Posted by Melody Voith on August 1, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere
Imagine being a deep-sea fisherman off the coast of northern Spain. You pull up your net and find yourself staring into the very large eye of a giant squid. So what do you do?
You get the U.S. Air Force to fly it to the National Museum of Natural History, in Washington, D.C. (You weren’t going to use it for bait, were you?) The Air Force nicknamed the mission “Operation Calamari.” They delivered two squid to D.C.–a 36-foot long, 330-lb female; and a 20-foot long, 100-lb male.
Thursday night, two C&EN reporters were treated to a preview of the preserved squid, which will be on display as part of the new Sant Ocean Hall, opening Sept. 27. Carmen Drahl (pictured) and I learned how 3M worked with museum experts to find a safe preservative that would display the cephalopods in all their tentacle-y glory.
Old-school squid preservers used formalin, not favored today due to its negative health effects, or ethyl alcohol, which is flammable and can degrade the specimen. Luckily, 3M learned of the museum’s quest for a better solution, and offered up Novec 7100 engineered fluid.
Novec has several qualities that make it fit the bill–it is nonflammable, low in toxicity, and gentle on the environment. The fluid is a hydrofluoroether with a low surface tension, and it is usually put to work cleaning very precise instruments, such as medical devices. It works well for museums, too, because it envelopes the specimens without penetrating the tissue.
The tour included a lovely dinner. Guess what they served?
Experimenting With Food
Jun
30
30
Posted by Melody Voith on June 30, 2008 in Chemistry and Food, Where is C&EN?
I’m in New Orleans at the International Food Technology show. Even before I left D.C., I made sure to tell everyone about it beforehand–“Did I tell you that I’m going to New Orleans for a food show?”–in order to inspire a little jealousy. So, I was having fun even before I got here.
But make no mistake, much like ACS meetings in New Orleans, this one is about The Science. The expo is enormous, and it covers the Alpha to Omega-3 of advances in formulating food with healthy or healthier ingredients.
Speaking of long-chain fatty acids, I met a longtime ACS member while he was trying brownies spiked with fish oil. (They were actually quite tasty.) Bryan Tungland (Isn’t that a great name for a food scientist?) says that if people want to spend less on health care and live longer, all they need to do is radically change their diets.
Almost every exhibitor had samples to try, but today, I am going to avoid the noshing. I got a little carried away yesterday and ended up with a heck of a stomachache.
Professor Of Corn?
Apr
16
16
Posted by Melody Voith on April 16, 2008 in Chemistry and Food
It’s a common complaint that “there’s nothing good on TV”. Last night I was clicking through the channels–it was already 10 PM–when I came across a PBS Independent Lens film called “King Corn.”
The movie is about two young guys who drive to Iowa to learn about growing corn in the industrial farm age. I was already intrigued and was deciding whether to stay up and watch when I noticed that the filmmakers were interviewing my college chemistry professor. Steven A. Macko studies isotopes. And he can tell you what your diet consists of by analyzing your hair. “That’s my chemistry professor!” I yelled. “He analyzed my hair!”
Turns out, as “King Corn” illustrates in great and fascinating detail, that most Americans eat so much industry-grade corn in our processed food, soft drinks, and meat, that we are literally made out of corn.
If Steve analyzed your hair, what would he find? Keep in mind that he’s analyzed the diets of dinosaurs and ancient mummies with isotopic analysis. If you’ve been drinking too much Classic Coke, he’ll be able to tell.
You may still have a chance to see the film on your local PBS station. Check it out!
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