SciFood Blog
@scifood.blog
đ€ 844
đ„ 1445
đ 2012
Food science & fun science. Because curiosity is the best ingredient (
https://scifood.blog
).
Absinthe has a mystique and a reputation as an aphrodisiac, a muse and a destroyer of men and women. But does the green fairy have no clothes? Does absinthe deserve its reputation? Find out in my new post.
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Absinthe: Does The Green Fairy Have No Clothes?
Absinthe seems to come to us out of the mists, the alleyways and the side streets of Belle Epoque Paris. The verdant symbol of bohemian excess, absinthe speaks to us of the heyday of the Montmartre. A time when bars like the Moulin Rouge and Le Rat Mort1 provided the chaotic playgrounds for those from all levels of French society with a taste for excess.
http://scifood.blog/2026/05/11/absinthe-does-the-green-fairy-have-no-clothes/
23 days ago
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Learning how to cook fish can be a bit daunting. Bones everywhere, crumbly flesh threatening to disintegrate and skin that just sticks to everything. Can the science of fish help with cooking them? Find out in my latest post.
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How To Cook Fish
In some of the earliest posts I wrote for this blog I discussed how cooking meat is all about anatomy. Understanding the anatomy of muscles, and how particular muscles are used by the animal, helps you understand which muscles are tender and which are tough. The toughest meat is from the muscles that did the most work when the animal was alive.
http://scifood.blog/2026/04/30/how-to-cook-fish/
about 1 month ago
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We need salt to live but the average human eats twice as much salt as is healthy for them. Find out why we crave salt and why it can be too much of a good thing (and who to blame)
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How To Stay Healthy In a Salty World
Whenever a human is eating, a salt shaker is never too far away. For six thousand years we've relied on salt to improve our food. To make the uninteresting interesting and the bland, well, less bland. Though our ancestors often found it hard to get enough salt, in the modern world we are awash with the stuff. Without even seeming to try, the average human being on the planet consumes twice as much salt per day than what is considered healthy for us.
http://scifood.blog/2026/04/15/how-to-stay-healthy-in-a-salty-world/
about 2 months ago
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About time!
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
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Google will begin punishing sites for back button hijacking in June
Google says it could penalize back button hijacking by demoting websites in search ranking.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/websites-that-hijack-your-back-button-must-stop-by-june-15-or-face-googles-wrath/
about 2 months ago
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We take ourselves so seriously. Yeah we've got big guns, CNN, reporters, diplomats and deranged Presidents. But we're still just squabbling chimpanzees
arstechnica.com/science/2026...
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https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/ugandan-chimps-split-into-two-factions-then-killed-rivals/
about 2 months ago
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Good intro to the history of Silphium - the herb that Romans were mad for but which went extinct centuries ago ... or did it?
theconversation.com/ancient-roma...
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Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be contraception and aphrodisiac. Then one day, it went extinct
Some have suggested rampant extramarital sex in elite Roman circles led to demand for silphium outstripping supply.
https://theconversation.com/ancient-romans-were-obsessed-with-a-plant-said-to-be-contraception-and-aphrodisiac-then-one-day-it-went-extinct-260506
about 2 months ago
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I'm not sure that toast is a significant cancer risk in today's world, but we're saved anyway
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
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Scientists develop gene-edited wheat that can make toasted bread less carcinogenic
Bread and biscuits made from Crispr-edited wheat showed substantially reduced acrylamide levels
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/07/crispr-gene-edited-wheat-toasted-bread-less-carcinogenic-acrylamide
about 2 months ago
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Antibiotic resistance is going to be the next thing that sneaks up and bites us on the arse
aeon.co/essays/antib...
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https://aeon.co/essays/antibiotic-resistance-in-india-has-consequences-everywhere?utm_source=rss-feed
about 2 months ago
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Good example of doing a proper analysis on some Anthropic bullshit The entire IT industry is based on getting crap products to market as quickly as possible and then hyping the crap out of them We're just witnessing the birth of the next Microsoft
arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/h...
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How did Anthropic measure AI's "theoretical capabilities" in the job market?
2023 study made a lot of assumptions about future "anticipated LLM-powered software."
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/how-did-anthropic-measure-ais-theoretical-capabilities-in-the-job-market/
2 months ago
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I only just discovered Hiroshima oysters and now they are dying đ
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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âSomething out of the ordinaryâ: why are Japanâs oysters dying en masse?
A death rate of up to 90%, attributed to warming seas, is threatening the trade in Hiroshima prefecture, which produces most of the countryâs farmed oysters
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/31/japan-oysters-dying-death-rate-warming-seas-hiroshima
2 months ago
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reposted by
SciFood Blog
Teresa Robeson
2 months ago
Alas, I have the common Asian "alcohol flush reaction"...but it's probably doing me some good. đ Via
@scifood.blog
- Do We Love Mum's Cooking Because She Made Us as Well as Dinner?
scifood.blog/2026/03/31/d...
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Do We Love Mumâs Cooking Because She Made Us as Well as Dinner?
In our popular culture we have a complicated relationship with mutants. For every Teenage Mutant Turtle and Wolverine, there is a Magneto, a Jason Vorhees or a Thing. The hillbillies from DeliveranâŠ
https://scifood.blog/2026/03/31/do-we-love-mums-cooking-because-she-made-us-as-well-as-dinner/
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Dinosaurs!
theconversation.com/the-revoluti...
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The revolution in dinosaur science started 50 years ago â hereâs what we have learned
Scientific methods validated from modern life have brought dinosaurs to life in a testable way.
https://theconversation.com/the-revolution-in-dinosaur-science-started-50-years-ago-heres-what-we-have-learned-278600
2 months ago
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Genetics may have a lot more to do with our food preferences than we think. I go on about this a bit in my latest post.
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Do We Love Mumâs Cooking Because She Made Us as Well as Dinner?
In our popular culture we have a complicated relationship with mutants. For every Teenage Mutant Turtle and Wolverine, there is a Magneto, a Jason Vorhees or a Thing. The hillbillies from Deliverance probably qualify as mutants but I'm not sure whether Godzilla is a good guy or a bad guy? Are zombies mutants? Regardless, it seems that everyone agrees that messing with your DNA is a risky proposition.
http://scifood.blog/2026/03/31/do-we-love-mums-cooking-because-she-made-us-as-well-as-dinner/
2 months ago
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Don't drink raw milk
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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Outbreak linked to raw cheese grows; 9 cases total, one with kidney failure
Raw Farm denies link to illnesses while patients keep identifying its products.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/kidney-failure-case-reported-in-raw-cheese-outbreak-maker-still-denies-link/
2 months ago
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This would have been an interesting project indeed. Apparently "difficulties" were encountered!!
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
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OpenAI âindefinitelyâ shelves plans for erotic ChatGPT
Some staff reportedly questioned how sexy ChatGPT benefits humanity.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/chatgpt-wont-talk-dirty-any-time-soon-as-sexy-mode-turns-off-investors-report-says/
2 months ago
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What happens when you cram a bunch of anti-vaxx, conspiracy theory lunatics into a committee supposed to safe-guard the health of millions of people? That's right! DRAMA!
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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"The last straw"âRFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine ally angrily quits CDC panel after spat
Robert Malone quit a vaccine panel, blaming an HHS spokesperson for "trashing" him.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-anti-vaccine-ally-dramatically-quits-cdc-panel-complaining-of-drama/
2 months ago
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Drought conditions favour the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Not that that's a concern is it? No climate change happening around here ...
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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Antibiotic resistance among germs swells during droughts, study suggests
Study links two crises: Climate change and antibiotic-resistant infections.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/antibiotic-resistance-among-germs-swells-during-droughts-study-suggests/
2 months ago
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If insurance companies wont insure it anymore it is definitely become something of a crisis for under-45s
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
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US under-45s struggle for insurance approval as colon cancer rates rise
ACA requires firms to cover colonoscopies for over-45s but young people face hurdles to receive appropriate tests
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/23/colon-cancer-colonoscopy-insurance-coverage
2 months ago
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People impressed by corporate jargon are the worst employees - who'd of thought?
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Workers who fall for âcorporate bullshitâ may be worse at their jobs, study finds
New study finds that employees impressed by corporate speak may be least equipped to make effective decisions
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/23/corporate-speak-study
2 months ago
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More evidence for a link between cognitive decline and your microbiome
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Intestinal interoceptive dysfunction drives age-associated cognitive decline - Nature
Age-related microbiome changes increase medium-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, driving GPR84-mediated myeloid inflammation, impaired vagal signalling and hippocampal dysfunction; targeting this g...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10191-6
2 months ago
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The irony of "intelligent" people trying to discriminate on some genetic basis for intelligence Mentioning eugenics should be number one red flag Do that, you're arrested and off come the balls. Don't need that level of stupid round here buddy.
theconversation.com/claims-about...
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Claims about genetic superiority ignore the real drivers of human inequality
Claims that genes determine intelligence, health and social outcomes are reappearing. But modern science shows environment and opportunity matter far more than genes.
https://theconversation.com/claims-about-genetic-superiority-ignore-the-real-drivers-of-human-inequality-275393
2 months ago
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The history of 'bitch'
aeon.co/essays/what-...
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https://aeon.co/essays/what-the-evolution-of-bitch-says-about-gender-and-power?utm_source=rss-feed
2 months ago
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As if I didn't have enough to worry about
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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You're likely already infected with a brain-eating virus you've never heard of
Fatal brain infection was thought to be from profound immune suppression. Not anymore.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/youre-likely-already-infected-with-a-brain-eating-virus-youve-never-heard-of/
2 months ago
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Some wisdom
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
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Stephanie Alexander: âI get enraged at the idea that to be healthy has become a trendâ
The cookbook legend on food anxiety, the joy of family dinners and why she has âabsolutely no time forâ protein shakes
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/mar/21/stephanie-alexander-chef-interview-food-anxiety-healthy-eating-trend
2 months ago
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It's not the first time, but paper published yesterday shows all the nucleotides present on an asteroid. Suggesting that questions about the origins of life need to go beyond just Earth Some commentary here as well:
theconversation.com/all-5-fundam...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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A complete set of canonical nucleobases in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu - Nature Astronomy
Samples returned from the asteroid Ryugu contain all five canonical nucleobases (A, G, C, T and U). Their presence in Ryugu and Bennu supports the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids contributed to...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02791-z
3 months ago
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The world's most dangerous animal might be a vector for a flesh eating bacteria to move between possums and humans Also some good advice for managing mosquitoes around your home
theconversation.com/flesh-eating...
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Flesh-eating bacteria spread from possums and mozzies. But Buruli ulcers are preventable and treatable
Cases of Buruli ulcer have been detected on the New South Wales south coast. Hereâs how to protect yourself.
https://theconversation.com/flesh-eating-bacteria-spread-from-possums-and-mozzies-but-buruli-ulcers-are-preventable-and-treatable-278094
3 months ago
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You often hear that tomatoes were feared and that rich people died after eating them off pewter plates. Find out if this is really true in my latest post.
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Tomatoes and Fake News
Humans love a good story. We also love a simple story. We like our good guys to be good, our bad guys to be bad, we like a message that reinforces our beliefs and we definitely like some closure, everything wrapped up with a nice little bow. Our love of a well-formed narrative, and our tendency to use them to interpret the world around us, creates a divergence between our narrative choices and the real world.
http://scifood.blog/2026/03/15/tomatoes-and-fake-news/
3 months ago
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reposted by
SciFood Blog
Teresa Robeson
over 1 year ago
I am thrilled!!! to have CLOUDS IN SPACE as one of
@smithsonianmag.bsky.social
scholarsâ picks for âBest Books of 2024â đ
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...
Wait, have I mentioned that I am thrilled??? đ
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The Best Books of 2024, as Chosen by Smithsonian Scholars
Staff at the Institution pick their favorite reads of the year, including riveting memoirs, fascinating true histories and fun fiction
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-best-books-of-2024-as-chosen-by-smithsonian-scholars-180985583/
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What a wonderful world đȘ°
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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Woman sneezes out maggots after fly larvae get trapped in her deviated septum
She made a full recovery, despite the maggots.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/woman-sneezes-out-maggots-after-fly-larvae-get-trapped-in-her-deviated-septum/
3 months ago
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As they say in the article, correlation does not mean causation but an intriguing and slightly worrying idea
theconversation.com/rising-co-le...
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Rising COâ levels are reflected in human blood. Scientists donât know what it means
If recent trends continue, the atmosphere may become a little toxic to breathe in 50 years.
https://theconversation.com/rising-co-levels-are-reflected-in-human-blood-scientists-dont-know-what-it-means-277833
3 months ago
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Well doesn't this just put the cherry on the sugar, oil, milk and nuts emulsion cake!
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
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âI took two bites and had to spit it outâ: candy makers are phasing out real cocoa in chocolate
Due to the volatile cocoa market, companies like Hershey are using replacement ingredients such as sugar, oil, milk and nuts
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/11/reeses-hersey-chocolate-candy-cocoa
3 months ago
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My grandmother's compost heap was a fascinating thing when I was a child. But never really saw one again for a long time as people stopped doing it.
theconversation.com/5-top-tips-f...
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5 top tips for the perfect compost â according to science
Is your compost a veritable Vesuvius of foul-smelling, putrescible plant waste? You might be doing everything wrong. Fear not; you can learn from your mistakes.
https://theconversation.com/5-top-tips-for-the-perfect-compost-according-to-science-271403
3 months ago
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Who doesn't feel like they're being scammed at the moment?
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
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âEveryone feels like they are being scammedâ: can Central Americaâs small coffee growers survive as global prices fall?
Family-run farms in El Salvador and Honduras face mounting losses, rising costs â and the need to adapt or be left behind
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/10/coffee-farming-el-salvador-honduras-adaptation-cost-central-americas-small-coffee-growers-crisis-global-economy
3 months ago
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Some good news - I wonder how this splits down party lines
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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Americans trust Fauci over RFK Jr. and career scientists over Trump officials
RFK Jr. has tried hard to villainize Fauci. Americans still trust Fauci more.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/americans-trust-fauci-over-rfk-jr-and-career-scientists-over-trump-officials/
3 months ago
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The tell tale moss!
arstechnica.com/science/2026...
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How moss helped convict grave robbers of a Chicago cemetery
Burr Oak Cemetery is the final resting place of Emmett Till and blues singer Willie Dixon, among others.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/how-moss-helped-convict-grave-robbers-of-a-chicago-cemetery/
3 months ago
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I worry about humans when we can't even feed our children properly, not to mention corporations who are profiting off people not feeding their children properly
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
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More than 220m children will be obese by 2040 without drastic action, report warns
World Obesity Federation says half a billion children will be overweight and calls on governments to act to create healthier environments
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/04/more-than-220m-children-will-be-obese-by-2040-without-drastic-action-report-warns
3 months ago
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Books were really the internet of the renaissance
arstechnica.com/science/2026...
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What we can learn from scientific analysis of Renaissance recipes
Multispectral imaging, proteomics, historical texts yield new insights into 16th-century medical manuals.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/renaissance-diy-science-people-tested-tweaked-home-remedy-recipes/
3 months ago
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If you dare, take a peak into the gross world of food borne helminth parasites in my latest blog post
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Helminths Exposed: Inside the Sometimes Gross World of Food Borne Parasites
In 1865, Otto von Bismarck, the conqueror of France, the architect of German unification, Germany's first Chancellor and the steely-eyed hard man of realpolitik challenged a scientist to a duel. This wasn't an early case of nerd hazing. Rudolf Virchow, apart from his scientific career, was also the leader of the Progressive Party and one of Bismarck's most vocal opponents…
http://scifood.blog/2026/03/04/helminths-exposed-inside-the-sometimes-gross-world-of-food-borne-parasites/
3 months ago
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I honestly didn't know you could eat carp.
theconversation.com/australians-...
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Australians scorn this fish once adored by monks and kings
Carp is a prized table fish in Europe but despised in Australia. How did we get here?
https://theconversation.com/australians-scorn-this-fish-once-adored-by-monks-and-kings-276278
3 months ago
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Australian honey is good for what ails ya
theconversation.com/honey-from-a...
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Honey from Australian wildflowers has potent power to kill bacteria
The next jar of Australian honey you buy may just be doing more good than you realise.
https://theconversation.com/honey-from-australian-wildflowers-has-potent-power-to-kill-bacteria-276630
3 months ago
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I love Hyperion (and the other books as a kid). At the time had no idea that the whole thing was fusing The Canterbury Tales and science fiction. Just loved the stories.
arstechnica.com/culture/2026...
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Hyperion author Dan Simmons dies from stroke at 77
I went into Hyperion blind, decades ago, knowing almost nothing about it. I was never the same.
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/02/hyperion-author-dan-simmons-dies-from-stroke-at-77/
3 months ago
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Called the "drunk monkey" theory it suggests our proclivity for alcohol goes back to our simian ancestors. It relies on monkeys actually eating rotten fruit So in this study one group of monkeys followed another group of monkeys to see how boozed up they got đ
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Ethanol ingestion via frugivory in wild chimpanzees
Natural daily consumption of dietary alcohol by chimpanzees suggests human attraction to alcohol may come from our ancestral diet.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw1665
3 months ago
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I predict many middle-aged anti-vaxxers will soon be softening their stance on vaccines
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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Could a vaccine prevent dementia? Shingles shot data only getting stronger.
Latest data hints that benefits seen so far could be underestimates.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/02/could-a-vaccine-prevent-dementia-shingles-shot-data-only-getting-stronger/
3 months ago
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All the things that got me called a nerd and beaten up as a child are now mainstream! A little annoying to be honest.
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...
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Myth, monsters and making sense of a disenchanted world: why everyone is reading fantasy
I have made the leap from literary fiction to fantasy â for those who think itâs mere wish-fulfilment, hereâs why we need that thing with the dragons
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/22/myth-monsters-and-making-sense-of-a-disenchanted-world-why-everyone-is-reading-fantasy
3 months ago
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If you like wine, find out how we almost lost it all thanks to a American insect and how disaster was averted thanks to some crazy plant biology.
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Phylloxera: The American Grape Vine Pest That Almost Ruined My Saturday Nights
Can you imagine a world without French wine? A world without the wines of Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Provence? A world in which French people don't look down their nose at the wines of the rest of the world? Is such a world even possible? Well, in the late 19th century this is exactly the world that almost came into being.
http://scifood.blog/2026/02/22/phylloxera-the-american-grape-vine-pest-that-almost-ruined-my-saturday-nights/
3 months ago
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I'm not sure why it comes as such a shock to people when the lying, corrupt demagogue you allied yourself with to further your own agenda turns around and bites you?
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
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MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide
MAHA members call movement a "sham" after Kennedy supports glyphosate order.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/02/maha-moms-threaten-to-turn-this-car-around-as-rfk-jr-flips-on-pesticide/
3 months ago
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As someone who has worked in the States as a biomedical researcher and who was funded by the NIH when I set up my own lab, it is heartbreaking seeing what Trump is doing to the next generation of biomedical researchers
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
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âWeâre no longer attracting top talentâ: the brain drain killing American science
As Trump slashes science funding, young researchers flee abroad. Without solid innovation, the US could cease to have the largest biomedical ecosystem in the world
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/19/trump-science-funding-cuts
3 months ago
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Great - we going to have to face a climate crisis with no coffee.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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Coffee-growing countries becoming too hot to cultivate beans, analysis finds
Five countries responsible for 75% of worldâs coffee supply record average of 57 extra days of coffee-harming heat a year
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/18/coffee-growing-countries-too-hot-to-cultivate-beans-analysis
3 months ago
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Ha!! Like I've been saying for years. Promite is categorically better than Vegemite and now I've have a quasi-scientific taste trial to prove it (sorry non-Australians to make you witness this airing of dirty laundry)
www.theguardian.com/food/2026/fe...
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In a taste-test battle of supermarket mite-y bites, which will win? (Spoiler: it isnât Vegemite)
After sampling eight savoury spreads available in Australian aisles, Nicholas Jordan braces for a patriotic backlash
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/feb/17/supermarket-taste-test-yeast-spreads-vegemite-promite-marmite?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAQ_5f9-Zv1weU_GObXko6om_L4mwEqEAgAKgcICjDU66ILMJf2ugM&utm_content=bullets
4 months ago
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Research paper but it's firewalled
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
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