Crystals And Catalysts

If you've read Day 22 of my science blogging challenge you'll know that I love cooking and I love chemistry (obviously). I've recently discovered the BEST mix of chemistry and cooking: Molecular Gastronomy! (I know I might be a little bit late to the party but it's still awesome!) Molecular gastronomy is a subcategory of food science that aims to find out the different ways of food's chemical and physical transformations. It uses different chemistry laboratory techniques, such as using liquid nitrogen (to freeze things really quickly), to make different takes on foods; and the best thing is, is that its still edible! Click on the link to watch a detailed video about it on VSauce's Channel. This video of powdered ice cream in a candy strawberry shows all the complex yet intriguing physical and chemical transformations that the ice cream and strawberries go though to get to the end product.

I have found that, no matter what the context, I will click on nearly any article with a type of experience in the title. I enjoy reading peoples different views in what they work in, if its working on their PhD or working in a company or their undergrad studies.  Maybe you’re an ordinary person, not a scientist, and you've just clicked here for some light lunchtime reading. But if you’re a scientist, perhaps you can relate  to my experiences in the laboratory.  If you personally know me you'll know that another hobby I have is cooking. I feel like the kitchen is like a laboratory except you make edible items. I think this is the basis for loving the laboratory, even if things go wrong its still a great place to work in. So here's a list of prominent things from my experience from working in a laboratory... 1. You don't know where time goes or what time it is... You can easily forget that time goes by in the lab. When I was working on my project I would be sho

This weeks science news includes: More reasons to love chocolate, ways to reverse colorectal cancer and also heart damage, and why watching cat videos are good for you! Click to enlarge image!

Even though Facebook pages can seem to be split into two groups — brands trying to advertise and people trying to socialize — there are other pages on Facebook that deserve some attention. The dedicated science pages. In fact, some of my favourite pages on Facebook are science blogs / magazines and pages that utilize the social media giant to spread the love of science and how majestic science can be. Whether they're making us laugh, enlightening us with the latest science news or teaching us new things, these five Facebook pages provide an excellent break from all those baby pictures and engagement announcements. Here's a list of my top 5 Science Facebook Pages... Chemistry World Compound Interest Fake Science I F****** Love Science Science Lovers Only What are your favourite science Facebook pages? Share them in the comments below. Images: Facebook

Hand sanitizer is everywhere, you find it in almost every store you go to and it’s widely available in hospitals. Hand sanitizing is beneficial to protect ourselves from harmful bacteria and viruses that can make us ill. Most people carry a bottle of hand sanitizer in their bag, especially when travelling (and especially on the London underground).  I was surprised to see that there is a video , scaring people from using hand sanitizer; featured in IF******LoveScience and DNews.  Recently new research has been published which tries to oppose the use of hand sanitizer by blaming its use on increased absorption of BPA levels in the body. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that is used in a variety of consumer products, such as water bottles, dental composites and resins used to line metal food and beverage containers, and also is used in thermal paper cash register receipts. First data has emerged that BPA from thermal paper used in cash register receipts accounts for high levels of

Personally, I love instagram. Its great for sharing images be it in the lab or personal interests. Here's a list of my favourite science Instragram accounts, hope you like them and if there's someone I've missed out, comment below and tell me about them. 1- From the Lab Bench The account of Paige Brown Jarreau - She's recently completed a PhD in science communication and she blogs about science communication & her research. But Paige's instagram is filled with her beautiful photography such as this blue bird here. 2- PopSci This is the account of the popular science website: Popular Science, who post about the "latest science, tech and futuristic nerdery" 3- WIRED This is the account of the popular science blog: WIRED, who post about the science, technology and everything in between. 4- CellPress This account goes by the saying "Science is Art" and their instagrm is full of colourful images, such as this one of ne

In today's favourites I will be listing my favourite twitter accounts to follow. Some of them are bloggers and some just lovers of science.  1 Sci Art #sciart : there's an MSc for that! Finished a BioSciences degree? Check out Bio Photo & Imaging @UniofNottingham http://t.co/rqRjVhRtLK — SciArt (@Sci_Art) March 26, 2015 2- RealTimeChem Kids, this is why you titrate BuLi: sometimes the concentration is half what it says on the bottle! #RealTimeChem pic.twitter.com/CFeIcbpwOx — Matthew Katcher (@katmatcher) May 28, 2015 3- Chemjobber @UnstableIsotope It's the thrill of potential serious injury that makes them want to understand the universe better. — Chemjobber (@Chemjobber) May 27, 2015 4- ASAP Science We all have fantasies... Even sharks. (via @elclimo ) pic.twitter.com/Cbmp5GR0pW — AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE) May 28, 2015 5- Psy Post Hallucinations and delusions more common than thought http://t.co/kXe5mGyt2S pic

Just as I love writing on my science blog, I also love reading other science blogs and seeing what science looks like through other peoples eyes.  Here's a small list of my favourite science blogs which I recommend you go and check out! Compound Interest The Chemical Blog Pictures from an Organic Chemistry Lab Just Like Cooking From the Lab bench IFL Science The Chronical Flask Chemistry Blog New Scientist Guardian Science SciCurious