Sign in

SciFood Blog

@scifood.blog
872 followers 1.5K following 2K posts

Food science & fun science. Because curiosity is the best ingredient (scifood.blog).

PostsRepliesMedia
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 27/07/2026
Ramen has always had a way of crossing cultural boundaries. There is also some interesting science involved. Find out more in my latest post.
scifood.blog
Ramen and Race Relations
Immigration in any society is a complex subject, and a controversial one. It's something that is likely to get tempers flaring and people marching on the streets. As a cowardly food science blogger I don't normally have much to say on the topic, it's not something I feel particularly qualified to comment on and, like pineapple on pizza, people tend to do a lot of talking about immigration and very little listening.
060
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 12/05/2026
You're welcome. Glad you liked it!
020
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 11/05/2026
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.
scifood.blog
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.
150
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 01/05/2026
Hope you enjoy it!
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 01/05/2026
Glad you liked it! One less thing to worry about in these troubled times 🙂
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 30/04/2026
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.
scifood.blog
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.
251
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 15/04/2026
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)
scifood.blog
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.
050
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 14/04/2026
About time! arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
arstechnica.com
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.
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 09/04/2026
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...
arstechnica.com
040
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 09/04/2026
Ok just saw it on the post. Seems a little excessive.
100
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 09/04/2026
Was there some warning I'm missing? Couldn't see any adult content warning.
100
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 08/04/2026
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...
theconversation.com
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.
110
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 08/04/2026
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...
theguardian.com
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
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 06/04/2026
Antibiotic resistance is going to be the next thing that sneaks up and bites us on the arse aeon.co/essays/antib...
aeon.co
020
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 31/03/2026
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...
arstechnica.com
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."
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 31/03/2026
I only just discovered Hiroshima oysters and now they are dying 🙁 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Something out of the ordinary’: why are Japan’s 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 country’s farmed oysters
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 31/03/2026
Alas, I don't have alcohol flush reaction! So many hangovers 🙂
110
Reposted by SciFood Blog
Teresa Robeson @teresarobeson.com · 31/03/2026
Alas, I have the common Asian "alcohol flush reaction"...but it's probably doing me some good. 😄 Via @scifood.blog - Do We Love Mum's Cooking Because She Made Us as Well as Dinner? scifood.blog/2026/03/31/d...
scifood.blog
Do We Love Mum’s 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 Deliveran…
131
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 31/03/2026
Dinosaurs! theconversation.com/the-revoluti...
theconversation.com
The revolution in dinosaur science started 50 years ago – here’s what we have learned
Scientific methods validated from modern life have brought dinosaurs to life in a testable way.
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 31/03/2026
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.
scifood.blog
Do We Love Mum’s 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.
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 28/03/2026
Don't drink raw milk arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com
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.
020
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 26/03/2026
This would have been an interesting project indeed. Apparently "difficulties" were encountered!! arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com
OpenAI “indefinitely” shelves plans for erotic ChatGPT
Some staff reportedly questioned how sexy ChatGPT benefits humanity.
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 25/03/2026
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/...
arstechnica.com
"The last straw"—RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine ally angrily quits CDC panel after spat
Robert Malone quit a vaccine panel, blaming an HHS spokesperson for "trashing" him.
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 25/03/2026
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/...
arstechnica.com
Antibiotic resistance among germs swells during droughts, study suggests
Study links two crises: Climate change and antibiotic-resistant infections.
051
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 24/03/2026
Yeah, I'm a bit older but know at least three people who contracted it. Luckily they all survived. It was caught early. But it does need some urgent attention imho
110
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 23/03/2026
If insurance companies wont insure it anymore it is definitely become something of a crisis for under-45s www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
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
120
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 23/03/2026
People impressed by corporate jargon are the worst employees - who'd of thought? www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Workers who fall for ‘corporate bullshit’ 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
030
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 23/03/2026
More evidence for a link between cognitive decline and your microbiome www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
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...
020
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 23/03/2026
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...
theconversation.com
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.
041
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 22/03/2026
The history of 'bitch' aeon.co/essays/what-...
aeon.co
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 22/03/2026
As if I didn't have enough to worry about arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com
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.
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 22/03/2026
Some wisdom www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
Stephanie Alexander: ‘I get enraged at the idea that to be healthy has become a trend’
The cookbook legend on food anxiety, the joy of family dinners and why she has ‘absolutely no time for’ protein shakes
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 16/03/2026
Look out for Protomolecules!
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 16/03/2026
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...
nature.com
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...
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 16/03/2026
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...
theconversation.com
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. Here’s how to protect yourself.
011
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 16/03/2026
Ha. When I was really young we'd sit down to a full roasted English style Xmas lunch in 38C heat and 98% humidity! Surprised we didn't get a roaring fire going in the fireplace to keep the pretence of an English winter going 🙂
001
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 15/03/2026
Considering that, for a long time, Australian culture was just England in the south Pacific, I remember when Australian cuisine was very conservative as well. Things have gotten much better though.
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 15/03/2026
Looking forward to reading it!
010
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 15/03/2026
Write them down. That's what humans have been doing forever. Tell your story!
110
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 15/03/2026
Thank you. Sounds like you've got some stories you should write up! I was in Alaska in 1998 but I didn't meet Bas the Druid. Met some interesting people in Talkneeta at the moose dropping festival though 🙂
110
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 15/03/2026
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.
scifood.blog
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.
131
Reposted by SciFood Blog
Teresa Robeson @teresarobeson.com · 12/12/2024
I am thrilled!!! to have CLOUDS IN SPACE as one of @smithsonianmag.bsky.social scholars’ picks for “Best Books of 2024” 😍 www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t... Wait, have I mentioned that I am thrilled??? 😉
smithsonianmag.com
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
2920938
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 14/03/2026
What a wonderful world 🪰 arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com
Woman sneezes out maggots after fly larvae get trapped in her deviated septum
She made a full recovery, despite the maggots.
330
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 11/03/2026
As they say in the article, correlation does not mean causation but an intriguing and slightly worrying idea theconversation.com/rising-co-le...
theconversation.com
Rising CO₂ levels are reflected in human blood. Scientists don’t know what it means
If recent trends continue, the atmosphere may become a little toxic to breathe in 50 years.
030
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 11/03/2026
Well doesn't this just put the cherry on the sugar, oil, milk and nuts emulsion cake! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘I took two bites and had to spit it out’: 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
020
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 11/03/2026
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Part of that everyone being scammed thing 🙂
000
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 10/03/2026
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...
theconversation.com
5 top tips for the perfect compost – 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.
020
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 10/03/2026
Who doesn't feel like they're being scammed at the moment? www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
‘Everyone feels like they are being scammed’: can Central America’s small coffee growers survive as global prices fall?
Family-run farms in El Salvador and Honduras face mounting losses, rising costs – and the need to adapt or be left behind
120
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 06/03/2026
Some good news - I wonder how this splits down party lines arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com
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.
031
SciFood Blog @scifood.blog · 06/03/2026
The tell tale moss! arstechnica.com/science/2026...
arstechnica.com
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.
030