The international campaign against adding flouride to public water supplies has just had a monkey wrench thrown into their works. A new study reports that flouride is in the beer supply, in considerable amounts. The study is: “Beer as a Rich Source of Fluoride Delivered into the Body,” D. Styburski, I. Baranowska-Bosiacka, M. Goschorska, D. Chlubek, and […]
Tag: tea
How much water does it take to make a (250ml) cup of tea?
The answer may depend on many factors – not least, on whom you ask. Dr John Kazer for example, who is a Carbon Footprint Certification Manager for the UK-based Carbon Trust will tell you that for a 250ml cup, it’ll take around 30 litres – but that’s just for the tea itself – considerably more […]
Tea & coffee diet: Theory of everything
To gain quick fame as a biomedical seer, explain how a person can grow slim (or fat) by drinking coffee (or tea). This newly published study gives you fodder for devising your Theory of Everything. Good luck! “Molecular mechanisms of the anti-obesity effect of bioactive compounds in tea and coffee,” by Min-Hsiung Pan, Yen-Chen Tung, Guliang Yang, Shiming […]
The radioprotective blancmange from Saint Petersburg
A research team from Saint Petersburg, Russia, have developed the world’s first radioprotective blancmange. Professor Tamara Arsenyeva and Olga Kukushkina of ITMO University (Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics) explain their concept – a functional dairy product, contributing to a better elimination of radionuclides from the human body – in the […]
Another small effect of drinking coffee on some people who don’t regularly drink coffee
Yet another tiny research tentative discovery about possible small biomedical effects of coffee and/or tea: “Post-study caffeine administration enhances memory consolidation in humans,” Daniel Borota, Elizabeth Murray, Gizem Keceli, Allen Chang, Joseph M Watabe, Maria Ly, John P Toscano and Michael A Yassa [pictured here], Nature Neuroscience, epub 2014. The authors, at Johns Hopkins University […]
Planetary Tea, Relatively (the physics thereof)
British tea preparation now includes preparation for possible visits to other planets. This study presents some of the relevant calculations: “Tea Time in the Solar System,” Hannah Natasha Lerman, Benedict Irwin, and Peter Hicks, Physics Special Topics, vol. 12, no. 1, 2013. (Thanks to investigator Nigel Rawson for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, […]
Personality Traits and Coffee, Tea, Cola Drinks, Smoking
A Brazilian team tried to find the connection, if any, between personality traits and the consumption of coffee, tea, and cola drinks, and smoking. Then they published a report: “Distinct Personality Traits Associated with Intake of Coffee, Tea, and Cola Drinks and Smoking,” Diogo R. Lara, Eduardo Antoniolli, Julia Frozi, Ricardo Schneider, Gustavo L. Ottoni, […]
A British analysis of the physics of a tea kettle whistle
Another case of tea driving scientific effort and discovery: “The aeroacoustics of a steam kettle,” R.H. Henrywood and A. Agarwal, Physics of Fluids, vol. 25, 2013, 107101. (Thanks to investigator Richard Baguley for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at the University of Cambridge, UK, report: “The whistle in a steam kettle provides a […]
A cup of tea and some Smoots: One must or can celebrate standards
A core definition of Britishness, the official six-page specification for how to make a cup of tea, is officially “under review”. But don’t panic. It is standard procedure for the British Standards Institution (BSI) to do a “systematic periodic review” of each of its many specifications which, piecemeal, define nearly everything British. Belying stereotypes of […]
Tea that is of, If Not for, Insects — Its Place in Culture
Some tea news, for thee: “Insect tea, a wonderful work in the Chinese tea culture,” Lijia Xu, Huimin Pan, Qifang Lei, Wei Xiao, Yong Peng, Peigen Xiao, Food Research International, epub January 17, 2013. The authors, at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and at the Ministry of Education, in Beijing, China, explain: “Insect tea… […]