Dalgona coffee explained: The science behind why instant coffee foams

Photo by Bhupendra Singh CC0, via Pexel

Joanie Tian, Chemistry editor Canadians are stuck at home to limit the spread of COVID-19, and more and more of us are spending our time worshiping the gods of social media and following TikTok recipes. In these extraordinary times, Dalgona coffee has become a social media star. For those of you who don’t follow as […]

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Joanie Tian, Chemistry editor

Joanie, a B.Sc. candidate studying biomedical science, became a Science Borealis Chemistry editor early in 2020. She spends her spare time volunteering, writing, or volunteering to write for different non-profit organizations. This includes work supporting those with developmental disabilities, environmental sustainability work, and being a chemistry subject editor for Science Borealis. Outside of that, you […]

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To fingerprint or not to fingerprint? That is the question

Chantal Mustoe, Chemistry co-editor In October 2013, in the case of Regina v. Bornyk, a man was arrested, tried and acquitted of breaking and entering in Surrey, British Columbia. The judge assessed the fingerprint evidence himself and dismissed it due to “unexplained discrepancies” and possible effects of “institutional bias” in fingerprinting and the “subjective certainty” […]

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Ethanol: A cocktail drink and a clean and sustainable fuel for your car

Sunitha Chari, Biology & Life Sciences co-editor While horse-drawn carriages are a quaint reminder of Victorian England, the internal combustion engine that powers our automobiles is one of the most significant inventions of the 19th century. There are approximately 34 million motor vehicles in Canada. While some are public or shared transport, it is not […]

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Visualising the invisible: Cool tools that reveal chemistry’s hidden secrets

Chantal Mustoe, Chemistry co-editor Featuring science cartoonist Armin Mortazavi Take a moment to imagine a scientist in a chemistry lab. Perhaps they sport a white lab coat, protective glasses, and gloves. Around them, strangely shaped glassware contains different coloured liquids alternately fizzling, glowing and smoking. You hear a whoosh as the hissing gas in a […]

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