Beyond pharmacy blog
All posts from: March 2014
Diagnosis by ear wax
Ear wax, or cerumen, could reveal a great deal of information about an individual, such as health status, personal identity, gender and sexual orientation, researchers have suggested.
Crystal clue to early life on earth
A crystal discovered in the Jacks Hills region of Western Australia has been found to be 4.4 billion years old. Its analysis suggests that the earth could have supported life 4.3 billion years ago — almost a billion years before the oldest fossil records.
Hats off to Doctor Guillotin
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, the eponymous French physician who called for a humane device to carry out death penalties, died 200 years ago this week.
Beware the ides of March
The ides — the 15th day — of March, has for more than 2,000 years been connected with the murder of Julius Caesar, led by the senators Cassius and Brutus.
Secret in the eye of the chicken
Research over the past 15 years shows that materials exhibiting a so-called disordered hyperuniform state have unique properties involving transmission and control of light waves.
Originator of cybernetics
Tuesday 18 March marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Norbert Wiener, the founder of cybernetics, who made some of the 20th century’s most significant contributions to mathematics.
Wound healing power of birch bark
The birch is my favourite tree, which is perhaps a strange choice given that it grows almost like a weed across northern Europe. But I associate the silver birch (Betula pendula) with much interesting travel across the Baltic States and Russia, where many people believe in the healing power of the birch, particularly for wounds.
Should we eat more garlic?
Garlic has been cultivated for thousands of years, both for culinary purposes and for its medicinal properties.