by Captain Skellett | Dec 21, 2009 | How Things Work, Poisons, Science at Home
Last night I made spicy Dhall for dinner, because lentils and peas may be high in protein, but they’re also really lame. I used a recipe from an old English cookbook from the 70’s with all pounds and ounces. Couldn’t be bothered converting stuff, so...
by Captain Skellett | Nov 9, 2009 | How Things Work, Poisons
Everyone knows you’re supposed to eat something “to line the stomach” before you hit the town, but why is that? Alcohol is pretty volatile, around 5% of what you drink is expelled through the lungs. It’s why you can smell alcohol on someone’s breath,...
by Captain Skellett | Oct 26, 2009 | Drugs, How Things Work, Poisons, The Realm of Bizzare
Halloween is on the horizon. Today’s post is on the science of Zombies. Because Zombies, apparently, exist. In Haiti. Haiti is located in the Caribbean, near Jamaica and Cuba. Ah… the Caribbean… Anyway, this story is not about cocktails served in...
by Captain Skellett | Sep 1, 2009 | Poisons, Recent Research
Nanobee shown at one zillion times magnification. Bee toxin sucks, in my opinion. As a young lass I was always scanning the grasses for bees whenever we reached the port. I was quite allergic to them – a sting would leave my foot hugely swollen and painful, and...
by Captain Skellett | May 6, 2009 | Poisons
Ahh, Oleander. Nice to say, pretty to look at, but have a nibble and you’ll be dead ten ways from Sunday! They say that it’s the most deadly plant in the world, but I have to say I have a problem with that – there’s probably loads of other...
by Captain Skellett | May 1, 2009 | Poisons
Deady Nightshade, also known as Belladonna, is a highly toxic plant. I think we used to have some in the backyard when I was young, and my parents always told me to never eat the berries because they were poisonous – as little as 2 berries can be fatal to a...