Coffee in our genes? Genetics is responsible for coffee consumption

Coffee in our genesIt’s Monday morning! Have you already taken your doze of coffee? Thinking of another cup, maybe? As it turns out, our genetics is blamed for addiction to coffee. Some people need to drink up to three cups of strong coffee, while just a latte will suffice for others. As new study shows, such a reaction to most popular drink is due to genetic variations. Continue reading

Filed under Biology, Chemistry.

Why carbon is contained in steel?

why steel contains carbonSteel may well turn to be applied more widely than any other material, present in lots of familiar items starting from your fridge and cell-phone and ending up with details of ocean liners, planes and space craft. You probably know that by steel we mean an alloy mainly composed of iron and carbon. Due to the presence of the latter, in contrast to pure iron, steel acquires higher strength characteristics. Have you ever wonder why carbon is contained in steel and, besides, how it alters properties of iron so substantially? Actually, this was the question of our visitor, it sounded as “why steel has carbon in its structure? is there any simple explanation?” We provided the short answer and, as the topic is unquestionably interesting, decided to consider it in detail in our blog.

Humans started to use iron a long time ago. The oldest item made of meteoric iron was found on the territories of modern Iran, Iraq and Egypt, and is referred to the period XI-IV BC. Approximately starting from the first millennium BC usage of iron is wide-spreading continuously. Primarily because of the transition from bronze to iron civilization growth got more intensive. Continue reading

Filed under Chemistry, Engineering.

Why do pages of books turn yellow with time?

old books coverEveryone, who’s ever seen old books, knows that their pages are always yellowish. Do you know why it’s so? Greater the age  darker the hue. Why pages turn yellow with age?

We’ll give you the answer for this question, but first let’s start with some history. Books appeared as method of knowledge transferring a long time ago. They allowed to take an accumulated experience of elder generations and give it to younger ones. Old books were written by specially educated people, the so called penmen. Information was stored on rolled sheets of papyrus. Later people have started to use parchment  for such purposes. Sheets of parchment were collected into so-called bindings. Thus the first books appeared Continue reading

Filed under Chemistry.

Why are plants green?

green leaf under microscope

Do you know why are plants green? Why leaves on trees are green? Plants as well as animals are alive. All living organisms need a source of energy to carry out biochemical reactions and a source of carbon to build their bodies. Animals (and humans as part of kingdom Animalia), fungi and most of bacteria obtain energy and carbon from organic compounds (i.e. consuming plants or other animals).
These organic compounds are produced only by cyanobacteria and plants in the process of photosynthesis. The term photosynthesis means literally “synthesis using light”: light energy drives the synthesis of glucose from carbon dioxide and water with the generation of oxygen. Energy and carbon stored in glucose can be used by other organisms in trophic chains. That’s why life on the Earth ultimately depends on plants. Continue reading

Filed under Biology, Chemistry.

Online Chemistry Homework Assistance

If you experience difficulties with your chemistry project at college, if chemistry projects cause a lot of problems in educational process, if you encounter the troubles of carrying out different experiments while coping with chemistry assignment, you are in a strong need of reliable and high quality chemistry help you may get from organic chemistry online service.

Chemistry Project

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Filed under Chemistry.