[In] common table salt, or NaCl[,] one of the elements is a metal, and the other is a poisonous gas.
Karl F. Kuhn, Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide
••••••
That is a simple example of why it’s important to have at least a basic understanding of chemical compositions, if not simply the scientific literacy and common sense to research them when it matters —
For example, prior to using the word “chemicals” as if they’re all equally poisonous, and not the constituents of everything in our reality,
And, prior to touting “Natural” and Organic products without understanding that a “natural” formula may be no better than an artificially-created one,
And, prior to eschewing all types of a compound (for example, sulphates in hair products) without really grasping that [sulphate] compounds are different from one-another, and that if one type is hazardous to your health, it does not mean that all types are. [I actually don’t know whether all sulphate-based additions are or not, but it’s important to research.]
Astronomers discover complex organic matter in the universe.
Organic compounds of unexpected complexity exist throughout the universe, Prof. Sun Kwok and Dr. Yong Zhang of the University of Hong Kong have discovered, suggesting that complex organic compounds can be synthesized in space even when no life forms are present.
The organic substance they found contains a mixture of aromatic (ring-like) and aliphatic (chain-like) components that are so complex, their chemical structures resemble those of coal and petroleum. Since coal and oil are remnants of ancient life, this type of organic matter was thought to arise only from living organisms.
…
via { Kurzweil AI }
“Inorganic-Life.jpg”
July 2011, I posted about the creation of artificial almost-life in the lab: { “Biologists do not agree on what the definition of life should be or whether it is even useful to have one.” }
& Last night I wrote about seriously { reconsidering what we consider “natural” and “artificial” }, or the “Man vs Nature” myth, and creating new mythologies accordingly (in response to Steve Fuller’s Humanity 2.0)
Now, scientists at the University of Glasgow are working on {creating inorganic life }:
Professor Lee Cronin, Gardiner Chair of Chemistry in the College of Science and Engineering, and his team have demonstrated a new way of making inorganic-chemical-cells or iCHELLS.
Prof Cronin said: “All life on earth is based on organic biology (i.e. carbon in the form of amino acids, nucleotides, and sugars etc) but the inorganic world is considered to be inanimate.
“What we are trying do is create self-replicating, evolving inorganic cells that would essentially be alive. You could call it inorganic biology.”
…
“Bacteria are essentially single-cell micro-organisms made from organic chemicals, so why can’t we make micro-organisms from inorganic chemicals and allow them to evolve?
“If successful this would give us some incredible insights into evolution and show that it’s not just a biological process. It would also mean that we would have proven that non carbon-based life could exist and totally redefine our ideas of design.”
The { TED } talk.
These home-made aliens might be able to provide us with tangible evidence that our idea of “being” should be reconstructed, from the paper-doll view we have of “things” as isolated forms, to a systemic fluidity.
foodsforyourskin:
Or so it seems! So I am back from Cancun, but as I was packing up to leave last Saturday I was having a problem with my eyeliner. It would not sharpen and kept breaking. I got frustrated as anyone would at 3am and just grabbed an eyeliner I used to use. I knew it was only about 4 months old and…
••••••
I also use organic products, especially liner, but it’s probably more from caution/belief than evidence… whatever one experiences from a subjective point of view, even/especially in a case of “self-study” like this one, might not be entirely reliable. If you pursue this question, it would be great to see some exploration done in a scientific, methodical way. Is it correlation or causation? Is it to do with organic ingredients, or simply a “natural” chemistry (fruit, etc. as opposed to man-made). Is it perhaps an allergic reaction particular to you? How would test groups respond?
If anyone knows of controlled studies about this, it would also be helpful.
white-coat:jayparkinsonmd:
A new study from Cornell University graduate student Jenny Wan-chen Lee [pdf] either shows that the label “organic” creates some sort of placebo effect in which people are convinced they’re eating healthier, or that people can be really stupid. Maybe it’s a little of both? In her study, 144 volunteers were asked to compare “organic” and “regular” samples of yogurt, cookies and potato chips, rating them on taste, estimated fat content and estimated calorie content. However, all of the samples were in fact “organic.” Take a wild guess what happened.
Volunteers almost unanimously preferred the taste of the perceived “organic” samples, which they believed to be more nutritious and worth more money. And these perceptions were consistent across all the samples.
••••••
If 500+ people are going talk about this, let’s do it right, hey?
TL;DR version: organic is not always stupid;
watch out for fallacies & cognitive biases.
So far, every re-post of this has been comment-less, or along the lines of “ORGANIC IS DUMB”, or has only addressed this particular aspect of organic foods (unhealthy foods with a green label) while making the argument that it applies to all organic foods. So much fallacy up in here.
“I hate the “Organic” staple because of this. I’m majoring in Biochemistry. All organic means is ‘carbon-based’, it doesn’t mean healthy-naturally-grown-without-pesticides-or-chemical-stimulants foods. Everything humans consume is carbon-based.”
Yes, maybe they could have used a more fitting word to begin with. But “organic”, in this context, does mean “healthy-naturally-grown-without-pesticides-or-chemical-stimulants foods”, so the biochemistry textbook definition is irrelevant.
Only nicolenaddy has mentioned health as it applies to the wider subject:
“…Eating fresh and local food is good. …
But the top consumer nation in the world allowing their food industry to serve them food covered in poison, the WORST.
Until the 20th century food was all grown organically. Big business and capitalism changed the industry. …”
The point of eating organic or using organic body-related products is not about feeling virtuous, not about taste (though I have to say, there are some foods that taste like shit when conventional, like strawberries and apples) and not as much about the environment as it is about an individual’s health. At least, that’s the hope.
So no, “organic” mac & cheese, sodas, chips, whatever… are not any better for you than regular. But let’s not stretch the “organic labels suck & people are stupid, lololol” argument beyond the organic-coke context (which is what’s happening).
I would rather not have my produce covered in pesticides (you can’t just “wash it off” — produce has pores, that shit sinks in) and even though the neighboring farmer’s sprays might land on the organic crops, at least it’s a little bit less than direct sprays.
Likewise, there’s some commentary on body products:
“They do this for shampoo. People pay out the ass for expensive, organic shampoo but its really just normal shampoo in a green bottle plus $10.”
There’s some truth to the above, but there is a difference between buying natural products for the body as opposed to regular brands. Human skin absorbs whatever goes on it quickly, even faster than through digestion. For that reason, it’s a healthier option to choose brands that don’t litter their products with chemicals known to be associated with various ailments. That doesn’t mean to trust all green labels and spit out cash for organic — just know your ingredients:
Here’s a list of { 12 known Toxins }
And a { video } about makeup & household product ingredients.
Now, all that being addressed, there is a lot of BS that goes on: non-organics being mislabeled, hopelessly high prices, crop maintenance issues, cognitive biases, misnomers, & the fact that the American FDA approves just about anything.
It’s difficult, but awareness is necessary. It may not be the case now, but it would be great if everyone had the ability to choose inputs which are more agreeable with human body-systems. It’s something to work towards.
Now if anyone (especially the resident MDs) cares to offer counterpoints, please do.
(via white-coat-deactivated20111012-)
freshphotons: The transparent shells of tiny Cypridina hilgendorfii, found in the coastal waters and sands of Japan, hold a creature that emits a luminous blue substance when disturbed. During World War II, the Japanese harvested these creatures for soldiers to use when reading maps and messages at night.
![white-coat:jayparkinsonmd:
A new study from Cornell University graduate student Jenny Wan-chen Lee [pdf] either shows that the label “organic” creates some sort of placebo effect in which people are convinced they’re eating healthier, or that people can be really stupid. Maybe it’s a little of both? In her study, 144 volunteers were asked to compare “organic” and “regular” samples of yogurt, cookies and potato chips, rating them on taste, estimated fat content and estimated calorie content. However, all of the samples were in fact “organic.” Take a wild guess what happened.
Volunteers almost unanimously preferred the taste of the perceived “organic” samples, which they believed to be more nutritious and worth more money. And these perceptions were consistent across all the samples.
••••••
If 500+ people are going talk about this, let’s do it right, hey?
TL;DR version: organic is not always stupid; watch out for fallacies & cognitive biases.
So far, every re-post of this has been comment-less, or along the lines of “ORGANIC IS DUMB”, or has only addressed this particular aspect of organic foods (unhealthy foods with a green label) while making the argument that it applies to all organic foods. So much fallacy up in here.
“I hate the “Organic” staple because of this. I’m majoring in Biochemistry. All organic means is ‘carbon-based’, it doesn’t mean healthy-naturally-grown-without-pesticides-or-chemical-stimulants foods. Everything humans consume is carbon-based.”
Yes, maybe they could have used a more fitting word to begin with. But “organic”, in this context, does mean “healthy-naturally-grown-without-pesticides-or-chemical-stimulants foods”, so the biochemistry textbook definition is irrelevant.
Only nicolenaddy has mentioned health as it applies to the wider subject:
“…Eating fresh and local food is good. …But the top consumer nation in the world allowing their food industry to serve them food covered in poison, the WORST.Until the 20th century food was all grown organically. Big business and capitalism changed the industry. …”
The point of eating organic or using organic body-related products is not about feeling virtuous, not about taste (though I have to say, there are some foods that taste like shit when conventional, like strawberries and apples) and not as much about the environment as it is about an individual’s health. At least, that’s the hope.
So no, “organic” mac & cheese, sodas, chips, whatever… are not any better for you than regular. But let’s not stretch the “organic labels suck & people are stupid, lololol” argument beyond the organic-coke context (which is what’s happening).
I would rather not have my produce covered in pesticides (you can’t just “wash it off” — produce has pores, that shit sinks in) and even though the neighboring farmer’s sprays might land on the organic crops, at least it’s a little bit less than direct sprays.
Likewise, there’s some commentary on body products:
“They do this for shampoo. People pay out the ass for expensive, organic shampoo but its really just normal shampoo in a green bottle plus $10.”
There’s some truth to the above, but there is a difference between buying natural products for the body as opposed to regular brands. Human skin absorbs whatever goes on it quickly, even faster than through digestion. For that reason, it’s a healthier option to choose brands that don’t litter their products with chemicals known to be associated with various ailments. That doesn’t mean to trust all green labels and spit out cash for organic — just know your ingredients:
Here’s a list of { 12 known Toxins }And a { video } about makeup & household product ingredients.
Now, all that being addressed, there is a lot of BS that goes on: non-organics being mislabeled, hopelessly high prices, crop maintenance issues, cognitive biases, misnomers, & the fact that the American FDA approves just about anything.
It’s difficult, but awareness is necessary. It may not be the case now, but it would be great if everyone had the ability to choose inputs which are more agreeable with human body-systems. It’s something to work towards.
Now if anyone (especially the resident MDs) cares to offer counterpoints, please do.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lji2s6HSNg1qz72ywo1_400.jpg)
