Do you ever wonder what makes some packaged foods and drinks taste great? Well, a chemist such as Uma Parasar might be the one to thank. Parasar is a senior research fellow with the research and development flavors team at International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. (IFF). You can taste flavors her lab has created in all kinds of things—juices, yogurts, candy, potato chips, and chocolate. Specifically, as a toxicologist, Parasar is responsible for making sure the flavors her company makes are safe to eat and drink.
WHY DO YOU LIKE CHEMISTRY?
We humans are made up of chemicals and so is the natural world, as well as the materials-based world. Embracing chemistry helps us appreciate our amazing world and not fear it.
I wanted to be a chemist to solve problems. My specialty, toxicology, helps create a safe world. Arguably, toxicology is the oldest scientific discipline, as the earliest humans had to recognize which plants were safe to eat.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE FOOD CHEMICALS?
Yes, vanillin. It’s the chemical responsible for the scent in vanilla—and one of the most widely used flavor in foods, including ice cream and cookies.
HOW DO CHEMISTS CREATE FLAVORS IN A LAB?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2018-Ausgabe von Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2018-Ausgabe von Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.