It was the beginning of the twentieth century. City households depended on the “ice man” to deliver blocks of ice to keep their perishable foods cold. On rural farms, tiny buildings called springhouses were erected over a running creek. These served as storage rooms for cans of milk, crocks of butter, and fresh eggs. The cool temperature of the water running through the bottom of the springhouse helped keep food from spoiling. Families did not enjoy the modern marvel of a refrigerator or freezer.
As urban populations increased, fewer people grew their own food or raised chickens at home. City dwellers depended on farmers for dairy, meat, and vegetables. However, buying fresh food was difficult. Farmers transported goods to market by train. Eggs, milk, and poultry often arrived damaged and spoiled. Shipping companies tried packing shipments with blocks of ice, but when it melted, the food sometimes got moldy. They tried covering food with moss, hay, and leaves to keep it cool for the long ride to the city. But there was no good fix. Thousands of people died every year from eating food that had gone bad on its way to market.
Chemist Mary Engle Pennington solved that problem. She was the greatest authority on refrigeration in the early twentieth century. Over the course of a 40-year career, Pennington changed the way Americans transported and stored food.
A Self-Made Scientist
Mary Engle Pennington was born on October 8, 1872. Her family moved from Nashville, Tennessee, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shortly after she was born. The Pennington family lived in a brick house four blocks from the University of Pennsylvania.
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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.