Why yes, I AM a professionally qualified chemist...

...why do you ask?



More silliness here, and also a hairy ewok.

big load of "Ask a Geneticist" links

Argh, I just had to have a bloody great rant at someone on irc. Apparently she's been taught in a college-level biology course that Asians do not lack the mutation that allows adult mammals to digest milk, they merely "allow their bodies to stop producing it because they stop eating it, so their body stops producing the enzyme". This, in my opinion, is bollocks, because as anyone who hung out with me in college will attest, I ate pints and pints of ice cream every week, as well as huge hot chocolates from Starbucks every day as soon as Starbucks first appeared in London!

Anyway, finding real science from reputable sources led me to this site, and I've just spent about 2 hours reading various questions on it. I've ordered these links in approximate order of scientific understanding needed - later links are harder, generally.

The answer to my lactose intolerance question. ( ...and more. )