Asthma-free? Maybe Mom experienced a sunny second trimester

The best way to reduce a child’s chances of developing asthma might be making sure Mom had enough vitamin D during the second trimester, a new study from the University of Kansas shows.

Predicting mercury contamination in the marine food chain, via coastal water, not sediment

A Dartmouth-University of Connecticut study of the northeast United States shows that methylmercury concentrations in estuary waters — not in sediment as commonly thought — are the best way to predict mercury contamination in the marine food chain.

A Tip For The Festivities: Pour Champagne Down The Side Of The Glass

Just in time for New Year’s Eve, and the arrival of the International Year of Chemistry, a study may settle that long-standing disagreement over the best way to pour a glass of champagne: Scientists in France are reporting that pouring bubbly in an angled, down-the-side way is best for preserving its taste and fizz…