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that insinuate themselves into the foods on which they grow, and even though most molds are harmless (like the ones used to produce blue cheeses), some are not. If you can’t cut away all of the mold, the safest thing to do is throw out the cheese. (Caution: Don’t let the knife touch the mold or you’ll end up cross-contaminating the cheese—and the mold may reappear.) Some hard cheeses that are generally considered safe to eat once the mold is removed: cheddar, Colby, Gruyère, Asiago, Parmesan, and Swiss.
Is that red juice oozing from the roast beef actually blood?
No. Blood is hemoglobin , found in arteries. That red juice is myoglobin , a purplish-colored protein found in the tissue cells of meat. When it combines with oxygen, it’s called oxymyoglobin and looks bright red. That’s why the surface of raw meat is bright red. It’s also why the liquid that oozes from your roast beef is bright red: The myoglobin has been exposed to oxygen. Chicken and other “white” meats contain less myoglobin than red meats.
WHAT A CONCEPT!
If there’s one thing Uncle John remembers about his school days (besides
bad dorm food), it’s all those different theoretical concepts he learned in
history, science, economics, and other classes. Here’s a sampling.
Concept: Meinong’s Jungle (Philosophy)
What It Means: Alexius Meinong was a 19th-century Austrian philosopher who believed that since we have the ability to conceive of things that do not exist—unicorns, islands in the sky, square circles, the sound of one hand clapping, honest politicians—these things must exist in some sense. Meinong’s jungle is the place where all the things that do not exist, exist.
Concept: Opportunity Cost (Economics)
What It Means: The sacrifice a person makes when choosing one product or service over another. If you spend $1,000 on a new transmission for your car instead of going on vacation, for example, you are giving up rest and relaxation in order to keep your car running. The lost rest and relaxation is part of the cost—the opportunity cost—of the transmission. Likewise, if you choose to watch an episode of CSI instead of an episode of Law & Order on another channel, giving up the opportunity to watch Law & Order is the price you pay to enjoy the episode of CSI.
Concept: Lullaby Effect (Psychology)
What It Means: It’s the process by which humans and other organisms adapt and become desensitized to new—and frequently repeated—stimulus. If you move into a house next to the railroad tracks, for example, after a while you may not even notice the noise and the rattling caused by the trains passing by.
Concept: Motherese (Linguistics)
What It Means: Also known as Child-Directed Speech, motherese is what we think of as “baby talk”—the special language that a parent or other caretaker uses when addressing infants and young children. Characteristics can include shorter words and simpler sentences than in normal speech, a higher and more variable
pitch, and a specialized vocabulary. Experts in child development and language acquisition are still debating whether baby talk enables babies to develop language skills more quickly.
Concept: NAIRU, the Non-accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (Economics)
What It Means: The level of unemployment that does not affect the rate of inflation over time. Rates of unemployment lower than the NAIRU put upward pressure on inflation, as more people with more money bid up the price of goods. Rates of unemployment higher than the NAIRU put downward pressure on inflation as people who have lost or fear losing their jobs cut back on spending, causing prices to fall. When the unemployment rate is right at the NAIRU, the upward and downward pressures on inflation are equal, and the inflation rate remains steady…in theory, anyway.
Concept: The Least-Effort Principle (Psychology)
What It Means: This explains how rats learn to navigate mazes: When given a choice
Is that red juice oozing from the roast beef actually blood?
No. Blood is hemoglobin , found in arteries. That red juice is myoglobin , a purplish-colored protein found in the tissue cells of meat. When it combines with oxygen, it’s called oxymyoglobin and looks bright red. That’s why the surface of raw meat is bright red. It’s also why the liquid that oozes from your roast beef is bright red: The myoglobin has been exposed to oxygen. Chicken and other “white” meats contain less myoglobin than red meats.
WHAT A CONCEPT!
If there’s one thing Uncle John remembers about his school days (besides
bad dorm food), it’s all those different theoretical concepts he learned in
history, science, economics, and other classes. Here’s a sampling.
Concept: Meinong’s Jungle (Philosophy)
What It Means: Alexius Meinong was a 19th-century Austrian philosopher who believed that since we have the ability to conceive of things that do not exist—unicorns, islands in the sky, square circles, the sound of one hand clapping, honest politicians—these things must exist in some sense. Meinong’s jungle is the place where all the things that do not exist, exist.
Concept: Opportunity Cost (Economics)
What It Means: The sacrifice a person makes when choosing one product or service over another. If you spend $1,000 on a new transmission for your car instead of going on vacation, for example, you are giving up rest and relaxation in order to keep your car running. The lost rest and relaxation is part of the cost—the opportunity cost—of the transmission. Likewise, if you choose to watch an episode of CSI instead of an episode of Law & Order on another channel, giving up the opportunity to watch Law & Order is the price you pay to enjoy the episode of CSI.
Concept: Lullaby Effect (Psychology)
What It Means: It’s the process by which humans and other organisms adapt and become desensitized to new—and frequently repeated—stimulus. If you move into a house next to the railroad tracks, for example, after a while you may not even notice the noise and the rattling caused by the trains passing by.
Concept: Motherese (Linguistics)
What It Means: Also known as Child-Directed Speech, motherese is what we think of as “baby talk”—the special language that a parent or other caretaker uses when addressing infants and young children. Characteristics can include shorter words and simpler sentences than in normal speech, a higher and more variable
pitch, and a specialized vocabulary. Experts in child development and language acquisition are still debating whether baby talk enables babies to develop language skills more quickly.
Concept: NAIRU, the Non-accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (Economics)
What It Means: The level of unemployment that does not affect the rate of inflation over time. Rates of unemployment lower than the NAIRU put upward pressure on inflation, as more people with more money bid up the price of goods. Rates of unemployment higher than the NAIRU put downward pressure on inflation as people who have lost or fear losing their jobs cut back on spending, causing prices to fall. When the unemployment rate is right at the NAIRU, the upward and downward pressures on inflation are equal, and the inflation rate remains steady…in theory, anyway.
Concept: The Least-Effort Principle (Psychology)
What It Means: This explains how rats learn to navigate mazes: When given a choice
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