December 24, 2004, Hour One: New Galaxies / Christmas Cooking Chemistry

Science Friday > Archives > 2004 > December > December 24, 2004:
Hour One: New Galaxies / Christmas Cooking Chemistry

Ever wonder why cooked egg yolks sometimes turn green? Still trying to manufacture the perfect meringue? In this hour of Science Friday we'll take some of the mystery out of cooking with a look at the biology and chemistry of what happens in the kitchen. Ira is joined by writer Harold McGee, whose "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen," has just been re-released, and by Richard Zare, a chemist who has devoted part of his research time to studying the bubbles in beverages, from champagne to Guinness.

Plus, astronomers working on NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer project have just discovered new, young galaxies right here in Earth's backyard. A team member joins us to talk about the findings. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern).

Guests:
Timothy Heckman
Professor
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

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Richard Zare
Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Harold McGee
Author "On Food and Cooking: the Science and Love of the Kitchen" (Second Edition, Scribner, 2004) and "The Curious Cook" (John Wiley, 1992)
Palo Alto, California

This segment produced by Annette Heist

Archived Audio:
galaxies
listen in RealAudio format
listen in Windows Media format

cooking
listen in RealAudio format
listen in Windows Media format
streaming audio help from NPR

Galaxy Evolution Explorer
Youthful Galaxies Surprise Astronomers
New galaxies teem with baby stars
Recent galactic births surprise astronomers

Books/Articles Discussed:
"On Food and Cooking: the Science and Love of the Kitchen (second edition)" by Harold McGee. Scribner, 2004.

"The Curious Cook" by Harold McGee. (John Wiley, 1992)

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)