Recently, it seems like there are an increasing number of studies supporting the idea that eating too much red meat is bad for our health. Consumption of red meat has been linked to cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cognitive decline, and the list goes on. Here are just a few more studies that will have cows dancing in the pasture.

• Two recent studies in mice and in humans suggest that a high-protein, high-fat diet may shorten our lifespan. Instead, we should probably be eating a high-carbohydrate, low-protein diet (and settle with having more body fat as a result) — which is the complete opposite of popular diet fads, like the Atkins Diet. [url]
• Phew! Saturated fat and cholesterol may play only a small role in the increased incidence of heart disease in red-meat eaters. However, the bad news is that it turns out that our gut bacteria metabolize the chemical carnitine (which is present in large amounts in red meat and is also added to energy drinks), leading to the production of another chemical called TMAO that enters our blood stream and increases our risk of heart disease. Apparently, TMAO helps cholesterol enter artery walls and prevents the body from getting rid of excess cholesterol. [url]
• A Harvard study found that eating just a single serving of red meat each day could increase a person’s risk of death by 13%. While that may not change the minds of die-hard red meat fans who would rather die than give up red meat, it might be worth considering eating alternative (healthier?) protein sources. [url]

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Part of the enjoyment of eating is indulging in the sensory experience of food. Whether we like a food depends on the texture, consistency, temperature (both physical and perceived, as in cool mints or hot peppers), smell, taste, and even its appearance. Flavor is primarily determined by our sense of taste and smell, and is often a main deciding factor in whether we like a food. Here are just a few links related to the chemistry of flavors.

• People may be shocked to learn that MSG, the infamous food additive that’s supposedly responsible for “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” is the essence of umami, the now trendy “savory” taste. The flavor-enhancing additive MSG, or monosodium glutamate, resulted from an attempt to mass produce the key chemical compound responsible for that delicious meaty flavor in foods. In case you’re wondering how much glutamate might be found in an original Umami Burger from Adam Fleischman’s chain of umami restaurants, the answer is almost 2.2 grams. [url]
• Why do people torture themselves by eating tongue-scorching chili peppers? Probably because the capsaicin in the peppers triggers the release of endorphins, which not only help to relieve the burning pain, but also give people a natural high. Check out this video about the chemistry of Sriracha sauce, which also includes an interesting bit on how the Scoville scale was established to measure how spicy a pepper is. [url]
• Here’s a blast from the past: an article about the chemistry of flavor as it was understood in the 1960s. This was a time when the now widely used Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) technique was heralded as a “major breakthrough in instrumental analysis in aroma chemistry.” The article also includes photos of old school chemical analysis equipment, as well as ads from that era for chemicals and equipment, from Morton Purex Salt to stainless steel tanks. [url]

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Some people like egg nog, some people don’t. With the main ingredients being sweetened milk/cream and whipped eggs (and maybe salmonella), it’s no wonder people added alcohol to make it drinkable. But the beverage is popular enough that there are tons of variations on it. Pretty much any kind or combination of hard liquor can be added, and it can be spiced up with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. If you like egg nog, especially the alcoholic part, maybe you’ll also like the following “disgusting” alcoholic drinks.

• The Powder Room in Los Angeles is offering a swanky $500 alcoholic milkshake called The Velvet Goldmine. This is no ordinary milkshake — it features premium spirits, edible gold, and Belgian chocolate, and it’s topped with a Swarovski Nirvana Montana crystal ring that retails for $190. [url]
• If you like heartburn, then you might like 100,000 Scovilles Naga Chilli Vodka. This spicy vodka has the same level of heat as a Habanero chili, plus it’s got 40% alcohol. Check out the warning video for this product! [url]
• Craving tacos and an alcoholic beverage? Two words: Taco Gin. Apparently, gin is just “flavored vodka.” To create Taco Gin, steep taco seasoning in 100-proof vodka in a jar for at least 48 hours, strain the mixture through a coffee filter, and cut it down to 90-proof by diluting with a bottle of 80-proof vodka. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the reaction to the taste test was “That’s awful!” [url]

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It’s probably safe to say that most managers and employees look forward to annual performance reviews as much as they would a painful root canal. Some companies like Adobe have eliminated them altogether, in favor of less formal check-in conversations throughout the year that focus on ongoing feedback. Here are some other companies that are changing the way they evaluate their workers.

• Microsoft has gotten rid of its “stack ranking” employee evaluation process. Many former and current Microsoft employees consider stack ranking — reviewing on a curve — to be detrimental to both career and morale. From now on, Microsoft will be evaluating employees based more on teamwork and collaboration. [url]
• “People analytics” — a big-data-driven approach to evaluating employees — is changing the way companies hire, fire, and promote. There are plenty of big companies that have dedicated analytics teams in their HR departments — Google, HP, Intel, General Motors, Procter & Gamble — but even smaller companies are getting into the game. So, beware that no matter where you work, they’re watching you. [url]
• Yahoo’s new employee evaluation process may finally be yielding its first results. The new approach attempts to mimic the more data-driven process used at Google, where CEO Marissa Mayer spent her entire career before becoming Yahoo’s latest leader. [url]

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As we get closer to the most commercial holiday of the year, let’s spend some time reflecting on capitalism and what it has become. Here are some capitalism-related links to get you started.

• A distorporation is a new kind of company that’s becoming ever so popular in the United States. A corporate structure called the master limited partnership is changing the way American capitalism works, allowing distorporations to circumvent rules that apply to regular public companies, such as paying taxes, but still giving them access to the public financial markets.[url]
• Could the United States — the leader of cutthroat capitalism — switch to the “cuddly capitalism” of Scandinavian countries? According to a group of researchers from MIT, Harvard, and the Paris School of Economics, this would apparently hinder the growth of the entire global economy by slowing down the pace of innovation.[url]
• American capitalism has created a wealthy country that’s completely divided when it comes to its society, its economy, and its politics. Sure, capitalism can produce great wealth, but it’s not going to solve all of our environmental concerns, racial divides, class distinctions, etc. You can’t use it as a blueprint for building a just society. [url]

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It’s that time of year again, when parents warn their kids to be good, because a big old guy with a white beard in a red suit is watching their every move and is going to find out if they’ve been naughty or nice. Well, Santa, we’ve got news for you. We’re watching you too, sort of. Both Microsoft and Google have “Santa trackers” that will let kids and parents monitor Santa’s location on a map on Christmas Eve as he delivers presents all over the world. For even more Santa fun, check out these links.

• Here’s a great way to explain the truth about Santa to kids who are too smart for their own good. In short, without destroying the magical feeling of the holiday season: “Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness.” [url]
• “Malcolm Gladwell” explains Santa Claus to satirist Craig Brown. The big question: How is it that Santa can be so universally liked when he appears to be a total loser on every accepted level? [url]
• Santa Claus doesn’t defy the laws of physics! Four top researchers have done the calculations, and the good news is that Santa can indeed deliver presents to all the kids around the world on Christmas Eve, and still remain within the laws of physics. [url]
• And if you haven’t seen it already, here’s the ACLU’s parody video “The NSA is Coming to Town.” Warning: Watch at your own risk.[url]

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December is a time to celebrate the holidays with family and friends, but it’s also when flu season starts ramping up. Several states have already reported an increase in flu activity, and it appears that the predominant strain of flu found in patients who have been hospitalized so far is H1N1 — the “Swine Flu” that caused a global pandemic in 2009 but is now a human seasonal flu virus. Here are a few links about the flu season, pandemics, and vaccines.

• The flu pandemic of 1918 killed more than 50 million people worldwide. The virus was a bird virus that had, by chance, acquired the ability to travel via coughing and sneezing, which enabled it to infect a person who then spread it others, starting the pandemic. Could an outbreak of that scale and lethality happen again? Possibly, but there are many events that have to come together just the right way for that to occur, and there’s no way to predict it.[url]
• Flu season in the Northern Hemisphere starts in October and ends in May, typically peaking in February. In the Southern Hemisphere, flu season goes from May to October and usually peaks in August. But thanks to modern air travel, these complementary flu seasons can easily feed each other.[url]
• Scientists are working towards developing a new kind of flu vaccine — one that would provide lifetime protection against many flu strains, including ones that haven’t even evolved yet. The key to developing such a universal vaccine is to target an area of the flu virus that doesn’t change very much, such as the stems of the surface proteins. Trials in mice and other animals have shown promising results, but it could be several years or decades before an effective universal vaccine becomes available for people.[url]

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Many people are freaking out about the potential shortage of Sriracha, the popular hot sauce (aka “rooster sauce”) that has taken the world by storm, after it was reported that the new Sriracha factory in Irwindale, California, was facing a potential shutdown due to noxious fumes coming from the plant — generated by chili pepper processing — that were causing eye and throat irritation, as well as headaches, in nearby residents. A judge has now ordered the makers of Sriracha, Huy Fong Foods Inc., to stop any work that generates irritating fumes. While the smelly factory may not be welcome in Irwindale, at least two other cities (Philadelphia and Denton, TX) have suggested that the makers of Sriracha sauce relocate to their neck of the woods. In the meantime, here are a few links with more information about Sriracha, as well as potential alternative hot sauces.

• Sriracha is made with hybrid jalapeño peppers (processed within a day of being picked), vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic. Sriracha was created in 1980 by David Tran, at the time a recent immigrant from Vietnam, who couldn’t find any hot sauces that would satisfy his palate. It took him months to come up with the right formulation for the now well-known Sriracha sauce that’s packaged in the distinctive clear bottles with the rooster logo and green caps. [url]
• YouTube filmmaker Griffin Hammond has created a 33-minute documentary about Sriracha. The film — which features many interviews, a glimpse inside the Sriracha factory, as well as a number of songs and videos dedicated to Sriracha sauce — can be viewed online for $5 a view. It seems that, until recently, relatively little was known about the company that makes this popular hot sauce. [url]
• “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern thinks Sriracha sauce is overrated. While he does love Sriracha, he says there are many better alternative hot sauces, such as the Marie Sharp line from Belize and Crystal from Louisiana. Other chefs recommend hot sauces such as the Rogue, a super-hot Moruga blood orange and Scorpion chili sauce from High River Sauces, and Tobanjan (Japanese) and Kochujang (Korean) sesame-based hot sauces. And if you just can’t get away from Sriracha, you can try the Thailand-made Shark Brand Sriracha sauce. [url]

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It turns out that many Americans aren’t paying much attention to the ongoing battle over labeling genetically modified foods. A recent survey by researchers at Rutgers University found that half of Americans know very little or nothing at all about GM foods, while a quarter have never even heard of them. Furthermore, they found that many Americans are also confused about what types of GM foods are on the market. Meanwhile, heirloom fruits, vegetables, and grains are gaining popularity. These are plants that have been grown and passed down from one generation to another — some for more than 100 years — often selected for their superior flavor, as well as other characteristics such as productivity, hardiness, and adaptability. If you want to avoid GM foods, why not spend some time rediscovering heirloom varieties? Here are a few links to get you started.

• Glass Gem corn is a stunning variety of heirloom corn that’s named for its multi-colored, gem-like kernels. You really have to see it to believe it. Glass Gem is the result of many years of selective breeding of corn that exhibited vivid, translucent colors.[url]
• Tartine Bakery in San Francisco has started incorporating heirloom and ancient varieties of grains into the bread they make. Apparently, these older varieties of grains — rye, barley, einkorn, and emmer — have a different gluten quality that makes them easier to digest. [url]
• In case of an apocalyptic disaster that destroys the world’s crops, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault will make sure we can rebuild the global plant population. Built on the edge of the Arctic Ocean in Svalbard, Norway — away from civilization — the seed vault can hold up to 4.5 million different seed varieties and keep them safe from disasters caused by climate change, asteroid strikes, plant diseases, nuclear warfare, and even earthquakes. [url]

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According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists are 95% certain that human activities have been responsible for most of the climate change observed on the planet since the 1950s. Apparently, we’ve already burned 54% of the 1 trillion tons of carbon that would need to be emitted into the atmosphere to increase the average global temperature by 2°C (3.6°F) — a threshold set by climate negotiators in Copenhagen in 2009 to avoid catastrophic climate change. Unfortunately, even as we try to reduce carbon emissions now, some predict that we’ll still surpass the 2°C limit by the end of the century. Will renewable energy be able to curb global warming while also satisfying our energy-hungry ways? Here are some energy-related links.

• Scientists are saying that nuclear power will be necessary to make a significant impact in reducing global warming. While those who oppose nuclear power argue that wind and solar energy can be scaled up to address our energy needs, top climate scientists believe that we need to work on developing safer nuclear power as well. [url]
• If you need another reason to ditch coal in favor of nuclear power, here’s one: the coal ash emitted by a power plant is actually more radioactive than nuclear waste. The uranium and thorium naturally present in coal is concentrated in coal ash, such that it puts out 100 times more radiation into the surrounding environment than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy. [url]
• Kyocera is launching a 70-megawatt solar power plant in Japan that will be able to power 22,000 homes. The plant’s 290,000 solar panels are set offshore on Kagoshima Bay, occupying an area of about 314 acres.[url]
• A 2-megawatt wind turbine has been set up about 12 miles off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, as part of an effort to turn the quake-ravaged area into a clean energy hub. Two more 7-megawatt wind turbines will be added to the floating offshore installation, with the eventual plan to increase the wind energy capacity to 1,000 megawatts. [url]

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