December 31, 2011

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Video: The science of champagne

By Michelle Clement

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

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If you're reading this post, congratulations! You've made it to the end of 2011! You may be going out tonight to ring in the new year with friends and family, and if so, there's a good chance that you'll be sipping some champagne when the clock strikes midnight. Below is another video from Byte Size Science on the science of champagne. Enjoy an overview of how yeast, sugars, carbon dioxide, and Henry's law combine to generate the bubbly texture of this celebratory drink. You'll also see what champagne looks like under a microscope and learn the best way to pour it into your glass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-7rx9QVJsA

Image credit: Flickr user Anders Adermark via Creative Commons license.

"Life creates [the Force], makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," Yoda explains in The Empire Strikes Back, gesturing to Luke's physical body. This quote is striking because of the apt juxtaposition of the wonder of life with its often disgusting vessel. Like many other animals, we secrete, excrete, expectorate, defecate, flatulate, regurgitate, urinate, circulate, masticate, menstruate, ejaculate, and ventilate. We are filled with gas and feces and blood and guts and mucus and any number of rude things. Life as we know it is possible because of the countless impolite things we do every day. Are we luminous beings? Perhaps, but that's neither here nor there. This blog is about the crude matter that keeps us alive.

Michelle Clement has a B.Sc. in zoology (with a minor in American culture studies) and a M.Sc. in organismal biology from The Ohio State University. Her thesis research was on the ecophysiology of epidermal lipids and water homeostasis in house sparrows. She now works as a technical editor for The American Chemical Society. Her broader interests include weird human and animal physiology, obesity and enteric physiology, endocrinology, sexual and reproductive health, personal genomics, anthropology (physical and cultural), sociology, and science education and communication. She lives in Ohio with her boyfriend and two cats.

More by Michelle Clement

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