Back in 2011, a ‘wild card’ movie based on The Dark Fields, a science fiction novel by Alan Glynn, hit the box office to unexpected success. Grossing more than $160 million on a slender $27 million budget and starring Hollywood icons Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, the narrative follows writer Eddie Morra as he [Read More…]
Sometimes it is tempting to think that the science of the cleanroom is all about lunar landings and semi-conductors. But the reality is that the spectrum of research conducted in contamination-controlled environments is much broader and cannot be confined to the traditional silos of heavy engineering or silicon-wafer technology. Take, for example, the innovations around [Read More…]
When Berkshire wrote Kicking Back with Kratom and Salmonella our main focus was clearly salmonella poisoning. “As of March 18, 2018, more than fifty cases of salmonella have been identified by the CDC across 27 states with patients ranging in age from 67 down to just 6 years old. Sixty percent of the affected were male [Read More…]
Disinfection of Surfaces with Hydrogen Peroxide Of all the contamination control activities in a cleanroom, perhaps the most critical are disinfection procedures. That’s because human health depends on the quality and thoroughness of a surface disinfection wipedown. Many solutions can be considered for surface disinfection, but hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) rate special attention. [Read More…]
In his frequently hilarious and always engaging 2006 travelogue, Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu, memoirist J. Maarten Troost describes his multi-year sojourn in a culture that kicks back after a long day’s spear fishing in the Pacific island sun with a rather unique herbal beverage. Think of [Read More…]
Throughout human history, we have maintained a conflicted relationship with our bodies. We don’t just mean the struggle to lose a pound or two, or the issues some of us face with physical dysfunction. It goes so much further than that, as news headlines frequently remind us. But there’s a way in which our bodily [Read More…]
As a species, we sure like to make simple things complicated. We live at warp speed and chase inherited dreams, and then we wonder why the stress we’ve created have us reaching for pharmaceuticals, therapists, gurus, and other self-comforting tools and vices to carry us from day to day. In our fast-paced, multi-tasking, always-on 21st [Read More…]
Here at Berkshire, we love solving riddles. So here’s one that had us scratching our heads as we searched for an answer: What do floppy discs and salads have in common? It’s ok, we’ll wait while you ponder. Give up? Cleanrooms! Wait, how can lettuces have anything to do with cleanrooms? We’re glad you asked [Read More…]
Food contamination. Food insecurity. GMOs. Frankenfoods. Synthetic products. What’s next to find its way onto our dinner plates? Could it be ‘cultured meat,’ a product that’s disrupting the conventional paradigm of animal agriculture? From Maastricht to Silicon Valley, ‘clean meat’ is the next Big Idea, but what is it and why do we need it? [Read More…]
Civets and coffee cherries, pachyderms and poop – can the artificial fermentation of coffee beans mimic the digestive effects that produce the world’s most expensive – and arguably most unusual – cup of joe? To learn more about kopi luwac, the morning caffeine hit that’ll set you back $60 per cup click over to Food-Contact-Surfaces.com
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