17 July 2021 | New Scientist | 55Tom Gauld
for New Scientist
Answers
@keshavrajgopal
via Twitter
Bad? In India, sitting cross-legged
is often the default sitting posture
if there is no sofa or chair. Many,
especially those who practise
yoga, can sit like this for hours
without getting uncomfortable.
@suraj1245789
via Twitter
What? Bad? In Sanskrit, we
Indians call it asana. We practise
it often. It is recommended to
sit on the floor with crossed legs
while eating.
Trouble brewing
Is there any harm in drinking too
much tea? I drink a lot of it and
notice how much it stains mugs,
so what impact does it have on
my body? (continued)
Caroline Galloway
Surrey, UK
Fluoride toxicity may be a
problem for heavy tea drinkers if
they drink economy brands, due
to the amount of fluoride in the
tea plant, drawn from the soil
it grows in.
The practice of making “brick
tea’’ (used for economy tea blends)
from the trimmings of aged
plants, where the leaves may
be two or three years old before
harvesting, allows fluoride to
accumulate to high levels.Tim Bond
Tea Advisory Panel, London, UK
There continues to be confusion
on the presence of “tannins”
in tea. The phenolic compounds
found in tea, including compounds
called flavonoids, are often
referred to as tannins.
Although tea does contain low
levels of tannin-type substances,
the bulk of tea’s flavonoid
polyphenols aren’t tannins. They
don’t function as a tanning agent –for example, where tannic acid
is used for the tanning of leather.
As such, the phenolic compounds
present in tea should be referred
to as “derived polyphenols”.
These substances include
catechins, theaflavins and
thearubigins. Theaflavins are
responsible for the characteristic
orange tint of black tea, whereas
thearubigins account for the
brown colour. Without derived
polyphenols, tea would lack colour,
its characteristic full-bodied
flavour and astringent mouthfeel.
Astringency is caused through
the interaction of the derived
polyphenols with proteins in the
saliva and mucous membranes of
the mouth. If milk is added to tea,
the astringency reduces because
the polyphenols interact with the
proteins in the milk, rather than
those in the mouth.Julian Money-Kyrle
Calne, Wiltshire, UK
Many foods – most notably fresh
fruit – readily cause stains, and yet
we never question the wisdom of
eating them on those grounds. ❚Quick quiz #110
Answers1 It was used to measure blood
pressure in the 19th century
2 37. Pons discovered more
comets with the eye than any
other person in history
3 Rudolf Weigl
4 Prime numbers
5 The sclerotic ringCryptic Crossword
#61 AnswersACROSS 1 Jabiru, 4 /1D Edward
Jenner, 9 Needles, 10 Ochre,
11 Essay, 12 Impetus,
13 Randomising, 18 Incrust,
20 Oddly, 22 Lazed,
23 Shallot, 24 ParsecDOWN 2 Brews, 3 Relayed,
5 Droop, 6 / 25 A shot in the arm,
7 Dressy, 8 Astigmatism,
14 Alcazar, 15 Stomach, 16 Fillip,
17 System, 19 Undue, 21 Delta#121 Creative
addition^
SolutionThe classic “Aha!” solution is to
turn the 9 upside down to make
6, so both columns add to 21.But you can also place the 1 card
on top of the 5 card, so the 5 is
hidden and both columns add
to 20. Or turn the 5 card upside
down to reveal its blank side and
place it on the 2 to hide both
numbers (columns add to 19).Or you can put the 3 top right of
the 2 to make it 2^3 (= 8), so the
columns are both 24. Or what if
you pour paint over all but 1, 2, 3
and then move 3 to the other
column? Fair or meh? You decide.“ Cross-legged sitting is
comfortable because
it allows the trunk to
be held in an upright
position with relatively
little effort”