While enjoying an adult beverage, one doesn’t usually pick apart chemical processes that take place in making the drink -- or even the drink's interaction with the human body. But studying both could help you recover post-cocktail. Adam Rogers, Articles Editor at Wired, joins guest host Stephen Becker on Think at 1 p.m. to discuss his new book Proof: The Science of Booze.
Rogers started a blog specifically for Proof where he shares his impressions of drinks and bars and adventures in the kitchen. He recently wrote about hangovers -- the research behind the causes, possible cures, and chemical alternatives to alcohol.
Bourbon drinkers reported significantly worse hangovers than vodka drinkers, when both groups reached the same blood alcohol level - and it turns out herbs from native China might be the best salve for morning-after symptoms.
And Rogers gets behind the curtain of alcohol production, too. Take a look at the wonders of the yeast fungus, which eats sugar and produces ethanol, basically taking care of fermentation, via an excerpt from his book.
And for fun, Rogers previously took a look at booze in science fiction to understand how ethanol works in space for Wired’s The Observation Deck.
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