Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

Playing Leaderboard, the Arcade-Inspired Coffee Game

We sat down to try the newest version of the game—a fun opportunity to learn more about coffee while vying for cool coffee prizes.  BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti I’ve never been much into video games, except for the classic arcade games of my youth.   Growing up in the ‘80s meant […]


3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time  

The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee  Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise […]


Philadelphia’s Café Don Pedro Seeks to Build Up Small Businesses

A Dominican-owned coffee roasting company called Café Don Pedro recently launched in Philadelphia with ambitions for direct trading and boosting more Latino-owned small businesses throughout its supply and distribution networks….


3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time  

The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee  Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise […]

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

Brewing at Home and on the Road With Diego Campos

We talk to the first Colombian World Barista Champion and Diamante Coffee Farm founder Diego Campos about his brewing habits. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Diego Campos The focal point of a coffee worker’s professional life is, obviously, coffee. Whether for a customer, to check a specific production batch, or to verify the […]


The Potential of Augmented Reality Technology for the Coffee Industry

Join us as we explore the applications and trends of “augmented reality“ in the world of coffee. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Pixabay In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative force, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds. As we step into […]


Thread Coffee Roasters Opens Tailor-Made Roastery in Baltimore

The interwoven actions of Thread Coffee Roasters in Baltimore are finding exponentially more space this week with the grand opening of a brand-new production roastery and training lab. The worker-owned…


Don’t Skip the Budding Specialty-Café Culture in Quito, Ecuador

Introducing the specialty cafés of Quito, a city worth exploring on your coffee quest. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Featured photo courtesy of Stratto When traveling across South America, Ecuador can be forgotten between the high profiles of Colombia and Peru. Similarly, coffee from Ecuador may be overlooked due to its giant neighbors, including […]

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

Joven and Atucún Join Forces to Empower Young Farmers

The two brands have collaborated to create a unique coffee bar and support young farmers in the coffee and cacao industries. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE…


Hawaiian Legislators Introduce Bills for Stricter Coffee Labeling

Legislators representing the Kona district of Hawaii have introduced a series of bills that would require more strict labeling requirements for single-origin coffees and blends containing Hawaiian-grown coffees. Some Kona…


Cerrado Mineiro Green Coffee Auction Launching Online Jan. 29

From the heart of the Brazilian coffee lands, the Cerrado Miniero green coffee auction is for the first time happening globally online this year. Taking place Jan. 29-Feb. 3, the…


U.S. Coffee Championships 2023 Baltimore Qualifiers Results

More than 100 competitors brought their talent to Baltimore to take part in six competitions, and 63 will progress to nationals in April. BY NATE KLOCKBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos by Matthew Temple courtesy of the U.S. Coffee Championships Last weekend, my hometown welcomed the U.S. Coffee Championships (USCC) qualifiers with the charm only Baltimore could […]

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

 

Looking at the science of Frankenstein and the rise of this story in pop culture

By Angela Garrity, Guest blogger

The Incredible Jeff is reviving the classic outcry, “It’s alive!” Not really, but he does explore The Science of Frankenstein in this episode of Fueled by Death Cast. This is Part 1 of a three-part Spooky Science series all in time for Halloween and we are “amped” for this one.

A black and white screenshot from the 1931 film "Frankenstein" depicting the scene before the monster becomes alive

In 1818, Mary Shelley penned the timeless novel “Frankenstein.” Pop culture made a grotesque gaffe out of the book’s title, which led to much miscalculation about the creature referenced inside its pages. This monstrosity has led many believe the creature’s name is “Frankenstein,” instead of the name of the good doctor Victor Frankenstein, for whom the novel is named after. 

Turning back a few hundred years, there are two scientific advancements that might have “had a hand” in influencing Shelley’s work are the discovery of resuscitation and electrophysiology. Shelley and friends would meet and discuss these then state of the art discoveries of science and philosophy and were surely “springing to life” somewhere deep in the young author’s mind when the concept of “Frankenstein” was being created.

Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a writer, and philosopher and advocate for equal education rights for men and women. Wollstonecraft also suffered with depression and made a suicide attempt by throwing herself off a London bridge into the Thames River in 1795.

During this time in history, science and medicine had advanced. It was known that if a drowning victim was pulled from the water quickly and resuscitation techniques were performed on them, sometimes the victim’s life could be saved. This practice appeared to “bring the dead back to life” and evolved further into modern day Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

Science was also aware of electricity during this time, but the actual act of electrophysiology was somewhat shocking to people.

A black and white sketch of Galvani's experiment on frog legs in the 1780siPhoto source: Corrosion Doctors

In 1781, Italian physicist Luigi Galvani began experimenting with electricity on animals. While dissecting a frog next to a static electricity machine, the frog’s leg jumped. Galvani believed that the charge resided within the frog itself and dubbed his discovery “animal electricity,” which was widely accepted for many years.

Italian physicist Alessandro Volta challenged Galvani’s theory of “animal electricity.” Instead, Volta stated that the frog was merely a conductor and that the result could be achieved with two different metals and chemicals. In 1789, Volta created the “voltaic pile,” which is credited as the first electric battery. 

Giovanni Aldini, nephew to Galvani and also Italian physicist, believed in the works of both Galvani and Volta. He demonstrated the methods of both pioneers when he combined their theories and performed an experiment in 1803 on dead London prisoner, George Foster. Foster’s mouth and ears were inserted with metal rods attached to the voltaic pile. The lifeless face of Foster seemed to move on its own with a little help from the procedure theorized by Aldini.

Could life suddenly spring up today in the name of science? Today’s technology is moving at light speed and new discoveries are made every day. Transplants, lab grown body parts, mechanical substitutions, bionics, and clones are all modern-day discoveries that aren’t so horrific when done in the name of science, medicine and technology.

Watch the full science segment below, and tune into Fueled by Death Show every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Facebook Live to learn more about different scientific topics.  

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Spooky Science: The Science of Frankenstein

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