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(Chemistry prof Joe Schwarcz's column): "Gee, you have the most interesting desk," the student said as she settled down to have her chemistry questions answered. At first I thought she was using "interesting" as a euphemism for "messy," but then she continued, "what an odd collection of things."

I had never thought of the items as odd, but now as I glanced down at the little celluloid cow, the blue cat figurine, the curious Chinese box, the scorpion encased in acrylic, the vial with a sliver of purple silk, the aluminum spoon, the bottle of Vioxx, the pills labelled "breast enhancer," the "rubber" ducky, the odd little brass cup, the double helix shaped necklace and the bobblehead of Houdini, I figured she had a point. But to me these curios I had collected over the years all have meaning, in fact they represent the evolution of chemistry…"