Looking at this picture, you might believe it's an overhead shot of a road network somewhere in wetlands. Perhaps an aerial shot of a city with a lake at its center? In fact, it's neither. These are Athabasca's 'oil sands,' a human-made scar carved into the flesh of the world.
The oil sands represent the most substantial bitumen installment anywhere in the world. The strange color of the Earth here is due to a mixture of water, clay minerals, silica sand, and crude bitumen. There used to be 141,000 square kilometers of forests here, all of which have been cut and razed away so humans could gain access to the estimated 1.7 trillion barrels worth of bitumen which are believed to lie beneath. We got our bitumen, but at what cost? And what do we do next when it's all gone?
Over the years, weve seen so many food trends come and go, such as ramen burgers, matcha, and spiked ice-cream. Nowadays, were seeing another trend making waves in the food industry. How many times today have you seen an Instagram photo of a scoop of black ice cream, or a cup of black yogurt, or hamburgers with black buns? Indeed, the charcoal trend has taken the world by storm.
So, what gives your latte that deep black shade? Activated charcoal, or coconut ash, is produced by heating coconut shells to insanely high temperatures until theyre burnt to a crisp. The ashes are then increased in size by steaming at high temperatures. Through this process, the ashes become a strong detoxifier, mostly because they become extra absorbent. This product may be purchased in pill form, and promises to alleviate hangovers, minimize the effects of food poisoning, and fight the visible signs of aging.
Activated charcoal is said to boost ones energy as a result of decreasing toxins in the body. However, no evidence proves that detoxifying can lead to increased energy. Also, while it can help cure a hangover, it doesnt necessarily remove alcohol from your blood. It is also said to aid in debloating your stomach because it cleanses your colon but again, this all anecdotal and isnt supported by scientific evidence as of yet. All we can say for sure is that it is a proven detoxifier.