McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS)

10/27/2025

If you missed this year’s Trottier Sympsoium (or would simply like to re-watch it), you can watch a recording of the presentation & the fireside chat on our Youtube channel!

Dr. Drew Weissman, Nobel Laureate and co-creator of the COVID vaccine, will be discussing the twists and turns that inevitably occur when embarking upon scie...

10/27/2025

Sometimes it takes a Babybel to remind us how tangled life is with plastic 🌍🧀 Once sealed in stubborn plastic, the cheese now arrives wrapped in paper — likely a result of the exploding publicity about our overuse of plastics. Unfortunately, with the blessing of plastic also comes a whole lot of curses: essential for modern life yet devastating in excess.

Heat, light, and wear cause plastic to shed tiny particles—microplastics and even tinier nanoparticles—that spread through air and water, reaching every corner of the planet and, alarmingly, every organ of the human body. Research links these particles to heart attack, stroke, cognitive decline, and other health concerns 🏥

While the major exposure comes from micro and nanoparticles in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, every small change represents a step toward balance ⚖️ However, if many individuals make such efforts, then fewer plastic items will be produced, fewer will be dumped as garbage and fewer will end up in water systems🌊🗑️.

Get the whole scoop in Dr. Joe’s latest 🌍💚

https://mcgill.ca/x/iKL

I sometimes have a Babybel cheese as a snack and I used to feel that the little cheese did not want to be eaten. It seemed to defy attempts to open the plastic in which it had sought refuge. But no more! The latest batch I got was wrapped in paper not plastic and yielded its contents without the sli...

10/26/2025

On Wednesday October 1st, 2025, Dr. Jane Goodall passed away while on a speaking tour in the United States.
From her 1960 groundbreaking discovery of chimpanzees using tools — shaking the very definition of “human” — to becoming the only person to deliver McGill’s Beatty Lecture twice (1979 and 2019), Dr. Goodall had a fervent commitment to education and our world 🌍📚

⚠️ But her legacy is not without controversy. In 2013, she was accused of plagiarism in her book Seeds of Hope — using word-for-word sentences taken from Wikipedia pages and blog posts, without attribution. Though she apologized and promised to make corrections, this sparked critical conversations about academic integrity 📖✍️

Seeds of Hope also includes a chapter on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - something that Dr. Goodall was an avid opponent of. Goodall premised her anti-GMO claims on a lack of evidence on their safety; however, according to the FDA and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, among other esteemed bodies, evidence is abundant and, in fact, conclusive ✅🔬

💬 Dr. Goodall inspired generations — and will continue to — but this does not excuse violations of academic integrity nor spreading unbacked claims. In the current age of copious amounts of misinformation circulating, backing up your work with reputable sources is non-negotiable🔍🧾.

✨ As we celebrate her life, let’s also honor the value of a proper citation 🕊️📚✅

https://mcgill.ca/x/iKu

On Wednesday October 1st, 2025, Dr. Jane Goodall passed away while on a speaking tour in the United States. As an esteemed scientist whose life mission was to advocate for wildlife, promote conservation, and strengthen ties between humans and other members of the animal kingdom, she stayed true to h...

10/26/2025

Just when we thought AG1 was done making waves, they’ve launched a sequel: AGZ, a “sleep support” powder promising “restful, restorative” nights.

From the same company once led by a founder with a troubling legal history, AGZ mixes herbs, minerals, and marketing magic without a single solid clinical trial. The pitch sounds soothing, but “research-backed ingredients” doesn’t necessarily equate to proven results.

Chamomile, valerian, magnesium, ashwagandha: each trendy, none reliably effective for real insomnia. If herbal teas and powders could fix sleep, we’d all be dreaming soundly by now.

AGZ may not help you drift off, but it’s another reminder that wellness marketing often dreams bigger than science.

https://mcgill.ca/x/iKB

10/21/2025

See you TONIGHT for the Trottier Symposium!

Due to overwhelming interest, registration is now closed.

But - good news! We will now also be LIVE STREAMING Dr. Weissman’s talk on the twists and turns of the development of this historical COVID vaccine, which ultimately led him to receive the Nobel Prize.

Tune in here at 7pm: https://www.youtube.com/live/tmF0CDqDu-Y?si=F07XCC5aCh17Ce_V

We look forward to seeing you in person (or online!) tonight!

*For those attending in person, you will be asked to show the QR code you received in your email upon entry.

Dr. Drew Weissman, Nobel Laureate and co-creator of the COVID vaccine, will be discussing the twists and turns that inevitably occur when embarking upon scie...

10/19/2025

🏃🏅 Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley made headlines in August: not for breaking records, but for breaking boundaries.

He’s now set to compete in the Enhanced Games, a new event that openly permits athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs, promising million-dollar prizes and a “redefinition of super-humanity.”

Critics call it reckless, unethical, even dangerous. Supporters say it’s the next frontier of athletic evolution.

But behind the spectacle lies a deeper question: what do we really value in sport? Fairness and discipline, or unfiltered human enhancement?

From anabolic risks to antitrust lawsuits, from moral debates to medical red flags, the Enhanced Games are forcing the world to confront how far we’re willing to go for faster times and bigger muscles.

Read the full story on our website.
https://mcgill.ca/x/izQ

For most people, track and field exists as a fleeting summer spectacle: ten days every four years when the fastest, strongest, and most gravity-defying humans wage war on a 400-metre oval. For me, this sport is much more. During my time as a varsity athlete, I was consumed by the oval: on it, I trai...

10/18/2025

One “Healthline” article about blue spirulina used “may” an astounding 21 times and “suggest,” “possible,” or “potential” 15 more — making it sound like a miracle superfood while saying very little definitively 🤔 Yes, spirulina may help your brain, heart, and immune system, but it just as easily may not! 🚫

Spirulina is a type of bacteria 🧫 specifically “cyanobacteria” from the ancient Greek word “kyanos” for “blue.” And more specifically, “blue spirulina” is an extract of spirulina that contains mostly phycocyanin and few other nutrients 💦 Spirulina is safe for consumption 🍽️ In fact, due to its high nutritional value, its light weight, and its ability to be grown in space, NASA has used it as a dietary supplement for astronauts 🚀🛰️ For us earthlings, kale, spinach or quinoa have a similar nutritional profile at a fraction of the cost 🥬💸

While wild claims about the health benefits of blue spirulina are numerous, the bottom line is that anyone consuming a decent diet has no need of spirulina 🌀 Whatever health effects it “may” produce would require about 8 grams a day at a cost of about two dollars. What blue spirulina WILL do is turn your smoothie a vibrant blue🥤 (And it WILL be more expensive than its alternatives).

Get the full scoop in Dr. Joe’s latest:
https://mcgill.ca/x/izP

In the science communication business, we call them “weasel words.” Why? Because weasels have a reputation for being sneaky and tricky. We are talking about words like “may,” “suggest,” “possible” and “potential” that can trick the reader into forming a positive impression withou...

10/17/2025

In advance of the upcoming Trottier Symposium, we decided to interview some students about their thoughts on vaccines 💉

Join us on Tuesday as we hear from Nobel Prize Winner and co-creator of the COVID vaccine, Dr. Drew Weissman, about the twists and turns on the road that led to the creation of this lifesaving vaccine.

10/15/2025

In response to the current ecological crisis 🌍, it is becoming ever-present that rapid industrialization 🏭 is not sustainable in the long term. Instead, biomimetics is being touted as a sustainable alternative to innovation, seeking to mimic processes that have existed within the animal kingdom 🐾 for millennia. Rather than dominating nature, biomimicry pushes us to learn from it 🌱

From Velcro to surgical glue to mangroves, we dive into the who, what, when, where, why, and how of biomimicry… even uncovering a surprise at Canada’s Wonderland 🎢!

The Key Takeaway?🔑
In using the evolutionary qualities of living organisms 🧬, combined with human knowledge 📚, biomimetics offer a productive way forward in combating environmental degradation ♻️ and an inevitable shortage of natural resources ⚠️. Get the whole scoop on biomimicry in this week’s piece:

https://mcgill.ca/x/iDP

Biomimicry, a scientific field dedicated to using nature as a model to guide the development of more efficient and better technology, recenters the anthropocentric narrative that often takes the reigns in science. In response to the current ecological crisis, it is becoming ever-present that the rap...

10/14/2025

Scroll through social media and you’ll see it everywhere: “Nature is the real pharmacy.” A leaf for diabetes, a seed for cancer, a fruit for immunity.

But as comforting as that idea sounds, it’s rarely true. Most natural compounds that show promise in lab dishes cannot survive the long, difficult road to becoming actual medicines.

Even the success stories (like aspirin or morphine) took decades of chemistry to refine and make safe. The rest? They often skip testing altogether and end up sold as “natural supplements” with vague claims and no proof.

Nature inspires medicine, but it isn’t a shortcut to it. Read the full article on our website.

https://mcgill.ca/x/iDA

A video on Facebook with nearly one million views informs me that the avocado tree is a pharmacy in disguise. “Its leaves help regulate blood sugar,” the narrator says, “its seeds target cancer cells, and its bitter compounds are being studied for their effects on infections.” It’s appeali...

10/11/2025

Apple cider vinegar has a long history of health claims, stemming from Hippocratic texts claiming the product was a cough reliever, to 1800s doctors claiming vinegar was the key to an upset stomach. Most recently, however, apple cider vinegar has taken on the role of aiding weight loss and lowering blood sugar levels 🍎🩸

For long, the evidence supporting the health benefits of apple cider vinegar was largely anecdotal 🩺🗣️ However, in 2024, the prestigious British Medical Journal Nutrition documented substantial weight loss with apple cider vinegar.

Just when apple cider vinegar confirmed its “miracle” status 🪄, the study was soon criticized for serious flaws in methodology and statistical analysis. This ultimately led to the study being retracted from the journal one year later. This study serves as an example of the need to be appropriately skeptical even when it comes to a peer-reviewed paper 🧐

So, once again, we are at a stalemate. Despite the hype around apple cider vinegar, solid scientific proof is still lacking 🤔

Read Dr. Joe’s latest on the importance of staying skeptical: https://mcgill.ca/x/iDM

Apple cider vinegar has been on my radar since the 1970s when I was first asked about its purported miraculous properties on my radio show. The queries were triggered by the publication of a booklet with the enticing title “Apple Cider Vinegar, Miracle Healthy System,” by Drs. Paul C. Bragg and ...

10/10/2025

Hiccups are sudden, spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm that make you inhale sharply and your vocal cords snap shut, producing that familiar "hic" sound. They’re usually brief and harmless, but sometimes persistent hiccups can signal underlying issues.

This article covers:
• What causes hiccups, from eating too fast to nerve irritation
• Why most hiccups are harmless, and when to worry
• Tricks and remedies to stop hiccups, from holding your breath to drinking water

Most hiccups disappear on their own, but understanding why they happen can make them a little less mysterious.

Read more on our website 👇
https://mcgill.ca/x/iRf

We’re all familiar with the sensation- an uncontrollable jerk of our diaphragm and an involuntary noise, stifled or not, that gives the condition its name. Hiccups are ubiquitous amongst mammals of all ages, but it may surprise you to learn that even in 2024, our understanding of them is somewhat ...