McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS)

12/08/2025

Energy gels may be the least gastronomically appealing way to fuel, there’s a reason runners keep squeezing down these sticky packets mid-race. When your stored carbohydrates run low, a fast and reliable source of glucose can prevent the sudden crash in energy and focus known as “the bonk.”

The challenge is that not all gels deliver exactly what their labels claim. Recent testing found that several products contain less carbohydrate than advertised, which can matter if you’re trying to fuel strategically or calculate intake by the gram. If you’re relying on gels for performance, accuracy becomes part of the equation.

Understanding how much carbohydrate your body needs, when to take it, and how to choose a product your gut tolerates can make the difference between finishing strong and struggling through the final miles. 🏃‍♂️

If you want a straightforward breakdown of how gels work, how much fuel endurance athletes actually need, and which alternatives can serve the same function, read the full article. 💭

https://mcgill.ca/x/itz

Walk any marathon finish line and you’ll see them: hundreds of sad, sticky rectangles decorating the asphalt like fallen soldiers of fructose. Energy gels, those gooey, neon-packet shots of “rocket fuel”, are both the saviour and the punchline of endurance sport. They’re a large part of the ...

12/08/2025

After Kim Kardashian tried a “salmon s***m facial” 🐟💉 and Sandra Bullock hyped a “pen*s facial”, clinics saw a rush of curious clients. But behind the buzzy names are just polynucleotides and growth factors 🔬 offering only modest skin benefits.

While these facial treatments seem flashy ✨, the best way to prevent skin aging isn’t by addition but by subtraction ➖. What you want to subtract is sun exposure ☀️. UV rays are the real cause of “photoaging” 🌤️. Need proof? Just compare the skin on your face to the skin on your bottom 😉🍑.

https://mcgill.ca/x/ita

***m

Influencers really do influence. When Kim Kardashian, who is famous for being famous, revealed that she had tried a “salmon s***m facial,” dermatologists and wellness clinics offering the procedure saw an increase in business. The same thing happened when actresses Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanch...

11/30/2025

For those who are not well versed in napping strategies, a caffeine nap – a.k.a. the “nappuccino”– is when you take a power nap immediately after consuming a caffeinated beverage ☕😴 Of course, this method sounds incredibly counterintuitive 🤔 but there may be something to this napping method.

Enter: adenosine; caffeine’s arch nemesis 😈 Adenosine is like the currency through which our brains measure time being awake. For example, when there is less adenosine-receptor-stimulation, we feel more awake. Caffeine just so happens to bind to adenosine receptors, and in doing so, it promotes alertness in part because adenosine has fewer open receptors to bind to ☕️✅ The two-step caffeine nap may have its roots in this intercellular feud…

Get the full scoop below!
https://mcgill.ca/x/iFg

If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I never quite outgrew the afternoon nap phase we all went through as kids. Among my friends, napping was (and still is) considered to be my “thing." From my friends creating a photo album of me dozing in the library to getting me a pajama set fo...

11/29/2025

The pushers of “Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)” for autism are not championing “health freedom” as they claim ⚠️

When the contents of MMS are mixed, a solution of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is produced, which is a strong oxidizing agent. When ingested, this solution has a number of adverse health impacts on the body, it is basically poison. Those who push MMS as a “cure” for autism are quacks handsomely profiting from repackaging a cheap, potentially dangerous industrial bleaching agent that they shamelessly promote as a cure for an incurable disease 🚫💉

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

11/26/2025

You’ve probably heard it before: the tip of your tongue tastes sweet, the sides taste salty, and the back tastes bitter. It shows up in classrooms, coffee tastings, and TikTok tutorials. But here’s the twist — the tongue map is a myth.

The idea came from an early 1900s study that got wildly misinterpreted. In reality, all parts of your tongue can detect all basic tastes; sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. No dramatic espresso swishing required.

So how did this myth gain traction? And who finally set the record straight? From Aristotle’s weird flavor adjectives to Virginia Collins’ myth-busting research, we’re tracing the tangled history of taste.

Get the full story — and finally free your taste buds — on our website.

https://mcgill.ca/x/iyw

Let me set the scene: it’s the evening, I’m doomscrolling in bed (as is tradition), and a video from Emma Chamberlain pops up. She's slurping espresso with a “coffee expert” who confidently explains that this technique helps spray the coffee across different “taste zones” of the tongue: ...

11/25/2025

Osteoarthritis, hair growth, acne, and even cancer are some of the many ailments targeted by light therapy 🦴💇‍♀️💡 Research showing that certain wavelengths can have beneficial effects has fueled a booming industry of “light therapy,” ranging from the utterly nonsensical to the genuinely helpful 🔦

Dr. Joe’s latest shines light on the various forms of light therapy used today 🕯️💊 While some therapies may have real merit, he cautions against shadowy clinics ⚠️ making baseless claims about intravenous light therapy.

https://mcgill.ca/x/iyJ

11/21/2025

Ayurveda is often framed as a natural, ancient alternative to modern medicine. But what happens when tradition collides with evidence — and when cultural reverence shields practices from scrutiny?

Our latest article explores real clinical cases, including a 14-year-old patient with liver failure linked not to alcohol use (as her biopsy suggested) but to contaminated and adulterated herbal treatments. It highlights how pseudoscientific frameworks, outdated diagnostic methods, and unregulated supplements can lead to preventable harm.

This isn’t a critique of culture: it’s a reminder that all medical systems must be accountable to evidence, transparency, and patient safety.

Read the full article to examine the claims behind Ayurveda, the science uncovering its risks, and what happens when challenging misinformation becomes dangerous.

https://mcgill.ca/x/iCo

11/20/2025

“Countries that drink MILK win more NOBEL PRIZES”… according to my milk carton🥛👀. Skeptical, I decided to dig deeper. Turns out, this outlandish statement has roots in not-so-kind-of-outlandish science, with studies linking chocolate and milk consumption to Nobel wins🍫🇸🇪.

However, the catch is that we cannot accept correlation as causation, as convenient as it may be. (Of course, I wish that eating chocolate could make me win a Nobel!) Just because people in certain countries drink more milk (or eat more chocolate) doesn’t mean it’s fueling genius. These studies remind us that science can be lighthearted, but if something seems too good to be true, it might just be.

Read this week’s piece to uncover why it’s worth taking scientific claims with a healthy splash of skepticism (and milk!).

https://mcgill.ca/x/iC3

“The countries that drink MILK WIN more NOBEL PRIZES.” Imagine my surprise when I opened the fridge for some milk to add to my coffee and was greeted by this statement. Puzzled, I couldn’t help but scoff as I poured the milk into my cup. Before returning it to the fridge, I of course snapped a...

11/18/2025

Olive oil, or as Homer called it, “liquid gold,” has been used for centuries to nourish the body inside and out 🫒

Containing antioxidants and heart-healthy fats, extra-virgin olive oil is at the heart of the Mediterranean diet 🏛️🥗 and may even lower the risk of breast and colon cancer, and heart attack. But not all olive oils are created equal. Rising demand and shrinking harvests have boosted the invasion of the market by counterfeit products 🛢️❌ Some “extra-virgin” bottles may be diluted with cheaper oils or processed in ways that destroy the beneficial compounds.

Many restaurants now recognize the appeal of olive oil and offer little dishes of it instead of butter on the table. Here, the key phrase is “instead of.” Adding a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil a day to the diet is not the way to go - substituting it for other oils or saturated fats is 🔄✨ Get the whole scoop in Dr. Joe’s latest!

https://mcgill.ca/x/iCw

Homer was the supposed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two classics of Greek literature. “Supposed” because there is no real historical record of when he lived, or indeed, if he ever did live. Some historians believe that the Iliad and Odyssey were really compilations of stories passed down...

11/10/2025

The “Letters to the Editor” section of most major journals may offer more than just groundbreaking scientific discoveries. This tool may be an emerging hub wherein some scientists use artificial intelligence to compose letters to the editor in an attempt to pad their resumes ✅
Of course, one has to wonder if the chatbot letters are just the tip of the iceberg 🧊 Could there be totally fictional research papers being submitted to journals written by artificial intelligence programs? That is an ominous prospect 🧐

In Dr. Joe’s latest, we are reminded that peer review is not a guarantee that reported results and conclusions arrived at are reliable - especially with the rise of AI chatbots 🤖

https://mcgill.ca/x/iVe

Roughly three and a half million scientific papers are published globally every year in an estimated 47,000 academic journals. That’s an astonishing six papers every minute! Some are very good, some very bad, most are mediocre. The vast majority of science and medical journals are peer-reviewed, b...

11/09/2025

When Alberta’s 51,000 teachers walked off the job, it wasn’t a tantrum; it was a warning. Years of underfunding, overcrowded classrooms, and political interference have left educators burning out while students pay the price.

Despite claims that “money doesn’t matter,” the evidence is overwhelming: every dollar invested in public education returns more in health, safety, and economic benefits. Cutting school budgets isn’t fiscal prudence—it’s self-sabotage.

Alberta now spends 16 percent less per student than the Canadian average, all while funnelling more funds toward private options. When governments defund classrooms, they don’t just erode learning—they chip away at democracy itself.

Read the full story on our website and learn why education isn’t an expense, but an investment in our collective future.

https://mcgill.ca/x/iV8

Why This Matters (Even If You Don’t Live There) A public education system is the scaffolding of any democracy. It’s where young citizens learn not only arithmetic and grammar, but curiosity, empathy, and the habits of coexistence. Undermine it, and you don’t simply erode a talent pipeline, you...

11/03/2025

While today, many people point accusing fingers at pesticides, vaccines, and technology as the cause of illness or misfortune, in the past, witchcraft was deemed to be responsible 🧙‍♀️✨

From identifying "witches' teats" to the infamous swimming test, some 200,000 innocent people were burned, drowned or tortured to death with the hope of relieving the world from suffering 🔥⚖️ Even black cats fell victim to the hysteria 🐈‍⬛ They were hunted down and killed by the thousands.

Though today we no longer burn witches, people still fear what they do not understand 💭 Check out Dr. Joe’s article to learn about the ludicrous history of witch hunts and how it can help inform how we approach the unknown today 📖🕯️

https://mcgill.ca/x/iHx