Office for Science and Society - Separating Sense from Nonsense

Ripples of Discovery Created a New Wave of Weight-loss Medications

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

When it comes to pharmacology, the big story these days is the development of the “glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) mimics,” the first truly effective medications to treat obesity. It’s a fascinating story to be sure, but get set for a bumpy ride. We are not playing Tiddlywinks here.

Say Toodle-oo to the Winter Boo-hoos

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Each October, like clockwork, a dear friend of mine reminds me to begin taking vitamin D supplements– just in time for the perils of daylight savings time. His reasoning? Its prophylactic effects against seasonal depression. In his words: “[it is] the most important thing you can do for your mental health.” For many years, I haphazardly followed his advice, both out of the appreciation I had for him to think about my wellbeing in the face of winter’s darkness, but also because I figured, why not? But can regularly taking vitamin D really have such an effect?

Dr. Michael Greger’s Bias Is Food for Thought

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

How can we distinguish between a sufficiently objective science communicator and an advocate? Communicating science to the public means choosing scientific papers, reading them, and appraising their worth before synthesizing all of this knowledge. We try to do it as impartially as we can… but what if we are ideologically biased?

The Costco Hot Dog….Decisions….Decisions

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:36:43 +0000

So, there I was at Costco looking at their special of a quarter pound hot dog and soft drink for $1.50. A good deal financially to be sure. These days I have hot dogs rarely, but I still have fond memories of the toasted hot dogs at the Forum and the steamies at the Montreal Pool Room. To try or not to try the Costco dog, that was the question. I was aware of course about the high salt and fat content, but I also knew that I didn’t have to worry about being struck down by botulism. That’s because the meat is cured with sodium nitrite. And therein lies a story.

Bacteria are Fearsome, Especially When Weaponized

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:22:07 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

They used to call it “wool sorter’s disease” or “hide-porter’s disease” because the affliction struck workers who spun wool or carried animal skins. They would sometimes develop circular lesions on their skin with a coal black centre, hence the name of the disease “anthrax” from the Greek word for coal. In rare instances drummers developed anthrax as they beat animal-skin drums.

Facial Filler, Reversibility, and the Science We Don’t See

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:42:17 +0000

I talked about Botox a lot in 2025. Which, in the social circles of a 22-year-old woman, raises a fair question: why? We don’t have wrinkles yet. Our frontal lobes aren’t even finished developing. And yet, Botox and filler, procedures once reserved for red carpets and midlife crises, have become casual conversation, slipped between Pilates classes and oat-milk lattes.

A Case Study in Magical Thinking: Scentbird’s CEO

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

We often turn to successful people for advice. Bookstore shelves are heavy with tomes adorned with photos of rich luminaries resting their head on their fist, and podcasts can’t get enough of famous stars explaining how they got to where they are.

By following their breadcrumbs, we hope for similar outcomes, but the thing is, chance plays an outsized role in success. Those who ascend to the top may not be smarter or more rational than us, just luckier.

“Food Preservative Linked to Cancer,” Shrieked Many a Headline

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 23:23:20 +0000

It isn’t surprising that a paper published in the prestigious British Medical Journal linking food preservatives to cancer roused much media attention. After all, preservatives in food are not rare and cancer is frightening. But just how much should our eyebrows furrow? That depends on whether you look at the headlines that scream about preservatives increasing cancer rates by 16% or you delve deeply into the data that gave rise to these numbers. Let’s delve!

Grilling the Science Behind the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

A Beginners Guide to Time Travel: Explaining the Time Zones

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

In a way, time travel does exist. Just hop on a plane from Montreal to Vancouver, and you jump back three hours. Or better yet, fly in the other direction to Auckland, and find yourself 18 hours in the future. Of course, we owe these time differences to the Earth’s rotation, but also to the human-decided lines that identify various time zones. (This subject is, in fact, very personal to me because I am currently writing this at 5:30 in the morning due to the infamous jetlag most of us have experienced at some time.)