McGill Office for Science and Society

A Peashooter Will Not Bring Down a Charging Rhino This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. “A gesture as effective as sending out a boy with a peashooter to bring down a rhinoceros.” Sometimes I feel like I’m the boy and the rhino is...

“A gesture as effective as sending a boy with a peashooter to bring down a rhinoceros.”

That’s how 1933 consumer advocates described fighting toxic quack remedies.

Despite more regulations today, quackery lives on, just in new forms.

Read more 👉 mcgill.ca/x/ies

Meet the New Rogan. Same as the Old Rogan. It looks as if masculinity itself has exploded into the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling are covered in dark tones that suck up the light. Next to a framed American flag is a bar lit from below, wh...

"On The Shawn Ryan Show, studies are used like bullets. They fly at you in such a blur that there’s no time to question their origin."

Meet the new Joe Rogan. Same as the old Joe Rogan.

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Ultrasound During Pregnancy: Sound Advice or Sound the Alarm? Let’s be honest—pregnancy is basically a nine-month exercise in overthinking. Is that sushi safe? Should I be sleeping on my left side? And what, exactly, is in prenatal vitamins anyway? Somewhere on ...

Is ultrasound safe during pregnancy? 🤔 We dive into the facts, fears, and fetal selfies—plus why Doppler scans get all the heat (literally). TL;DR: Trust your doctor, not your group chat.

mcgill.ca/x/ieA

Ozempic-Induced Blindness? A Measured Response In certain corners of the Internet, the discourse over Ozempic is terrifying. “But the FDA says that [sic] inject Gila Monster venom weekly into yourself is healthy,” one commentator sarcastically dec...

Figuring out if Ozempic has rare complications is not as easy as it looks.

This is something scientists are acutely aware of, but the general public may not be.

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

What Wild Animals Can Teach Us About Cancer In a lab in Rochester, New York, a group of scientists were trying to grow cells taken from a naked mole rat. Instead, they ended up with a petri dish full of goo. The cells had secreted a thick, visc...

In labs and in the wild, scientists are uncovering the surprising ways animals evolve to resist (and sometimes spread) cancer.

But these cancer suppression mechanisms are no match for their biggest threat of all: human activity.

Read the full article here 👉 mcgill.ca/x/isB

Next Time it Rains, You May Want to Pack More Than Just Your Umbrella Have you ever felt sluggish or achy on a rainy day? You’re not alone. While you could see a rainy day as an excuse to cozy up with freshly brewed tea and a movie, your rain-induced back pain may be ou...

Have you ever felt sluggish or achy on a rainy day?
You’re not alone.

While you could see a rainy day as an excuse to cozy up with freshly brewed tea and a movie, your rain-induced back pain may be out of your control.

Read more 👇
mcgill.ca/x/is2

Is UV blood irradiation’s merit just a trick of the light?

It looked promising until antibiotics were discovered. Then it migrated to Russia, and now? To wellness clinics.

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

The Science Behind Willpower vs. Tastebuds This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. “Betcha can’t eat just one” is one of the most successful advertising slogans ever fashioned. Introduced by the Frito-Lay snack food company i...

Are ultra-processed foods addictive like morphine or cocaine? 🧠

The jury’s still out.

But when it comes to their link to chronic disease? The verdict is in: guilty as charged.

Read more 👉 mcgill.ca/x/imV

Orange You Overdoing It? A Deep Dive into the Science of Zone Training The Truth About Heart Rate Zones: Beyond the Burn If you’ve ever found yourself sprinting on a treadmill under glowing orange lights, surrounded by pulsing music and digital screens showing your name ...

Chasing the Orange Zone for fat loss? 🧡 Science says your sweet spot for burning fat is closer to Zones 2–3 (60–70% HR max), not the all-out grind. Turns out, moderation might be your metabolism’s best friend.

mcgill.ca/x/imR

Con Artists or True Believers? You may be the victim of a grift. We apparently live in the era of the con, the scam, the grift. Podcasters, YouTubers, and social media influencers have no qualms in referring to anyone that is selli...

Are we too quick to refer to alt health influencers as “grifters?” Are they choosing to deceive you… or do they really believe what they’re saying?

My reflection on the topic for @mcgilloss.bsky.social

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Why It’s Hard to Study What People Eat This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. Last semester I carried out a little experiment in my Chemistry of Food course. At the end of the last lecture, I handed out a blank sheet of ...

Dr. Joe gave students a blank sheet & asked what they ate the day before 🍽️

400 answers later, vague portions, forgotten foods & soda guilt told a bigger story

Self-reporting is messy, but it's still how nutrition science gets done 📊

Read more ➡️ mcgill.ca/x/iWF

Patchy Science on LifeWave’s Mysterious Patches They came in droves. On Valentine’s Day 2023, Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell researcher who criticizes pseudoscience in his field, published his assessment of the LifeWave X39 patch. Eight months later, ...

Can LifeWave's patches patch you up?

I've seen a lot of pseudoscience in my day. But this might be a first: the mechanism of action keeps changing. It's a pick-your-own-adventure patch!

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

There Are Skeletons in the Nobel Prize Closet This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. Carleton Gajdusek was only five years old in 1928 when he and his entomologist aunt wandered through the woods overturning rocks, looking for ...

The Nobel Prize is the most significant recognition of a scientist’s work, but it also shines a spotlight that follows the recipient for the rest of their life. Such scrutiny can sometimes taint the awardee’s reputation, as is the case with Gajdusek.

Read more: mcgill.ca/x/iWU

Will Vitamin D Go the Way of Cod Liver Oil? This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. In many of my public lectures, I address the topic of dietary supplements and often do a rudimentary audience survey. When I ask about taking ...

Vitamin D is taken for many reasons, but the 5-year VITAL trial with 25,000 adults challenges some of the broader health claims of vitamin D supplements.

Explore the history of Vitamin D, what the VITAL trial reveals, and why claims about it “slowing aging” might be premature.

mcgill.ca/x/iPL

The Paper-Thin Evidence for Mouth Taping TikTokers can’t shut up about this one simple trick. All you need to do is seal your mouth with tape before going to bed, and you will apparently collect a slew of benefits. It will give you more ener...

TikTokers can’t shut up about this one simple trick. All you need to do is seal your mouth with tape before going to bed, and you will apparently collect a slew of benefits.

Does mouth taping work?

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social unpacks how wellness trends can become mainstream-washed.

Can You Get Cancer from Kissing a Smoker and Other Questions with Definitive Answers This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. It was in early June 1980, that my phone rang. On the line was Helen Gougeon, host of a talk show on radio station CJAD. Would I like to come ...

Dr. Joe has spent 45 years on CJAD answering science questions. Just like the 1980s, some questions are easier to answer than others.

Read the article to discover some of the strangest (and funniest) questions he’s been asked—and why, in the end, only the dose makes the poison

mcgill.ca/x/id4

Recycling is Here to Stay: Unpacking Quebec’s Recycling Paradigm Shift When the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2025, Quebec not only celebrated the beginning of a new year–– it welcomed a new, bold era of recycling. Quebec’s recycling system is now managed by Éco ...

For residents in Quebec, recycling just got a whole lot easier. When the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2025, Quebec not only celebrated the beginning of a new year–– it welcomed a new, bold era of recycling ♻️

Read more: mcgill.ca/x/iA9

This idea that the body cannot function without 50 different pills is a hypochondriac’s wet dream. The body’s resilience and buffers are dismissed; what it needs is a perpetual molecular rescue operation, and this all-hands-on-deck salvage comes with an eye-watering bill.

Functional medicine is all the rage. The Surgeon General nominee quit medicine and became a functional medicine practitioner.

But what is it? Because it's definitely not a specialty of medicine.

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Banner image showing Hyman and Means, pills and dollar signs.

Tomorrow, I write about that very slippery slide that is moving actual healthcare providers into the arms of alternative medicine.

It's seduced Mark Hyman and Casey Means.

I flipped through its seminal textbook.

That's tomorrow for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.

For the Love of Carbs This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. I have a soft spot for carbohydrates. That’s because they helped launch my scientific career. Many, many moons ago, my PhD research explored t...

Dr. Joe has a soft spot for carbs—they launched his career! 👨‍🎓His PhD on simple carbohydrates showed him the the field was an ocean, not a pond. 

That fascination shaped his teaching where he aimed to spark interest by showing chemistry’s everyday uses 🧪

mcgill.ca/x/iAZ

Misinformation Piggybacks on Joe Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. “Just the facts, ma’am” is a catchphrase attributed to detective Joe Friday in the classic television police drama Dragnet. If all science com...

After Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, questions around PSA (prostate-specific antigen) testing erupted.

I’ll leave debates on Biden’s diagnosis to experts, but I had to call out the unqualified individuals using it to spread dangerous misinformation on social media…

mcgill.ca/x/iAo

Disrupting Science with Crypto Let’s say I am afflicted by a common but non-life-threatening condition. I shall refer to this fictional misfortune as “chin gribbles.” I have chin gribbles. Many people have chin gribbles. It’s annoy...

They’re called DAOs and some of them want to improve scientific research. Can they avoid past mistakes?

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social

@mattbinder.bsky.social, you might find the crypto angle interesting.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Disrupting Science with Crypto Let’s say I am afflicted by a common but non-life-threatening condition. I shall refer to this fictional misfortune as “chin gribbles.” I have chin gribbles. Many people have chin gribbles. It’s annoy...

If academia is "too slow" and pharma "doesn't innovate anymore," are DAOs the answer to science's woes?

I delve into the crypto-led decentralized science movement for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.

If you know wellness, you'll recognize some of the arguments here.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Hard Facts: What You Didn't Know About Bone Health (But Should) This past year, I’ve spent an unreasonable amount of time thinking about bones. Talking about bones. Reading about bones. Writing about bones. Basically, becoming the unofficial bone correspondent amo...

Think your bones are just passive sticks holding you up? Think again.

Your skeleton is alive, responsive, and quietly shaping your future.

From teenage soccer games to post-50 calcium needs, there’s so much to know about how to build and keep strong bones for life 🦴

mcgill.ca/x/iMB

While the MAHA commission speaks out of one side of the government’s mouth to defend children’s health, some of its members speak out of the other side when they act to strip America of important regulations. CDC staff who respond to lead poisoning in children were fired recently. Congress voted to undo regulations that restrict the amount of toxic air pollutants emitted by American industries. Last April, the FDA suspended testing of milk and dairy products due to job cuts by RFK Jr, and millions of Americans will soon lose their Medicaid coverage, a program that gives health insurance to adults and children with limited income, as well as food assistance benefits. The MAHA Report is an exercise in hypocrisy.

The MAHA Report Is Mostly 'Data Vibes,' my latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social.

They say they want to defend children's health (where have I heard that before); they're doing the exact opposite.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

cover page for the MAHA Report

My article tomorrow will be about the MAHA Report and how it is an exercise in hypocrisy.

It gets the "vibes" right, sure, but the thing about vibes is that they're rarely evidence based.

Don’t Talk to Me Until I’ve Had My Coffee… and Breakfast! A few weeks ago, my roommate and I found ourselves chatting alongside two steaming cups of freshly brewed coffee. A great start to my day, if you ask me. This morning, my refusal of the milk she added...

Adding fat to coffee is a trend that has persisted in recent years.

From butter coffee to Starbucks’ Oleato, there seems to be a clear market for this beverage.

To me, coffee seems like no place for butter or olive oil. But if we take milk in our coffee, then why not butter?

mcgill.ca/x/igp

What Is a Molecule? Surveys reveal that only 50 percent of people questioned know that the Earth goes around the sun once a year, and only 40 percent realize that electrons are smaller than atoms. That’s sad enough, but ...

Did you know that around 90% of the world’s population doesn’t know what a molecule is?

Don’t fret, you no longer have to be part of this majority!

Learn more 👇

mcgill.ca/x/igS

Identifying good biomarkers is hard. A biomarker is something we can measure in the body that relates to a health condition. It may be a mutation in a gene, or a molecule carried in the blood or secreted in the saliva. It may help diagnose a disease, or predict one that will develop later, or help determine the odds of someone’s survival, or even guide therapy. An ideal predictive biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease will correctly identify everyone who will develop the disease and vice versa: no one who won’t go on to have Alzheimer’s should get a positive result and no one who will should be mistakenly reassured. At the very least, these error rates need to be very low. This biomarker should flag people very early on, be non-invasive, and cheap. And if it’s to be used specifically for Alzheimer’s disease, it should not be detected when a person will develop a different dementia, like vascular or frontotemporal dementia.

Some good news: it appears we have a good blood test to predict the development of Alzheimer's disease years in advance.

It hinges on a protein called tau.

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

The Devilishly Hard Question I’m Asked All the Time This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. Usually, the questioner has seen or heard something, often through social media, about a loathsome substance that is set to destroy their life...

“Is it true that ...?” and can be devilishly hard to answer.

The answer is almost always: “Yes/No, but…” 

Science isn’t black or white, it’s shades of gray. Social media loves extremes, but real science lives in the nuance.

mcgill.ca/x/iYn