Office for Science and Society - Separating Sense from Nonsense

Muscle Building is Not Routine, It's Triggered by Protein

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:07:59 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Protein, protein everywhere…with plenty of drops to drink! You can guzzle protein shakes, drink protein pop, or even protein water. Then there are the protein-fortified foods. Protein cereal, protein bread, protein Pop Tarts, protein popcorn, protein gummies and protein bars galore. The protein craze is off and running.

To get a grip on this race to down more and more protein, let’s go back to the starting blocks. Exactly what are proteins and why are they looking to step up to the top of the podium?

Is Your Sauna Session Sabotaging Your Swimmers?

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:01:58 +0000

Over the past few months, a not insignificant number of my male friends have asked me (unprompted) whether going to the sauna is ruining their sperm. Bold questions. Intimate questions. But fair ones. Sauna culture has exploded in North America, and with it, men now face an understandable worry: is the sauna accidentally slow roasting fertility?

HIV/AIDS Denialism Is Back, Courtesy of Joe Rogan

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:21:09 +0000

Joe Rogan, the most influential podcaster globally, is an HIV-AIDS denialist. Imagine the backlash if the six o’clock news were espousing this decades-old, harmful pseudoscience front and centre.

You Are What You Eat

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:34:05 +0000

“You are what you eat” is a widely quoted aphorism, expressing the general truth that nutrition and health are intimately linked. It is generally said to derive from the phrase “tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are” found in French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s 1823 book “Physiology Du Gout.” However, Brillat-Savarin was not referring to nutrition, he was commenting on the differences between the foods available to different social classes. The rich could count on a large variety of foods, while the poor subsisted on a meager food supply.

When Your Phone Makes Time Disappear

Lia Erisson — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:41:46 +0000

When I think about the first few hours of my day, I picture myself getting up, making breakfast, picking out my outfit, and tidying my apartment. What I don’t often recall are the 30 or so minutes I spend doomscrolling on Instagram or playing video games as soon as I wake up. To be honest, that time barely registers as having existed at all.

In all likelihood, you have similar experiences in your day-to-day life.

Why Were Nevalyaska Dolls Once Made With Gunpowder?

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:35:27 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

I searched eBay for a “nevalyaska.” I just had to have one because of the fascinating story I came across about this little doll’s origin in the Soviet Union.

BPC-157 – No Proof Required!

Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:20:08 +0000

The actions of the stomach are an important first step in the digestion of the food that we eat. This occurs in part through mechanical grinding of large ‘clumps’ of food into smaller pieces for passage into the intestines. However, cells that line the stomach also secrete a number of compounds into the gastric cavity. These include hydrochloric acid (HCl), as well as a number of complex proteins and a few much smaller proteins known as peptides.

White Noise May Worsen Sleep

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:40:01 +0000

Getting a good night’s sleep is paramount to health; and yet, whenever we reach for a sleep aid, we are told there are risks involved.

COP30: Reclaiming the Truth

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

On January 7th, 2026, Donald Trump explicitly withdrew the United States from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), along with 65 other organizations. His reasoning was that these organizations and treaties “no longer serve American interests.” This action is one of Trump’s many attacks on the integrity of climate change.

There are Lots of Longevity Regimens. One Stands out for Me

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:50:22 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.