Medical

A Trip From Rocket Fuel to Amazon Hallucinogen

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:44:37 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

I intended to write about rocket fuel. So, how did I end up writing about “ayahuasca,” a hallucinogenic brew originating from Indigenous Amazon traditions? Well, here we go.

Just How Much Should You Worry About Eating That Burnt Toast?

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:25:27 +0000

I was tempted to say, “why don’t you buy the book,” but that sounded a bit too self-serving. So, let me dig into the science which centers around a small molecule called acrylamide. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has placed acrylamide in its Category 2B reserved for “substances that are possibly carcinogenic to humans.” That raises eyebrows when we learn that this possible carcinogen can be found in many common foods. Think French fries, cereals, potato chips, toast and yikes…coffee.

Can You Warm Up Your Body with Your Mind?

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:10:34 +0000

If you concentrate hard, can you raise the temperature of your little finger? The human body has a thermostat of sorts, a way of regulating its temperature and ensuring its heart keeps beating even when we’re freezing; but can we adjust it with the power of our mind?

The Leggings That Promise to Fix Your Knees

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:28:39 +0000

Back when I was a varsity athlete (before I became old and washed up), I spent my final season dealing with a particularly stubborn ankle injury. As it turns out, sprinting down a runway and launching yourself into a sandpit while transferring large amounts of force through a compromised joint is not exactly a recipe for orthopedic success. Who would’ve guessed.

Colorectal Cancer in Younger Adults: What’s Behind the Uptick?

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:51:23 +0000

It was a shock to learn that actor Chadwick Boseman had died. The rising star who played Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was 43 when colorectal cancer took his life in August 2020. More recently, James Van Der Beek made headlines after he died from the same cancer at the age of 48.

The Curious History of Coca-Cola’s “Fanta” Beverage

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:18:32 +0000

Coca Cola, the beverage that sports the most recognized trademark in the world, has a fascinating and sometimes quirky history. It all started with a battlefield wound suffered in 1865 by Confederate officer John Stith Pemberton during the American Civil War. Pemberton had obtained a medical degree at the age of nineteen and had a special interest in chemistry so when he developed chronic pain due to his injury, he knew what to do. Morphine! It solved the pain problem, but Pemberton became addicted to the drug. That triggered a search for a pain killer that was not addictive.

Lessons in Going Slow: Vaccination Schedules, Tuberculosis, and What Happens When Faster Isn’t Always Better

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Earlier this year, the United States dramatically scaled back its universal childhood immunisation schedule recommendations. Under an overhaul spearheaded by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the number of diseases for which vaccines are universally recommended dropped from 17 to 11. Vaccines for polio and measles remain on the list, but others—like hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and Covid-19—are now recommended based on risk or “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents.

You Can’t Beat Beets!

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:36:31 +0000

It doesn’t matter how good a video or an article is if you can’t get people to watch or read it. That’s why a lot of thought goes into coming up with a catchy title that grabs attention. In this case, since I’m talking about the possible health benefits of beets, the root vegetable, a headline just about writes itself. “You can’t beat beets.”

Navigating Life Gingerly: Do Red-Haired Individuals Experience Pain Differently?

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Red hair is the rarest natural hair color, expressed in only 1-2 percent of the world’s population. Of course, that number does not include salon-goers who seek to mask their original hair color.

TZLA Plasma Healing: The Anarcho-Capitalist Cure-All

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:36:35 +0000

“My age lowered by 25 years. And I’m still going, by the way. It’s incredible.”

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.

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.

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.

Your Poop Is Not Reliable, At Least for Now

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:02:55 +0000

Let’s say you mail your poop to two different companies—not an illegal act, by the way, provided it doesn’t smell or soil anything, and that it’s