It’s summer time and so we will be hearing a lot about Borrelia burgdorferi infections. Not all news coverage on the issue is accurate but this piece by Aaron Derfel tries to put the issue in context. Chris also seems to pop up in the story. http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/cases-of-lyme-disease-jumped-82-per-cent-among-montrealers-last-year-stats

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  Chris and Jonathan sit down to demystify how scientific research is conducted and what actually goes on in a lab. They talk about the following: defining terms; Ang Lee's Hulk; laboratory hierarchy; graduate studies; postdocs; salaries; job opportunities; what scientists do with the 61 hours a week they work on average; funding; managerial skills; hiring practices; harassement; rewarding results instead of the process; subpar research; and negative findings. Also, Simpsons references galore. Theme music:…

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  What is this CRISPR thing I keep hearing about in the news? It can apparently cure diseases! If you want to know what CRISPR, I need to tell you about the boy, the dog, the backpack, and the railroad. It'll all make sense. This is episode 17 of Cracked Science, for May 23rd, 2018. This is Jonathan's latest video for the McGill Office for Science and Society.   

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Recently a study in the BMJ suggested that eggs can reduce heart disease. Eggs used to be bad for you. Now they are good for you. Supposedly. This piece from healthnewsreview.org (where somebody famous, not Jonathan, gets quoted) explains why these types of studies are not all they are cracked up to be. WARNING: many more egg puns ahead. https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/05/eggs-cardiovascular-disease/

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People take omega-3 supplements for all kinds of reasons. They take them for heart disease even though the evidence for benefit is questionable. But another reason to take them is for dry eyes, for which some trials have suggested a  benefit. But a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests otherwise. My latest article of the Montreal Gazette. http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-omega-3-supplements-for-dry-eyes ************************ Fish oil supplements are very popular. While most people take them for…

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  Did you know that doctors recently discovered a brand-new organ no one knew existed? And that it may explain how acupuncture works? Actually, scratch all of that. This story is drenched in hype and we're going to cut through all of it. This is episode 16 of Cracked Science, for May 10th, 2018. Jonathan's latest video for the McGill Office for Science and Society.  

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  What do reindeer have to do with cell phones? Well, nothing really. But it does help explain why it's so hard to prove that cell phones are safe. Here's my interview with Tech News Weekly: https://www.twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly/episodes/30  

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  Jonathan and Chris interview three of the Science Moms: Alison Bernstein, Kavin Senapathy, and Natalie Newell. They discuss a bevy of important topics, such as the Dirty Dozen shopping list; the social justice aspect of GE and anti-GE activism; Monsanto; conflicts of interest in research; epigenetic; and, of course, Natalie's film, Science Moms; also, Chris' Spider-Man Theory of What Scares People. The Science Moms documentary can be accessed at ScienceMomsDoc.com, while the moms themselves…

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  Is there such a thing as gene for intelligence? And have we found it? Jonathan delves into the world of intelligence genetics where, up until very recently, we knew... well... almost nothing. Also, there's a brick wall involved. It'll make sense. This is episode 15 of Cracked Science, for April 26th, 2018. Jonathan's latest video for the McGill Office for Science and Society.  

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  Do you think that non-GMO food doesn't contain DNA, or that astronaut Scott Kelly's genes were mutated while he was in space? Challenge your misconceptions about DNA and genetics! (And learn what happens when you fuse a cat to a baboon.) My latest video for the McGill Office for Science and Society.

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