Diabetes research in Canada: 100 years later

January 18, 2022 Various bloggers Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin – a Canadian breakthrough that has saved the lives of countless people with diabetes. It seems only fitting that 100 years later, we take a moment to reflect on how far Canadian diabetes research has come, with a focus on stem cells and regenerative medicine of course! Diabetes is a disorder where the body’s cells are unable to process glucose (sugar) properly. Normally, the…

Journal de bord de Notre cerveau à tous les niveaux – #1 : Vue d’ensemble du livre

January 17, 2022 Bruno Dubuc Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Pour souligner les 20 ans du Cerveau à tous les niveaux ce mois-ci, j’ai résumé la semaine dernière sa genèse et son évolution, du site web au blogue, et des conférences au livre ! Au livre ? Y’a-t-il un livre associé au Cerveau à tous les niveaux ? Non, pas encore. Mais tout porte à croire qu’il y en aura un quand la Terre aura fait un autre tour autour du Soleil ! Car comme…

Unlocking stem cells’ full potential for treating multiple sclerosis – Highs, lows and future opportunities from OHRI’s MESEMS trial

January 13, 2022 Various bloggers Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Image credit: Signals Cells that are programmed to protect can sometimes go rogue, as is the case with multiple sclerosis, or MS. Overactive immune cells mistakenly target the tissues of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, igniting inflammatory flare-ups that destroy myelin, a fatty insulating material that encapsulates nerve fibres. Over time, nerves lose their ability to transmit signals, and mobility, cognitive functions and vision take a serious hit. There is no known cure…

Specialty Webinars at the Ottawa Humane Society

January 12, 2022 Zazie Todd Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

A series of four webinars on The Science of Making Pets Happy.Photo: Tomáš Jíra/PexelsBy Zazie Todd PhDIn February and March of this year, I'll be presenting a series of four webinars on the science of making pets happy. The specialty webinars are hosted by the Ottawa Humane Society.The four topics are:Tips and tricks to making dogs happy (Monday Feb 28)How to prevent common behaviour issues in dogs (Monday Mar 7)Tips and tricks to making cats happy…

New research confirms dolphins have a working clitoris and likely feel sexual pleasure

January 11, 2022 Anaïs Remili Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

The hot news is literally rocking the biological world right now. Anatomical evidence suggests that female dolphins have a working clitoris, just like female humans. Let’s find out more about this incredible new research published yesterday in Current Biology. How do you even study a dolphin’s clitoris? We know so little about marine mammals and their reproductive systems. In fact, it is really hard to study such a well-hidden organ, and researchers usually have to…

Research evidence helps support submission to change donor screening

January 11, 2022 Jenny Ryan Biology and Life Sciences, General Science, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Research evidence helps support submission to change donor screening Transfusion Blood Thursday, January 13, 2022 Dr. Geraldine Walsh A significant step In December 2021, Canadian Blood Services made a submission to Health Canada to focus donor screening criteria on higher-risk sexual behaviour, regardless of gender or sexuality, for all blood donors and all phlebotomy collection types. This is the latest and most significant step in a process that began over a decade ago, and that…

Les 20 ans du Cerveau à tous les niveaux : du site web au blogue, des conférences au livre !

January 10, 2022 Bruno Dubuc Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

J’avais prévu écrire ce billet il y a plusieurs semaines. Et puis il y a eu cette 5e vague qui est venue encore une fois nous compliquer la vie et nous saper le moral. Alors je me suis demandé si ce billet était encore approprié dans les circonstances… Et puis je suis tombé vendredi dernier sur ce beau texte de Christine Grou, présidente de l’Ordre des psychologues du Québec, qui se terminait ainsi : « Il faut certes…

The Blue Whale – January 2022

January 7, 2022 Anaïs Remili Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Happy New Year from all of us at Whale Scientists! My name is Bri, and this month I get to tell you all about the blue whale, the largest animal in the world. One of my strongest memories as a kid was visiting my local aquarium and looking up in awe at the life-sized blue whale mother and calf replicas hanging from the ceiling. It was easy for me to look at the giant tanks…

Right Turn: The most popular blogs in 2021

January 7, 2022 Various bloggers Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

When I wrote last year’s post on popular blogs in 2020, I was really happy to be saying goodbye to a difficult year. I had such hopes for 2021! While the past year has been easier in some respects, Omicron let us all down and put a definite damper on our Decembers. Because we have a global pandemic still looming over us as we begin 2022, I think distraction is needed more than ever. If…

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