Office for Science and Society - Separating Sense from Nonsense

Magic, Critical Thinking and UFOs

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 18:55:28 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

My interest in magic was sparked at an early age, and I spent many a Saturday afternoon either at Perfect Magic or Morrisey Magic, Montreal’s two great magic stores that alas are no more. You went there not only to purchase tricks but also to soak up the magical atmosphere.

Virtually Virtuous: Are Video Games the Future of Medicine?

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 17:28:26 +0000

One day in 2014, I came home from school only to see my uncle fiddling with a small cardboard box on the couch. This wasn’t any old cardboard box, but one that looked like the world’s chunkiest pair of binoculars. He called me over and told me to hold the strange apparatus up to my eyes. Suddenly, I was transported from my living room to the great outdoors. Despite making me quite dizzy, I was able to look around and even move within this unfamiliar place.

Is 25 Really the Magic Number?

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:46:46 +0000

You’ve probably heard it before—maybe on TikTok, in a health class, or from your therapist: “The frontal lobe isn’t fully developed until 25.” It’s become a sort of modern mantra, used to explain bad decisions, ghosting exes, and why your 24-year-old roommate still can’t do his taxes. But here’s the twist: this so-called scientific truth? It’s more myth than fact.

You Probably Didn’t Know That…

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:32:19 +0000

Cracking the Case on Seeds, Nuts, and Bowel Issues

Christopher Labos MD, MSc — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

If you have diverticulosis, you were probably told to avoid eating nuts and seeds. The worry was that tiny food particles could get stuck in the small cervices of the bowel wall and get infected. It was inherently logical and made a lot of sense to many physicians. But it may not be true.

Flowing Under the Radar: Why Period Products Deserve Better Oversight

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

If you’ve ever paused to consider the ingredients in your lunch but never questioned what chemicals lay in your menstrual products— congratulations, you’re not alone. But here’s the inconvenient truth: the humble tampon may be carrying more than just your monthly misery.

Mosquito Patches: The Itch They Can’t Scratch

Angelina Lapalme — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

While camping this weekend, I got to mind a very cute 7-month-old baby. She was super social, giggly and sporting a patch that inspired this article. As she laid her head on my shoulder, I noticed a pink patch on the back of her shirt collar. I asked her grammie what it was, and she said that the baby’s mom makes her wear this “mosquito patch” to keep the bugs away. My immediate thought was, does it actually work?

Einstein’s Brain

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:46:23 +0000

Vladimir Lenin lies in a mausoleum in Red Square in Moscow in a preserved state. But he has no brain. That’s because the Soviet government had it removed after he died in 1924. They wanted to have the brain examined scientifically to see how it differed from that of mere mortals. After all, someone who thought up something as clever as communism must have had a very special brain! The item in question was sent to Oskar Vogt, a well-known German neuroscientist, who spent a couple of years studying it. His conclusion?

Can McDonald’s Cure Your Migraine? Debunking the Viral McMigraine Trend

Eva Kellner BASc and Hosna Akhgary — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

For those who consider themselves to be a part of the “Migraine girlies” community, you may be familiar with the recent McMigraine trend on TikTok’s #migraine page.

This wellness hack is one that promotes ordering McDonald’s fries and a Coke as a newfound, DIY migraine treatment. In fact, one user (whose TikTok bio says that she is a future heart surgery nurse) claims that this order is “literally the only thing that can fix a migraine.”

Let’s not jump the gun.

The Invisible Houseguest: Should You Worry About Radon in Your Home?

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

There may be an uninvited guest in your home. It doesn’t eat your snacks, hog the remote, or leave the toilet seat up—but it might be slowly increasing your risk of lung cancer. Meet radon: a colourless, odourless, tasteless radioactive gas that may be living in your basement rent-free.

So… what exactly is it?