Office for Science and Society - Separating Sense from Nonsense

Artificial Intelligence Sneaks Into Scientific Publications

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 18:43:15 +0000

Roughly three and a half million scientific papers are published globally every year in an estimated 47,000 academic journals. That’s an astonishing six papers every minute! Some are very good, some very bad, most are mediocre. The vast majority of science and medical journals are peer-reviewed, but peer-review is not a guarantee that the results reported and conclusions arrived at are reliable. Studies have shown that the same paper sent to different reviewers may be highly praised or rejected, depending on the reviewer’s expertise or bias.

A Century in the Making: The DNA Discovery Story

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:13:49 +0000

When most people hear about the discovery of DNA, they picture James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, triumphantly holding up a model of the double helix. But DNA’s story doesn’t begin, or end, there. In fact, the molecule that carries our genetic code had been sitting quietly in lab notebooks for almost a century before Watson and Crick entered the scene. The journey from obscure cellular “gunk” to the blueprint of life is a tale full of false starts, overlooked heroes, and more than a little scientific drama.

Why Dr. Joe Likes His Cup of Joe

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 18:37:49 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Obviously, the expression “a cup of joe” has some interest for me.

Organic Doesn’t Mean Clean: Here’s Why Washing Fruits and Vegetables Matters More Than You Think

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Growing up, the arrival of apple season was always enough to get me through the back-to-school blues. The sweet aroma of apple cider doughnuts and the numerous haystacks provided necessary relief from the pungent smell that lingered in the city. While my siblings would fight over who got to use the long stick to reach the highest apple on the tree, I spent my time traversing the orchards searching for low-hanging fruit. There was something about picking an apple from the tree and taking a big ol' bite that just hit the spot.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:53:37 +0000

Oh, human nature! When something goes wrong, we try to rationalize why the calamity has occurred. We try to find the cause of our illness or misfortune. Today, many people point accusing fingers at pesticides, vaccines, food additives or electromagnetic radiation as possible culprits that may undermine our health. In less sophisticated times, witchcraft was deemed to be responsible. Natural disasters and physical ailments were thought to be due to spells cast by those in league with the devil. Then, as now, people feared what they did not understand.

The Killer Protein Bar That I’m Not Afraid of Trying

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:06:52 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

When it comes to scientific controversies, I’m not accustomed to sitting on the fence, but I find myself in that uncomfortable position about Joe Wicks’s “Killer Protein Bar.”

Seeds of Hope Require Roots of Integrity: Remembering Jane Goodall

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

On Wednesday October 1st, 2025, Dr. Jane Goodall passed away while on a speaking tour in the United States. As an esteemed scientist whose life mission was to advocate for wildlife, promote conservation, and strengthen ties between humans and other members of the animal kingdom, she stayed true to her mission up until her final moments. A researcher who spent more of her time traveling than not (300 days out of the year), Dr.

Oh, Those Micro and Nanoplastics!

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 20:17:02 +0000

I sometimes have a Babybel cheese as a snack and I used to feel that the little cheese did not want to be eaten. It seemed to defy attempts to open the plastic in which it had sought refuge. But no more! The latest batch I got was wrapped in paper not plastic and yielded its contents without the slightest struggle. I assume the novel packaging is in deference to the exploding publicity about our overuse of plastics and its consequences on the environment and possibly on our health.

AGZ Is More Shaky Science from the Makers of AG1

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” This famous line from Michael Corleone is apt here: our Office and others have been over the AG1 story, denouncing its flimsy scientific evidence.

Beauty, Blackmail and ‘Truth in Advertising’

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:56:22 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Before Helena Rubinstein, before Elizabeth Arden and before Estee Lauder, there was “Madame Rachel.” What a fascinating story of rags to riches to … prison.