Office for Science and Society - Separating Sense from Nonsense

Beating the Heat: The History of the Air Conditioner

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:44:26 +0000

While I thought I was lucky enough to escape Europe’s intense June heatwave, I was greeted by equally brutal temperatures upon my return to New York City. With temperatures exceeding 37ºC in the few days leading up to the Fourth of July, I was to be found either at the beach or in the comfort of my air conditioned (AC) home. In New York, and most of the United States, air conditioning is omnipresent. Homes, department and grocery stores, and even public transit are equipped with ACs, providing some relief in the scorching summer sun.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Angelina Lapalme — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:01:41 +0000

Movie slumps are the worst. You know when you’re looking through the titles on your streaming services, but nothing sounds quite right? And as you continue to look with little success, you get increasingly frustrated until you decide not to watch anything at all. Okay, that’s a little dramatic but I’m sure it has happened to us all. One way to get out of this slump is to ask for recommendations. Instead of going for Netflix’s usual “you may like…” personalized list, I decided to ask a friend.

Is There Really Magic in the Magic Eraser?

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:29:06 +0000

Sure, I thought, when I saw the claims on the box. “Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cleans dirt and grime like you never thought you could.” Well, I have a long-standing scientific interest in materials in the wrong place, which is exactly what dirt is. Mustard on the hot dog is fine, mustard on the tie is dirt. Getting rid of dirt means dissolving it in an appropriate solvent, reacting it with chemicals that will destroy it, or physically removing it by abrasion.

The Dogs That Speak: Breakthrough or Illusion?

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:54:32 +0000

In early September 2020, lightning strikes turned the forests of the West Coast of the United States into matchbooks. The fires recoloured the skies and their smoke veiled the sun. When that bright disk in the sky reappeared, at least one dog seemed to notice.

Not All Scientific Papers Advance Science

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 18:06:32 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Research is the engine of science. But that engine should not be idling, it should be steadily propelling science forward. The extent of that forward motion is to be found in the estimated 10,000 papers spewed out every day by the world’s 45,000 or so peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Why do we Crave Junk Food During Stress?

Emma Haccoun Choquette — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed that during exams, deadlines, or stressful life events, a salad suddenly sounds much less appealing than a bag of chips or a chocolate bar? You're not imagining it. Chronic stress can change the way our brain and body respond to food, increasing cravings for sugary and fatty "comfort foods.

Mikhaila Peterson Is Reinventing Medicine Badly

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 20:26:33 +0000

Are you looking for love but don’t want to explain why you’ve eliminated seed oils from your diet?

Fertilizers Don’t Make the News Until There is a Shortage

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:47:50 +0000

We have to feed plants so that they can feed us. That conclusion was arrived at by virtually every early agricultural civilization be it in China, Mesopotamia, Europe or the Americas. Their key observation was that crops grow better in fields where animals leave their droppings. Yields can also be increased with the use of human “night soil,” as the ancient Chinese discovered.

Creatine a Supplement With a Rare Commodity: Evidence

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 20:33:22 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

I have always been a fan of the Olympics, particularly the 100-metre sprint to decide “the world’s fastest human.” Like all Canadians, I was elated when Ben Johnson won the event at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, then devastated when we learned that he had cheated by doping with stanozolol, a muscle-building synthetic steroid.

Why the World Cup Ball Matters More than You Think

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

The origins of soccer can be traced back to 2nd century BC during the Han Dynasty, when the game cuju was played. Cuju, a sport resembling hacky sack, is cited by FIFA as the world’s first “kicking game.” Cuju resembles modern soccer gameplay in its organization. Two teams face off, each with the common goal of getting the ball through a little hole in the opposing team’s net.