/oss/taxonomy/term/1161/all en /oss/article/technology-history-general-science/truth-about-truth-serum <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-the-truth-about-truth-serum">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>The plot of the 1961 action film The Guns of Navarone revolves around a Second World War British commando raid on the island of Navarone in the Aegean Sea to destroy two giant radar-controlled guns the Germans had installed to target Allied ships.</p> Fri, 03 May 2024 17:06:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9937 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-history/legend-wartime-placebo <p>Facts rarely get in the way of a good story. There is a foundational myth in placebo research that has been repeated over and over again, sometimes with inexplicable flourishes, often with the variations one expects from a telephone game. You have probably read it in a mainstream publication. It’s the story of a doctor, working in dark times, who cannot do his job properly and accidentally discovers the power of the placebo to relieve pain. It is such a good story.</p> <p>And it might not even be true.</p> Sat, 12 Feb 2022 03:06:02 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9023 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-drugs-food-health-history/attention-amphetamines <p>During the Second World War Allied soldiers and pilots, like the Germans, were also issued amphetamines. This was not without controversy. The Luftwaffe soon gave up on the drugs because amphetamines seemed to make pilots overconfident and less attentive to details. A Canadian study found no distinction in performance on obstacle courses or on long marches between drugged and non-drugged soldiers, although the amphetamine takers performed the tasks with greater exuberance. It seemed that amphetamines boosted morale even if they did not improve performance.</p> Sun, 02 Mar 2014 15:13:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2106 at /oss