/oss/taxonomy/term/1388/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/whats-trending-world-pseudoscience <p>Our office’s mission is to separate sense from nonsense, which may well be a Sisyphean task. There is a lot of pseudoscience—meaning ideas and interventions that look scientific but that are not—especially around health. Having a mental map of what is trending right now can help us better understand the landscape so that we can intervene more effectively. I have been interested in health-related pseudoscience for over a decade now. Here is what I see being popular at the moment and who is pushing (and often profiting from) these narratives.</p> Fri, 15 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9645 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-pseudoscience-environment/dr-stephanie-seneff-strikes-out-again-glyphosate-and-covid-19 <p>An MIT computer scientist with no expertise in agriculture, chemistry, toxicology, or the biological sciences. And yet for some reason, <a href="https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/stephanie-seneff">Stephanie Seneff</a> has decided that genetically modified foods are the tools of the devil and that glyphosate (Roundup), the herbicide used to kill weeds in fields of crops that have been genetically modified to resist it, is responsible for many of society’s ailments.</p> Fri, 01 May 2020 16:56:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8232 at /oss /oss/events/seeds <h2><img alt="poster of SEEDS the play" height="380" width="695" style="float: left; width: 450px; height: 246px;" class="file-original lt" src="/oss/files/oss/seeds_3.jpg" />Porte Parole Productions in partnership with the ���ϲ����� Office for Science and Society presents <em>Seeds </em></h2> <p>Before making its way into U.S. markets, <em>Seeds</em> - a dramatic re-enactment about the 7-year legal battle between Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser and one of the biggest biotech corporations, Monsanto Inc. - is making a one-night return to Montreal!</p> Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:57:11 +0000 emily.shore@mcgill.ca 8084 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology-environment/unlocking-molecular-puzzle-cannabis <hr /> <p class="note"><strong>Take-home message:</strong><br /> - There is no evidence for the existence of GMO weed.<br /> - Genetic information shows that labels in cannabis shops (about strain, ancestry, and name) cannot be trusted.</p> <p>Despite what some chronic users may claim, the cannabis plant is not mystical. Like any living species, its cells house genes that encode proteins which, through an impressively choreographed dance influenced by the environment, yield a distinct organism.</p> Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:34:59 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7391 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-food-health-news/triumph-nonsense-over-sense <p>General Mills has announced that it is removing genetically modified ingredients from its iconic Cheerios. Now there's a non-newsworthy item that is guaranteed to make for flashy headlines and lead stories on newscasts. Cheerios are made of oats and no oat crops are genetically modified! So what are they talking about? The sugar that is added! Some sugar beets are genetically modified to resist pests through the incorporation of a gene from Bacillus thuringensis that codes for an insecticide that affects only bugs. This chemical has no effect on humans.</p> Fri, 03 Jan 2014 21:01:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2059 at /oss /oss/article/environment-food-health-news/sour-lawsuit <p>I don’t know who Debbie Banafsheha is, but she is abusing the legal system for personal gain through spreading twaddle. Debbie has sued Heinz for what she claims is false advertising because the label on its vinegar states “all natural.” A sour argument.</p> Thu, 12 Jun 2014 15:14:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2154 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-news-toxicity/are-chemists-suffering-chemophobiaphobia <p>Most chemistry conferences these days feature a session on the “public understanding of chemistry.” Usually speakers express frustration about equating the term “chemical” with “toxin” or “poison,” about consumers looking for “chemical-free” products, and about the extent of scientific illiteracy. There tends to be a collective bemoaning of the lack of appreciation of the contributions that chemistry has made to life and of the eyebrows raised when a chemist reveals his profession in some social setting.</p> Sun, 27 Dec 2015 21:23:59 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2300 at /oss