/oss/taxonomy/term/220/all en /oss/article/health/are-we-risk-wearing-clothing-detectable-amounts-pfass-or-phthalates <p>Much ink has recently been spilled about our environment, and potentially our bodies, being contaminated by some of the estimated 60,000 chemicals being industrially produced today. That ink itself contains the likes of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalates, chemicals of concern because of their hormone disruptive properties, and in the case of PFAS, also because of their environmental persistence. That has earned the latter the nickname “forever chemicals.” Both these classes of substances are found in numerous consumer products.</p> Fri, 20 Aug 2021 20:00:29 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8811 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-climate-change/mama-seals-are-asking-wheres-my-ice <p>The Gulf of St Lawrence is a large area of saltwater and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Cabot Strait in the southeast and the Strait of Belle-Isle to the north. Surrounded by land masses and islands from five provinces, the salt water, sea ice and rich feeding area has been a nursery and home to harp seals for generations.</p> <p>See the map of this area from the Government of Canada.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 336px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/screen_shot_2021-07-30_at_9.44.46_pm.png" width="1308" height="880" alt="" /></p> Sat, 31 Jul 2021 02:14:13 +0000 Raymond Johnson PhD, Contributor 8796 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-environment/decline-rush-hour-traffic-boon-health <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-decline-in-rush-hour-traffic-a-boon-for-health">the Montreal Gazette</a></p> <hr /> <p>Soon everyone, or almost everyone, will be vaccinated and many people who have been working from home will have to figure out when they will be returning to the office. The decision is a complicated one.</p> <p>Many people enjoy working from home when possible and were probably surprised to realize that it can be quite feasible. Of course, it was not everyone’s cup of tea.</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2021 18:40:44 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8782 at /oss /oss/article/environment-climate-change/convergence-how-climate-change-brought-two-women-artists-together <p>Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, 30, is a native of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Islands">Marshall Islands</a> in the western Pacific Ocean. This country of ~53,000 people is spread out over 1,159 islands with most of the population on 29 coral atolls. As a poet, Kathy writes about sea-level rise, and the damage to homes, businesses and their way of life. Most of the islands are only a few feet above sea level. With very little total land area it has a significant population density per square mile.</p> Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:36:36 +0000 Raymond Johnson PhD, Contributor 8718 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/what-exactly-green-chemistry <p>In 1942 nylon went to war. American paratroopers dropped from the sky with nylon parachutes and hunkered down in nylon tents. Soldiers on leave hoped to seduce European women with gifts of nylon stockings. Bristles for toothbrushes, strings for tennis racquets, insulation for wires, bearings for machinery, catheters, sutures, umbrellas, undergarments, shower curtains and numerous items of clothing all made of nylon soon hit the market. Consumers were absolutely taken with this miraculous new material.</p> Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:52:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8716 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-pseudoscience/anti-vaccine-propaganda-robert-f-kennedy-jr <p>Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., does not want you to think of him as an anti-vaxxer. I have yet to meet an anti-vaxxer—someone who spreads misinformation about all vaccines being harmful—who is comfortable with the label. Kennedy is not just anti-vaccine; by many recent accounts, he is one of the princes of the anti-vaccination movement, if not its king.</p> Fri, 16 Apr 2021 20:49:45 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8703 at /oss /oss/article/environment/human-guided-evolution-closer-you-think <p>We tend to fixate on the drastic changes caused by evolution over huge timescales. It’s easy to ignore the small variations between generations that add together over time to form the big evolutionary changes we focus on. This unintentional side-lining of small adaptations can blind us to the ways in which humans are directly affecting the evolutionary processes of nature. From tuskless elephants to fish that can’t smell, animals are developing specialized adaptations to allow them to live in ecosystems that have been disrupted and altered by mankind.</p> Thu, 18 Mar 2021 16:23:57 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8660 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/should-i-attach-bell-my-cats-collar <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>​</em><em>Reprinted with the permission of <a href="https://animalwellnessmagazine.com/bell-cats-collar/">Animal Wellness Magazine. </a></em></p> <hr /> <p><b>Consider these pros and cons before attaching a bell to your cat’s collar.</b></p> Thu, 26 Sep 2019 21:29:14 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7943 at /oss /oss/article/environment/under-microscope-pollen <p>Grains of pollen actually produce the male gametes (sperm cells) of flowering plants. They become dehydrated to better allow themselves to be carried on by wind, water and animals to other plants where they land in the gynoecium, the innermost part of a flower that contains the ovaries. After rehydrating itself, a pollen grain forms a pollen tube, through which it transfers sperm cells into the ovaries of the flower, completing the pollination process.</p> Mon, 11 Mar 2019 15:17:19 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7642 at /oss /oss/article/environment/under-microscope-bees-knees <p><img height="1536" width="2048" style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img00008.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p><img height="1536" width="2048" style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img00009.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p><img height="1536" width="2048" style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img00010.jpg" alt="" /></p> Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:01:24 +0000 Adam Oliver Brown PhD and Ada McVean B.Sc. 7635 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-environment/did-you-know-border-wall-between-us-and-mexico-would-cause-mass-ecological-damage <p>President Donald Trump wants to “build a wall” between the U.S. and Mexico that, depending on your political allegiances, will either keep out dangerous undocumented immigrants or will serve little purpose outside of wasting taxpayers’ money.</p> <p>One potential effect not receiving much media attention, however, would be felt by plants and animals local to the areas surrounding the border.</p> Thu, 17 Jan 2019 18:32:40 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7541 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-environment-general-science/impossible-burger-vegetarian-breakthrough-brought-you-science <p>I’ve been eating veggie burgers for a long time. If it’s sold in Canadian grocery stores or fast food restaurants, there’s a good chance I’ve tried it. There are some I <a href="https://www.compliments.ca/en/product/soy-burger-00055742523188/">like more</a>, and some I <a href="http://yvesveggiecanada.com/en/products/burgers/the-good-veggie-burger/">like less</a>, but they all fall into one of two categories: fake meat and veggie.</p> Tue, 28 Aug 2018 15:21:25 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7323 at /oss /oss/article/technology-environment/rethinking-your-garbage <p>Do you ever wonder what happens to your garbage after you throw it out? While we hope that the recyclable materials we painstakingly sort out ends up being recycled, the garbage usually piles up in the landfill. Although the landfill may be a solution for our “throwaway” society, it isn't quite a permanent one. Think about how the increasing population on the planet will directly increase the amount of garbage produced, and how land is a precious commodity. As time increases, the amount of land available will decrease, and 2/3 of the Earth is covered by water.</p> Wed, 15 Aug 2018 15:13:18 +0000 Sierra Delarosa, MSc, MMus 7307 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-environment/goats-might-be-secret-tool-weve-been-looking-prevent-wildfires <p><span>Goats are really useful creatures. We use their milk, fur, meat and… firefighting skills?</span></p> Wed, 08 Aug 2018 15:02:08 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7220 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/what-sea-foam-and-why-was-it-all-over-beaches-dunkirk <p>If you watched the summer blockbuster<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7O7BtBnsG4"> Dunkirk</a>, you may have been left with the same question as one of our readers: what is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_foam">sea foam</a> and why was there so much of it at Dunkirk?</p> Wed, 17 Jan 2018 21:25:58 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6894 at /oss