/oss/taxonomy/term/393/all en /oss/article/general-science/gynecomastia-and-booby-traps <p>One of my favourite Seinfeld episodes is “The Bro.” On discovering that George’s father, Frank, has “man-boobs,” Kramer concocts a male version of a bra, that he calls “The Bro.” Frank, who prefers the name “Manssiere,” tries it on just as his wife Estelle and George make an appearance. Estelle’s expression as she exclaims “Oh my God” is priceless and makes for a hilarious scene.</p> Wed, 11 May 2022 01:54:04 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9108 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/rats-people-and-bisphenol <p>Bisphenol A (BPA) first hit the headlines in 2008 when Canada banned polycarbonate baby bottles because of possible leaching of the chemical from the plastic into the contents. Concern had been raised because BPA was known to have hormone-like activity, placing it in the category of “endocrine disruptors.” Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers and are active in very small doses. Our pituitary gland, for example, produces only about 1 microgram of hormones a day, a very, very, small amount, yet it is critical to life.</p> Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:48:59 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8914 at /oss /oss/article/health/i-am-woman-why-am-i-always-so-cold <p>I am always cold. I’ve had this problem ever since I was a child, when I’d sneak into the living room in the winter and turn up the thermostat while my parents weren’t looking. When I still worked in an office (pre-pandemic), I noticed that often my female colleagues and I would be wearing sweaters in the dead of summer to keep warm in our over-air conditioned building. Yet my male colleagues seem impervious to the cold - often wearing short-sleeves.</p> <p>Which led me to wonder: Do women feel cold more than men and if so, can science explain this difference?</p> Mon, 08 Mar 2021 16:31:18 +0000 Gaia Remerowski, MS, Science Journalism 8647 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/possible-link-between-milk-and-breast-cancer-not-udder-nonsense <p>Trying to milk the scientific literature for evidence of a link between dairy consumption and breast cancer can drive one crazy. Is milk protective against this dreaded disease or does it cause it? It depends on which study you happen to read. The latest volley in this battle was fired by <a href="https://news.llu.edu/research/new-study-associates-intake-of-dairy-milk-with-greater-risk-of-breast-cancer">researchers from Loma Linda University</a> who concluded that even small amounts of milk, as little as a third of a cup a day, can significantly raise the risk of breast cancer.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:40:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8160 at /oss /oss/article/health/link-between-alcohol-and-breast-cancer <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-link-between-alcohol-and-breast-cancer">The Montreal Gazette</a><span>.</span></p> Wed, 10 Jul 2019 19:04:33 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7823 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition-history-quackery/silent-spring <p>Mention “Silent Spring” and thoughts immediately turn to Rachel Carson’s epic in which she alerted readers to the risks of pesticides. But long before, way back in the 1940s, Australian sheep farmers experienced a silent spring of their own. The familiar baa baa of spring lambs was absent. Lambs were being born alright, but they were stillborn. What was causing the disaster? Actually it was the farmers themselves. Or at least the clover they had planted to feed their sheep.</p> Mon, 25 Sep 2017 18:09:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2643 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/mcf-7-breast-cancer-cell-line <p>A breast cancer cell line known as MCF-7 is used by researchers around the world.  The name comes from the Michigan Cancer Foundation where the cell line was first established in 1973 after isolating the cells from Sister Catherine Frances, a Catholic nun.  Aside from use in breast cancer research, the cell line has also proven to be valuable in testing for estrogenic activity.  Cells can be exposed to various chemicals and their rate of multiplication assessed.</p> Fri, 02 Jun 2017 16:38:27 +0000 OSS 2531 at /oss /oss/article/environment-health-household-products-news/joe-schwarcz-does-danger-lurk-plastic-bottles <p>Researchers were surprised to see that snails reared in some plastic water bottles produced almost twice as many offspring as their brethren raised in glass bottles. This wasn’t some experiment by restaurateurs looking to add more snails to the menu. There wouldn’t be much point, since these were New Zealand mud snails, less than half a centimetre in size, with not much meat on them. But the snails are pretty meaty when it comes to research about endocrine-disrupting chemicals.</p> Mon, 30 Sep 2013 01:52:50 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2016 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-health/when-it-comes-bisphenol-there-smoke-there-fire <p style="text-align:justify">During the 1930s, Swiss chemist Pierre Castan was researching materials for denture repair and American Sylvan Greenlee was working on novel paints. Independently, the two hit upon epoxy resins, one of the most useful classes of chemicals ever developed. These resins find a wide array of uses in paints, flooring materials, dental sealants, printing inks, medical devices, electronic equipment, printed circuit boards and adhesives. Epoxy glues help hold together our cars, airplanes, furniture, boats, skis and electronic equipment.</p> Sat, 22 Feb 2014 14:54:07 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2100 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/herbal-treatment-menopause-may-actually-work <p>I don’t know what a hot flash feels like, but by all accounts it isn’t pleasant. About three quarters of women going through menopause know all about hot flashes which may occur several times a day for years. From what I’ve been told, the sensation may just mimic standing close to a fireplace, or it may feel as if the gates of hell have been thrown open. The misery is caused by declining levels of estrogen due to a winding down of ovarian activity. This decline is sensed by the hypothalamus, the tiny organ in the brain that controls our body temperature.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:21:07 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1624 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/toxicity-bisphenol <p>Take an aspirin tablet. Now imagine cutting it in half. And in half again. Keep doing this, obviously in your imagination, until you have about three million pieces. Now take one of those pieces and dissolve it in a bathtub filled with water. The concentration of aspirin in the water would then be one part per trillion. Toxicologists would agree that at this amazingly low concentration, no effect attributable to aspirin could be detected no matter how much of this water was consumed.</p> Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:55:18 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1601 at /oss