/oss/taxonomy/term/618/all en /oss/article/medical-history/why-measles-so-contagious <p>Even if he had been aware of what was happening inside the girl’s body, the man likely would not have been worried. She was, after all, sitting quite a long ways away.</p> <p>The girl was 11 years old. She was a refugee from Malawi, a narrow African country surrounded by Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. She had flown from Malawi to South Africa earlier that day and was now on a 12-hour flight to Australia. The day before the trip began, she had started to feel a bit sick.</p> Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:13:40 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9918 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/should-you-wipe-back-front-or-front-back <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-facts-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-volume-ii/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 27 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9691 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-you-asked/does-peeing-after-sex-prevent-utis <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-fact-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-volume-i/" target="_blank" title="‌"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 11 Aug 2023 06:17:37 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9597 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19/does-covid-19-mess-immune-system <p>Have you heard that, apparently, COVID-19 is “airborne AIDS?”</p> <p>“I think that that epithet is horrifying and beyond offensive,” Edward Nirenberg tells me. He is a science communicator with a degree in biochemistry who focuses his communication efforts on vaccines and COVID-19. “It categorically isn’t. It’s not what the data show.”</p> Fri, 10 Feb 2023 13:59:23 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9386 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/defence-maligned-root-canal <p>Over the course of my thirty-five-plus years of practicing dentistry, I have been asked many questions concerning the safety of various dental agents and materials, most notably silver fillings and fluoride. Undoubtedly, the internet has provided the masses with a plethora of sound information at their fingertips. Conversely, accompanied by its social media counterpart, it has become the primary gateway to the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories.</p> Fri, 04 Feb 2022 20:48:44 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 9016 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/great-covid-19-immunity-test-kit <p>The kit arrives in the mail. You swab the inside of your cheek and mail it back. Two weeks later, the company emails you a report. You are told you have a 2% risk of getting COVID-19 and a 5% chance of passing the virus on to another person. The report claims these risks will never change. You decide that the risk is low enough and return to your pre-pandemic lifestyle.</p> Sat, 23 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8907 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking/covid-19-pcr-test-reliable-despite-commotion-about-ct-values <p>True crime series like <i>Serial </i>and <i>Making a Murderer</i> invite us to sharpen our abilities and to outperform the detectives assigned to the case in figuring out what really happened. We hear the official narrative and we then inspect various clues provided to us by the storyteller, turning them around in our mind’s eye, looking for that smoking gun.</p> Fri, 15 Jan 2021 02:56:07 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8557 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/what-optimal-length-quarantine <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-risks-of-mixing-driving-and-cannabis">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Thu, 24 Dec 2020 14:28:07 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8543 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19/right-chemistry-dry-ice <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-15g8bowkg4q" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz discusses the new COVID-19 mutation" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/15G8bOWkg4Q?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-15g8bowkg4q&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz discusses the new COVID-19 mutation" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz discusses the new COVID-19 mutation</iframe> </div> Wed, 23 Dec 2020 15:13:48 +0000 OSS 8542 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/have-no-fear-vaccine-here <p>No, we will not become genetic mutants when we finally get to roll up our sleeves and agree to be jabbed with a vaccine containing modified messenger RNA (mod-mRNA). That scare is making the rounds as the vaccine rollout begins, a culmination of a spectacular nine-month research effort. The term “modified” triggers alarm bells for some people, especially those who have bought into the often-misleading information about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) spread by activist groups.</p> Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:23:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8537 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/disinfectants-spray-or-not-spray-question <p>"The presence of a chemical does not equate to the presence of risk.” I have often used that argument when talking about potentially toxic substances that are present in the environment.</p> Tue, 01 Dec 2020 21:27:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8505 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/clown-prince-wellness <p>There is a man on the Internet known for satirizing wellness trends who was recently censored on YouTube for spreading unfounded conspiracy theories. JP Sears made a name for himself by gently mocking essential oils and the unbearable demands made on friends by rule-abiding diet enthusiasts. You may remember him from his purple T-shirts, long red hair, and earnest sarcasm.</p> Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8491 at /oss /oss/article/not-all-viruses-are-villains <p></p><p></p> Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:53:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8489 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-videos/sept-24-2020-covid-more-guest-dr-paul-offit <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"></div> Thu, 12 Nov 2020 20:55:17 +0000 OSS 8483 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/new-study-no-reason-stop-wearing-masks <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-new-study-is-no-reason-to-stop-wearing-masks">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Fri, 02 Oct 2020 17:05:29 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8435 at /oss