/oss/taxonomy/term/229/all en /oss/article/medical-student-contributors-did-you-know/how-have-twins-different-fathers <p>Yes, it is possible to have twins with different biological fathers. The scientific term for this anomaly is “heteropaternal superfecundation,” and it’s <i>super</i> cool. “Heteropaternal” signifies different fathers and “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32343851/">superfecundation</a>” means the fertilization of two ova during the same menstrual cycle by separate mating actions. In other words, it is a phenomenon where a second egg is released, and two acts of sexual intercourse can lead to the fertilization of these eggs by two different sources of sperm.</p> Fri, 16 Jun 2023 15:19:35 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9547 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/can-you-eat-beat-disease <p>Just about any publication that explores the role of diet in disease invokes Hippocrates’ famous dictum, “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.” Actually, there is no record of the famous ancient Greek physician ever having said this, although it is clear from the writings of the Hippocratic authors that Greeks did believe that disease and food were linked. “Hippocratic authors” is the correct terminology because historians concur that the works attributed to Hippocrates are compilations of his own writings and those of a number of his followers.</p> Wed, 19 Apr 2023 15:11:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9482 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-did-you-know-general-science/are-cat-breeders-sexist <p>Black, white, and orange – the signature colours of a calico cat. Subtract the white and you’ve got tortoise shell colouring. But there is gender colour discrimination at play: calico and tortoise shell patterns only occur in female felines.</p> Fri, 17 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9137 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/word-cisgender-has-scientific-roots <p>In 2015, the Oxford English Dictionary<a href="https://public.oed.com/blog/december-2015-update-new-words-notes/"> </a><a href="https://public.oed.com/blog/december-2015-update-new-words-notes/">added the word “cisgender”</a> to its ever-evolving listing. It defines the adjective as “designating a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds to his or her sex at birth” and is contrasted with “transgender.”</p> Fri, 12 Nov 2021 17:15:12 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8920 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/are-you-left-handed-science-still-yearns-know-why <p>Being left-handed can be devilishly hard. In 1937, an educational psychologist whose work was later discredited<a href="https://books.google.ca/books?redir_esc=y&id=ap9DAAAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=flounder"> </a><a href="https://books.google.ca/books?redir_esc=y&id=ap9DAAAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=flounder">wrote of many left-handers</a> that “they squint, they stammer, they shuffle and shamble, they flounder like seals out of water.” Beyond accusations of being gauche, left-handers have also had to deal with more sinister imputations.</p> Sat, 18 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8852 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/evidence-coronavirus-can-mess-our-dna-far-convincing <p>Science is hard. This is not meant to dissuade anyone from going into the sciences. It’s just a statement of fact with which all scientists would probably agree, and it’s a sort of mantra we can repeat to ourselves to recalibrate our expectations once in a while.</p> Fri, 14 May 2021 19:25:48 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8733 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/identical-twins-are-not-identical <p>There is a common parental misunderstanding that arises when the term “identical twins” is paraded around. Identical twins are known scientifically as “monozygotic twins.” This Scrabble winner of a term refers to the fact that these types of twins arise when a single sperm fertilizes a single egg to form a zygote, and this zygote goes on to split into two masses of cells that give rise to the twins. By contrast, fraternal twins are essentially regular siblings that are born at the same time.</p> Thu, 21 Jan 2021 22:37:58 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8572 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience-general-science/direct-consumer-2-epigenetic-boogaloo <p>Cutting-edge science can be used to fashion mirages. We are led to believe there is value in the product, a drink to quench our thirst for knowledge. But when we have spent our money, we are stuck sifting sand through our fingers.</p> Thu, 13 Aug 2020 15:21:33 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8361 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19/we-are-all-mutants-and-so-coronavirus <p>The word “mutant” suggests aberrations. Whether we think of Jeff Goldblum’s stomach-churning physical deterioration in <i>The Fly </i>or even the unwarranted demonization of the X-Men by non-mutants, that term is hardly one of endearment. Just try saying it out loud: mutant. Your face has to crease in apparent disgust as you articulate that “mew” sound. Maybe that’s why geneticists are now moving away from the word “mutation” when describing disease-causing variants in our DNA.</p> Thu, 16 Apr 2020 20:43:56 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8218 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-general-science/how-long-can-virus-live-outside-body <p>One of the frequently asked questions about the SARS-CoV-2 virus is how long the virus can live outside the body. “Live” is not exactly the appropriate term, as viruses are not really "alive" because they cannot reproduce by themselves. Instead, viruses have to invade a living cell and hijack its genetic machinery in order to reproduce. In this process, they disrupt the cell’s life cycle and it is that cellular damage that results in disease.</p> Wed, 08 Apr 2020 16:39:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8212 at /oss /oss/article/how-do-we-rapidly-test-covid-19 <p>There’s a lot of talk about testing for the new coronavirus and how testing kits are in short supply in certain areas. But what few people explain is what is inside this mystery box. How are scientists able to test not only for the presence of <i>a </i>virus in a nose swab, but of this specific virus?</p> <p>The core idea behind the test is to make many copies of a unique part of the virus’ genetic code using a technique called PCR. And if you’re familiar with photocopies, you can understand how this process works in the lab.</p> Wed, 11 Mar 2020 19:25:31 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8173 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/seen-and-unseen-consequences-albinism <p>Today I learned two things. First, that we apparently have an albino squirrel on our campus. Second, that seeing an albino squirrel before a test is good luck.</p> <p>While I have seen photographic evidence of the former, I remain skeptical of the latter. I think it might just be a great marketing gimmick for the<a href="http://albinosquirrel.com/about.html"> Albino Squirrel Preservation Society</a> founded on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. (I am not making this part up!)</p> Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8046 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience-reviews/genetic-astrology-naturopath-ben-lynch <p>Are you Hufflepuff or Gryffindor? Erudite or Dauntless? Or maybe you know your Myers-Briggs Type to be ESTP? Or how about plain old astrology? Are you a Capricorn?</p> <p>Belonging to a discreet category can be reassuring to many people. We’re told we have <i>these</i> traits but not <i>those</i> traits, and we get a cool label we can use to recognize other members of our in-group. It provides clarity and security. But while I have seen genes that cause cancer, I had never seen Cancer in genes… until I read Ben Lynch’s book, <i>Dirty Genes</i>.</p> Tue, 26 Nov 2019 21:38:09 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8008 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/what-accounts-variations-height <p>It’s nice to be tall. Tall people are more likely to get hired, get promoted and are paid better than their shorter counterparts. They can reach things from high shelves, have unobstructed views at parades, and are consistently rated as being more attractive than others. Overall seems like a sweet deal.</p> Fri, 22 Nov 2019 15:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7988 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/are-you-there-race-its-me-dna <p>What would you say is Liam Neeson’s race?</p> <p>I ask this question because in this era of the gene, of people swabbing their cheeks to know where their ancestors came from, and of racism glazed over with the shiny patina of science, many people feel confused about race. They have heard that it’s a social construct, but that can be hard to square with rumours that only Black people have sickle cell anemia. And if 23andMe can report on your ancestry, isn’t that proof that race exists at the biological level?</p> Thu, 08 Aug 2019 15:41:10 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7849 at /oss