McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS)

09/05/2026

AI Doctors are popping up everywhere but they do not care about your health. 👩🏻‍⚕️🧑🏻‍⚕️👨🏽‍⚕️

Some predatory YouTube channels publish videos of “doctors” giving medical advice. But who’s really behind these videos? AI. 🤖

It’s all a ploy for people to make money off of the advertisements that play alongside these videos. 💵💰

These videos are flooding the internet, and praying upon the most vulnerable targets, the elderly.

Share this with someone who needs to know what’s really behind these “doctors.” 🧠💡

09/05/2026

With pseudoscience influencers promoting gelatin as “nature’s Ozempic,” it is important to get the facts straight. While seemingly supported by a 2008 study from Maastricht University, the science falls short, with subsequent studies slaying the rumors.

Gelatin’s supposed trick of causing weight loss is just an illusion.

Get the full scoop in Dr. Joe’s article.
https://mcgill.ca/x/5bR

09/04/2026

In this article, Jonathan Jarry went looking for the science behind the BioCharger and found a familiar collection of wellness-industry tricks: impressive-sounding scientific language, appeals to Nikola Tesla, claims about “good” and “bad” frequencies, and a device that is marketed as a “health optimization platform” rather than a medical device.
�Read the full breakdown of what he found on our website.

The woman talking into the expensive microphone says she didn’t want to do the “regular stuff,” so she met a doctor whose belief system was “outside the box.” She is sitting in a plush podcast studio, where neon signs in the background spell out “What’s Stopping You?” and “This Is ...

09/02/2026

Cancer plays no favourites, but lifestyle choices do make a difference. Even with the WHEL study finding that increasing fruit and vegetable intake from 7 to 12 servings a day did not reduce breast cancer recurrence, we are reminded that healthy choices matter.

Get the full scoop on our website.

https://mcgill.ca/x/5bu

08/31/2026

🏕️ Camping taught me a lesson: dead trees aren’t just firewood. Logs and snags are homes for wildlife, enrich soil, and support forest ecosystems. 🌳🪾🪵🐾🌿

When camping, we have to do our due diligence to protect nature from pests. The bottom line? Buy local firewood, avoid collecting wood from the forest, and don’t transport leftovers.

For the full rundown, visit our website.
https://mcgill.ca/x/5b7

Not all learning happens in the classroom. The year was 2024, and I was on a camping trip with some friends. Unfortunately for us, we had run out of firewood and needed to find more. Wanting to take the cheap route, we opted to scavenge the forest of Mont-Tremblant National Park. Because of where we...

08/30/2026

Could Alzheimer’s disease really be a plumbing problem? 🧠

A controversial surgery developed in China aims to treat Alzheimer’s by improving the drainage of the brain’s lymphatic system through tiny connections made in the neck. Early reports of dramatic improvements have fuelled enormous excitement and desperation among families seeking treatment.

However, the evidence is still weak. The studies are small, often lack control groups and report improvements that may have other explanations. Moreover, this isn’t the first time a “clogged pipes” theory of neurological disease has generated extraordinary hype.

So is this a breakthrough hiding in plain sight, or another medical idea that sounds better than the evidence suggests?

This article takes a skeptical but open-minded look at the science, the surgery and the reasons for caution.

Find the full story on our website.
https://mcgill.ca/x/5bX

The man who developed a surgery to treat Alzheimer’s disease has been detained by Chinese authorities for a year and we don’t know why. According to reporting done by Elie Dolgin for Nature, there are rumours of financial impropriety. The surgeon’s daughter thinks it has something to do with t...

08/29/2026

Although the ancient biotechnology of purposeful fermentation dates back only some 8000 years, far less than the use of fire, its role in the life of people has been highly significant.

Now, making modern headlines, Dr. Joe chronicles the history of this process.

From yogurt to w**e - fermentation plays a role in many of the products we enjoy. Read the full story on our website.

https://mcgill.ca/x/56g

Evidence for the use of fire use dates back hundreds of thousands of years. At first it was likely natural fires started by lightning that were kindled, later ignition of tinder was achieved with sparks from flintstones or the rubbing together of sticks. Fire had a huge impact on the life of early h...

08/27/2026

🧬 So… what exactly is a gene?

Think of DNA as the blueprint for life and genes as the individual instruction manuals for building the proteins our bodies need.

When there’s a mutation in a gene, those instructions can change, sometimes leading to genetic diseases.

That’s it! A gene = a stretch of DNA that contains the instructions for making a protein. 🔬

08/23/2026

If lidocaine numbs tissue, why is the evidence for pain relief during IUD insertion so mixed?

The answer turns out to be surprisingly complicated. While some studies suggest local anesthetics can modestly reduce pain, researchers are increasingly finding that procedural technique, anxiety, expectations, and even the instruments used during insertion may all play a role.
In this article, we explore what the evidence actually says about IUD pain management, and why the answer isn't as simple as lidocaine.

Read the full article on our website.
https://mcgill.ca/x/5u7

This might be too much information, but this article began with me sitting on an examination table wondering whether I should ask my doctor for lidocaine for my upcoming intrauterine device (IUD) replacement. Why the IUD? To each their own when it comes to medication and contraception, but it’s a ...

08/22/2026

From the Ethiopian goat herder, Kaldi, to King Gustav III’s twin clinical trial, the history of coffee is stitched together by myth, anecdote, and a sprinkle of hyperbole. The topic of coffee is no stranger to debate. ☕️

With expert guidelines riddled with “mays,” “buts,” “possiblys” “associated withs” “coulds,” “mights” and “appears to shows,” the debate doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.

Get the full story on our website.
https://mcgill.ca/x/5ue

Since our office, The McGill Office for Science and Society, is dedicated to separating sense from nonsense and fact from myth, it should come as no surprise that I have a long-standing interest in coffee. The risks and health benefits of this beverage have been the subject of heated debates going b...