2015 Blogs

“One of the most fascinating aspects of fungi is their ability to synthesize an array of structurally diverse, often potently bio-active compounds known as secondary metabolites. This phenomenon can be exemplified by Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin from an indoor Penicillium species, or our exploitation of these chemicals as pharmaceuticals including the cholesterol lowering statins. “

March 29, 2015

“You’ve heard of oxytocin, the ‘love hormone’, right? You know, it’s that chemical (hormone) released in our brain that makes us want to cuddle, and is released during sex? Maybe you’ve heard of it as the hormone that is released during breast feeding that helps enhance mother-infant bonding?”

April 6, 2015

“Like many health researchers who are committed to having an impact on human behavior in order to prevent illness, I saw the ‘Nudge’ phenomena as a welcome revelation. And so when a colleague of mine presented a paper at a recent symposium, I, like many others in the room, visibly cringed when he commented that such techniques are paternalistic strategies that assume that people are incapable of making the right decision for themselves.”

April 10, 2015

“A striking step forward in environmental protection policy was the creation of the Minamata Convention signed by 128 countries in 2013. As of April 2015, ten countries had ratified the convention. The Convention aims to limit the release of mercury into the environment…”

April 17, 2015

In today’s society, it seems as though things like “peanut-free zones” and gluten-free menus are popping up all over the place. Even if you yourself don’t have an allergy, you probably know of at least one person that does. Over the past few decades, affluent westernized countries like Canada have seen an alarming increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases and are now facing an “allergy epidemic”

April 24, 2015

“Earlier this spring, I was asked to present my work on bioethics at the annual Ontario and Canada Research Chairs Symposium. In 7 minutes, I was to present a PechaKucha style presentation: 20 images, each displayed for 20 seconds, with my dynamic and charismatic voice-over…”

April 30, 2015

“On Wednesday, June 11 2008, Prime Minister Stephan Harper stepped up to a podium in Ottawa and delivered a long overdue speech…”

May 7, 2015

“From declining biodiversity to rising sea levels, we are inundated with seemingly endless news about the deteriorating health of our planet….”

May 12, 2015

“It seems like we, as a society, are constantly being warned against disease-causing products, whether it be the dangers of BPA found in our water bottles or the associated risks of getting vaccinated. Rarely are these “findings” of danger found to be true….”

May 16, 2015

“I grew up in the small town of Deep River, Ontario. 4200 people. Originally created to house employees of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, I grew up with the narrow-minded impression that everyone would eventually become a doctor, engineer, technician, or researcher of some sort….”

May 21, 2015

In Statistics Canada’s most recent report on overweight and obesity in 2013, 18.8% of Canadians aged 18 or older were obese based on their body-mass index, while 41.9% of men and 27.7% of women were overweight

May 23, 2015

“One of the most challenging fires I ever worked was in my first year: SLK047. It was in Wabakimi Provincial Park. We were going in to help lay line and protect a caribou-mating site in case the fire came that way….”

May 28, 2015

“This week the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada will be releasing its final report. This report details the statements provided by Survivors, staff, and honorary witnesses describing the experiences of over 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children who attended the Indian Residential Schools (IRS)…”

May 30, 2015

“How do we make decisions about which risks to take, and which to not take? Do we look at evidence about the likeliness of harm, or do we go with our gut feel? Do we trust science, or follow celebrity advice?”

June 4, 2015

“There’s something a little extra delicious about a barbequed meal and a cold beer on the deck after returning home from a fire-fighting tour. Our crew just finished a 19-day tour in Lac la Biche district in Alberta….”

June 10, 2015

“Most of us think that we understand what it means to be “healthy”: eat the right foods, get enough exercise, lose weight. What is less obvious is how belonging to social groups can protect and enhance health and well-being both physically and mentally…”

June 15, 2015

“Every forest is a little magical. Unique layout, diversity, and character—no two forests are ever the same. But when a fire rolls through the forest, it can swallow everything..”

June 18, 2015

“This question prompts one response: chew o’clock. My crew member will start packing his tin, and I’ll grab a Bandit pouch from mine. One hand on the steering wheel, the other on my dip bottle, I shake my head —when did this happen? “

June 27, 2015

“For many years the environment has been considered to have important effects on human well-being. Feng shui, for instance, is a Chinese philosophical system that aims to harmonize everyone with the surrounding environment through orientation of buildings and other structures…”

July 3, 2015

“Your health and quality of life is determined by a wide range of factors. These social determinants of health (SDH) are broadly defined as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age” and include education, income, housing, gender, physical environment, social environment, access to health services and healthy childhood development..”

July 9, 2015

“Placebo responses, as most people are aware, refer to responses elicited by a treatment that can’t actually have direct organic effects on neurobiological processes. The effects of placebos are often considered in the context of pain relief or in some psychological conditions, such as depressive symptoms…”

July 11, 2015

“Neverland: the fictional dwelling for Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell and others; the place where people cease to age or grow up; the occasional nickname for the fire program. While the name refers to both the people, and the job itself, I’m still not sure if it’s a positive, or a morbid nickname…”

July 15, 2015

“Congratulations to four member of the CHAIM Centre who were successful in this year’s competitions at the Canadian Institutes for Health Research!”

July 16, 2015

“Addictions, especially those involving drugs, continue to be a problem world-wide. Several neurobiological and psychosocial processes have been implicated in addiction, which have led to a variety of treatment strategies, although most haven’t been overwhelmingly successful. It’s hard to eliminate a well-entrenched habit, and it’s still more difficult to continue to stay clean. …”

August 19, 2015

“No child should be left out from going to school for the very first time, playing at recess with new friends, or having the opportunity to learn about what the world will offer them in life. And no family should lose these or other precious moments with their children…”

August 24, 2015

“Sometimes a turf war hides bigger problems. In a continuing saga between fire fighters and paramedics, the recent flare-up in Ontario over “who does what” is one example. For decades, many municipalities in Canada have seen a steady, dramatic increase in 9-1-1 calls for medical assistance, combined with increasing demand at hospital emergency departments….”

July 25, 2015

“Ask anyone, anywhere, “what’s the deal with all the missing First Nations women,” and I guarantee that the only answers you’ll get in return are shrugged shoulders, or an “ I dunno really.” Despite plaguing Facebook and news pages for weeks, I continue to hear few answers explaining what is going on, what it all means, or what the current situation is….”

July 26, 2015

“We have all experienced the law of diminishing returns. It shows up in various scientific disciplines and in our everyday lives. Weight loss is one example that often comes to mind. If you cut your food intake by a fixed amount, initially weight comes off quickly….”

August 13, 2015

“That moment when you’re standing at the Dryden airport, surrounded by a sea of tan MNRF travel shirts, brass nametags, and green Nomex pants. That moment when another white crew cab rolls up, and four crew people jump out, unloading their red and blue bags…”

August 26, 2015

“In other research domains, such as in the assessment of particular drugs to treat illnesses, scientists are required to disclose on research publications where funding was obtained, including private funding or from the public sector (e.g., drug companies), and to indicate whether the researcher had any vested interests (e.g., shares) in the company, or whether they sat on scientific boards or were being paid by the pharmaceutical company…”

August 31, 2015

“Wastewater; it’s the term we use to denote anything and everything that gets flushed in toilets, rinsed down drains and washed off our streets. It can include residue from soaps and creams, residual pharmaceuticals, pollution from streets, and yes… poop….”

September 3, 2015

“The end of the season always comes. And it always seems to be raining. And as I get closer and closer to my contract’s end, crewmembers seem to pitter out of the system. It’s a weird end, because not everyone ends on the same day….”

September 4, 2015

“Blink once, and you’ve caught up on sleep. Blink twice, and you’ve finished your second tour. Blink three times, and your nose has been freckled, your bush legs strengthened, and your over-packed Impreza is fuelling up for the 1736km journey, homeward bound….”

September 10, 2015

“It’s a simple question, is it not? Well, no not really. There are many theories behind why organisms age. Is it something planned and carried out?….”

October 3, 2015

“Chances are, whatever it is you chose to eat, you might have also consumed some mycotoxins in your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi that can contaminate many of the world’s major food crops, and are still present in your food even after cooking and processing….”

October 21, 2015

“Following the recent Canadian federal election, there has been an upsurge of public discussion about reinstating the mandatory long-form census. The previous government canceled it in 2010 citing privacy concerns and coercive data collection methods (people compelled under threat of prosecution to complete survey questions) as main reasons for its demise…”

November 4, 2015

“Healthy Debate has published an article bringing attention to the effects of air pollution on the health of Canadians. The air quality in some regions don’t even meet minimum national standards. The article reports that “The CMA estimates air pollution was responsible for 21,000 early deaths in Canada in 2008….”

November 6, 2015

“Empathy, ambition, compassion, intelligence and determination are all traits the world renowned social innovator and humanitarian, Firdaus Kharas, possesses. Mr. Kharas is a social entrepreneur whose work primarily consists of strategically and skillfully creating animated public service announcements to address important and controversial issues most people are afraid to even acknowledge…”

November 7, 2015

“Preventing cancer is important for many reasons. But for those who are most influenced by the financial implications, productivity loss due to cancer is a huge burden on the economy. The IARC studied productivity loss in 30 European countries and estimated a loss of €75 billion ($107 billion)…”

November 16, 2015

“The World Health Organization has stated the climate change is the single biggest threat to human health globally. But we can all do something about it…”

November 18, 2015

“Christopher Mushquash is Ojibway and a member of Pays Plat First Nation, located on the north shore of Lake Superior. Among many titles, he is a clinical psychologist, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction….”

December 5, 2015

“In May, 2015, Martin Wellman, a doctoral student in Carleton’s Department of Neuroscience wrote a blog on the complexities of the ghrelin system. Understanding how this system works can help inform strategies for addressing obesity. His blog described research conducted by Wellman and his supervisor, Alfonso Abizaid….”

December 12, 2015

“Our life experiences may have a considerable impact on not only our own development, but as well, the development of our children. Which events and experiences, and how they impact individuals in early and later life is the fundamental question in Frances Champagne’s research…”

December 15, 2015

“Workplace bullying can take any of multiple forms, and there is little doubt that intentional, prolonged harassment (or violence) coming from a coworker or from a group (mobbing) can lead to a variety of negative neurobiological changes, as well as a range of psychological and physical illnesses….”

December 22, 2015