Student Contributors /oss/taxonomy/term/5134/all en See the Rainbow - How Skittles Led me to Chromatography /oss/article/student-contributors-general-science/see-rainbow-how-skittles-led-me-chromatography <p>As a kid, I always played with my food. After a trip to the grocery store, where my mom allowed me to select one candy to bring home, playing turned into experimentation. The candy I chose? Skittles! I had seen several YouTube videos of people taking these colourful candies and placing them in water, causing the vibrant colours to bleed out. Prompted by these videos, I grabbed a shallow dish, filled it with a bit of water and began placing my Skittles around the perimeter.</p> Fri, 04 Jul 2025 14:04:30 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 11308 at /oss Does a Chocolate a Day Keep the Grim Reaper Away? /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/does-chocolate-day-keep-grim-reaper-away <p><a href="http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/theobromine">Theobromine</a> is a naturally occurring bitter alkaloid most prominently found in cocoa beans. A metabolite of caffeine, theobromine shares some of the common effects of the household stimulant. Compared to caffeine, theobromine has a much gentler stimulating effect. This is because it lingers longer in our bodies before being metabolized.</p> Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. 11276 at /oss $1,950 Worth of Woo: The Biomat, Unwrapped /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-pseudoscience/1950-worth-woo-biomat-unwrapped <p>Recently, I was forwarded an email about the Biomat鈥攁 $1,950 USD 鈥渉ealing mat鈥� that claims to cure everything short of a broken heart. And boy oh boy, is it ever a hotbed of pseudoscience wrapped in a cozy cotton cover and priced like a small vacation. When I dug into the science behind the Biomat鈥檚 claims, I found a textbook case of clever marketing dressed up in scientific jargon, with very little evidence to back it up.</p> Fri, 20 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc 11236 at /oss What If We Were Able To Graze on Grass Like Cows? /oss/article/student-contributors-health-and-nutrition-technology/what-if-we-were-able-graze-grass-cows <p>On a future field trip to Mount Royal, I imagine opening up my lunch box to find a small forest of fried insects flavoured with MSG and curry powder. On the side are some salmon rice balls. Noting I missed some greenery, I grab some grass and sprinkle it onto my rice balls.</p> Fri, 20 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Shona Hanaishi 11237 at /oss Recycling is Here to Stay: Unpacking Quebec鈥檚 Recycling Paradigm Shift /oss/article/student-contributors-environment-did-you-know/recycling-here-stay-unpacking-quebecs-recycling-paradigm-shift <p>When the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2025, Quebec not only celebrated the beginning of a new year鈥撯€� it welcomed a new, bold era of recycling. Quebec鈥檚 recycling system is now managed by <a href="https://www.eeq.ca/en/modernized-curbside-recycling">脡co Entreprises Qu茅bec</a> (EEQ), a private non-profit organization that oversees all operations related to selective collection. In Quebec, selective collection refers to the curbside recycling system where household waste is collected separately from your recyclables.</p> Fri, 13 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. 11169 at /oss InTOXicating Beauty /oss/article/student-contributors/intoxicating-beauty <p>The inspiration for my articles comes mostly from conversations with those around me. Often my friends, family, teachers or even readers ask me questions for which I do not have an immediate answer. As someone who loves to learn, I then proceed to research the topic until I am able to explain it in my own words which then prompts the writing of an article. I owe this article topic to my mom, who like many others had questions about a widely practiced esthetic procedure that aims to freeze time. She started telling me about injections that can each change someone鈥檚 face non-surgically.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 11120 at /oss Hard Facts: What You Didn't Know About Bone Health (But Should) /oss/article/student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/hard-facts-what-you-didnt-know-about-bone-health-should <p>This past year, I鈥檝e spent an unreasonable amount of time thinking about bones. Talking about bones. Reading about bones. Writing about bones. Basically, becoming the unofficial bone correspondent among my friends and family (whether they liked it or not). Why? Because I was doing my honours research project on the bone health of endurance athletes 鈥� and in the process, I fell head first into the endlessly fascinating, criminally underappreciated world of bone science.</p> Fri, 30 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc 11109 at /oss Don鈥檛 Talk to Me Until I鈥檝e Had My Coffee鈥� and Breakfast! /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/dont-talk-me-until-ive-had-my-coffee-and-breakfast <p>A few weeks ago, my roommate and I found ourselves chatting alongside two steaming cups of freshly brewed coffee. A great start to my day, if you ask me.</p> <p>This morning, my refusal of the milk she added to her coffee sparked a conversation that drifted into old wives鈥� tales. She mentioned that adding milk to coffee could make the caffeine effect last longer and reduce the inevitable crash.<u> </u></p> Fri, 23 May 2025 15:08:30 +0000 Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. 11102 at /oss The Ups and Downs of Choline Supplements /oss/article/medical-student-contributors/ups-and-downs-choline-supplements <b>The Buzz Around Choline</b> <p>Do you want to optimize your liver function? Improve your memory? Give your metabolism a little pep talk? If you find yourself typing any of these questions into your search engine of choice, chances are you'll find no shortage of glowing endorsements for choline supplements. According to the internet, choline can boost brain power, prevent Alzheimer鈥檚, detox your liver after a night out, and maybe even help you live forever. Or at least long enough to regret that tequila shot from last night.</p> Fri, 16 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc 11053 at /oss Is Creatine the Secret to a Longer Life? /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/creatine-secret-longer-life <p>When I say creatine, the first image that comes to your mind is probably that of a muscular, young man working out (i.e. a gym bro) but what if I said creatine may be for the grandads? While there is a lot of doubt about the legitimacy of creatine supplementation, here is a look at how it affects different parts of the body and if it can truly counteract detrimental, age-related muscle weakness.</p> Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:19:32 +0000 Simran Dhir BSc 10905 at /oss The Uglier You Go to Bed, the Prettier You Wake Up? Unfortunately, Not. /oss/article/uglier-you-go-bed-prettier-you-wake-unfortunately-not <p>Have you ever seen a reptile shed its scaly skin and said 鈥渨ow, I wish I could do that?鈥� No? Well same here, but now it seems that face shedding has taken over the internet. Luckily, people are not losing their actual skin and leaving behind a shell of themselves. Instead, they are applying copious amounts of beauty products (creams, serums, exfoliants, and more) and sealing it all in with a variety of coverings. Participants will even go as far as wearing a silicone lip mask or even a mouth tape.</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:41:41 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 10739 at /oss Voodoo Magic and the Mind-Body Connection /oss/article/medical-student-contributors-history/how-study-voodoo-magic-led-understanding-mind-body-connection <p>Is it possible to be literally scared to death? Today, it鈥檚 commonly understood that mental stress and negative emotion can contribute to physical health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain and more. However, this wasn鈥檛 always the case鈥攐ur understanding of how physiological responses are tied to emotion remained poor until the 20th century. In fact, you may be surprised to hear that investigating the seemingly inexplicable phenomenon of 鈥渧oodoo鈥� death helped lay the foundation for the study of the mind-body connection.</p> Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:43:51 +0000 顿补惫颈诲听笔辞辫补 10527 at /oss Should You Get a Full-Body MRI to Check for Cancer? /oss/article/student-contributors/should-you-get-full-body-mri-check-cancer <p>Cancer screening guidelines can be confusing on their own, with different recommendations for different groups. Add on a contentious political climate around healthcare and emerging private services, and the whole process can feel overwhelming. In the United States, controversy surrounding healthcare coverage includes preventive screenings. According to an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/breast-ultrasound-cancer-screening-charge-medicare/">article in CBS</a>, Medicare is adding restrictions to coverage of breast ultrasound screening.</p> Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:19:56 +0000 Paige Boklaschuk BSc 10441 at /oss Could Your Herb Garden Be Nature's Air Conditioner? /oss/article/student-contributors-environment-climate-change/could-your-herb-garden-be-natures-air-conditioner <p>It is estimated that by聽<a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.visionofhumanity.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F10%2FETR-2022-Web-V1.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7Chaleh.cohn%40mail.mcgill.ca%7C510eaa4de5194794b63808dd57638012%7Ccd31967152e74a68afa9fcf8f89f09ea%7C0%7C0%7C638762807086640027%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=6KQIOhkbVJ74s5Jpnt76Qk5rg5LqR2K%2BC9xBMRbME74%3D&amp;reserved=0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="//www.visionofhu&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;"></a></p> Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:20:48 +0000 Eva Kellner 10372 at /oss Is Oil Pulling Just Clutching at Straws? /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-student-contributors/oil-pulling-just-clutching-straws <p>Maintaining good oral hygiene is critical in order to maintain overall health. Many people only realize the impact that dental health has on the rest of the body when they are reading the posters in the dentist鈥檚 waiting room. Typically, we are all very concerned with the whiteness of our smile and the smell of our breath and will strive to achieve oral perfection.</p> Fri, 24 Jan 2025 21:50:41 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 10237 at /oss