Kody Beler, new science communicator About 98 out of 100,000 human patients every year suffer from interstitial lung disease, a broad collection of several lung diseases that manifest as inflammation and scarring of lung tissue and a loss of lung function. Because of the invasiveness of the necessary lung biopsy, however, the diseases are often […]
Biology and Life Sciences
The controversy behind the new FDA-approved drug for Alzheimer’s disease
Rana Semaan, Science in Society editor On June 7, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Aduhelm™ (aducanumab-avwa) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease under its accelerated approval pathway. I felt overjoyed and excited reading this news. I’d seen the disease up close and lost my grandmother to Alzheimer’s. I immediately […]
Lyme disease: A Canadian context
Dorottya Harangi, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences editor For my whole life, I’ve had it drilled into me to check for ticks after coming back from a hike or a long day outside. I never really understood why this was a big deal until I got older and learned about Lyme disease. So, what exactly […]
Defining ‘novel’: Health Canada modernizes its regulations for plant breeding
Katie Compton, Policy & Politics editor When it comes to the plants and plant-derived foods that we eat, what does novel mean? When is something so different from the existing items on grocery shelves that regulators need to assess its safety before it goes to market? In the world of plant breeding, the line between […]
Kids and COVID-19: How other coronaviruses may be giving them a leg up
Jenna Finley, Biology and Life Sciences co-editor Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve all been aware that exhibiting symptoms is not an equal opportunity game. Some people don’t even know they have the COVID-19 virus, while others are fighting for their lives in intensive care units. One group that is more likely to be […]