To fingerprint or not to fingerprint? That is the question

Chantal Mustoe, Chemistry co-editor In October 2013, in the case of Regina v. Bornyk, a man was arrested, tried and acquitted of breaking and entering in Surrey, British Columbia. The judge assessed the fingerprint evidence himself and dismissed it due to “unexplained discrepancies” and possible effects of “institutional bias” in fingerprinting and the “subjective certainty” […]

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Gut feelings: How the bacteria in your body affect your brain

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Tamara Rosner, Health, Medicine & Veterinary Science co-editor Your body plays host to millions of bacteria. In fact, the number of bacterial cells in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract is about equal to the number of cells that make up your body. While we typically think of bacteria as “bad” or “unhealthy”, the bacteria that make […]

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Three lessons about nature from your old Christmas tree

Dan Kraus, Nature Conservancy of Canada, guest contributor People living in the Northern Hemisphere have brought trees and boughs into their homes during the winter for thousands of years. The evergreens that we decorate with during Christmas can represent a celebration of holidays and a reminder that spring will come again. I’m a Christmas tree […]

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Residencies for the science-minded artist

Raymond's Brain 2018

Katrina Vera Wong and Raymond Nakamura, Multimedia co-editors Melding art and science can be challenging, and often requires specialized knowledge, resources, and support. Some organizations are filling the gap by helping artists develop their scientific chops through courses or residencies. Artists can build on their scientific skills and knowledge, or gain access to scientific resources […]

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