By Michael Limmena, Health, Medicine & Veterinary Science editor The year 2021 was one of British Columbia’s biggest wildfire seasons in our lifetimes. Between April and September of that year, the province saw about 1,600 wildfires that burned approximately 8,700 square kilometres. Although the wildfires occurred in BC, the smoke from the wildfires spread throughout […]
Health, Medicine, and Veterinary Science
The chemistry behind antioxidants: Are they the real deal?
By Zahra Nasser, Chemistry editor They say: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But is this phrase as true today as when it was coined in 1922? Researchers in Nova Scotia found that today’s apples, although bigger and sweeter, contain fewer health benefits than they did in the past. Specifically, the levels of […]
Remote patient monitoring: bringing healthcare closer to home
By Jaspreet Sanghera, Biology & Life Sciences editor Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual connection has become a routine part of our work and personal lives. This phenomenon extends to healthcare, too. In February 2020, 48% of Canadian physicians incorporated at least one virtual care service into their practice, but by September 2020, […]
Planting the seed for the future of vaccine development
By Amanda Scanga, guest contributor One consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the accelerated development of new vaccines. Researchers quickly created, tested, manufactured and administered new vaccines, most of them based on messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is a knowledge base that has been in development for decades. Many people remain hesitant to get vaccinated for […]
Contaminant bioaccumulation in fish and aquatic environments
By Dorottya Harangi, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences editor Have you ever been told that you should be careful about how much tuna you eat? Part of the reason why is bioaccumulation, which is when the level of certain toxins (for example, DDT or mercury) increases in concentration in the bodies of organisms as you […]