Scurvy was a bigger threat to the Royal Navy than the French were, meanwhile the biggest threat to six men in a British hospital was their medicine! The connection explains how clinical trials are run. A landmark episode from season 2.
Originally published October 18th, 2021.
Jan 23, 2025
24 min
What is really in ‘snake oil’ and why did an innocent man go to prison for murder. What’s the connection? Listen to find out. This is one of our favourite episodes from season 1.
Originally published April 5th, 2021.
Jan 16, 2025
20 min
How you tell a story goes a long way to determining whether or not it gets believed, and remembered.
Feb 14, 2022
23 min
Let’s talk about the use of animals in medical research. It’s not a subject that people are very comfortable discussing, but we are going to do it anyway.
We will start with an incredible story of a fire in Bar Harbor Maine that impacted the health of people all over the world for years, even though they never even knew about it.
Then we will ask the question ‘what really causes Ulcers, and how did researchers figure that out?’
Dr Wayne Lautt has used animals in his experiments for years. But his approach to it is very different from the mainstream view.
Jan 31, 2022
20 min
The relationship between researchers and funders is complicated.
Some people think that researchers should be left to their own direction and that all financial support should be ‘no-strings attached.’ But is that possible? Is it desirable?
We look at how the Roman Coliseum was funded, and ask ‘what impact did that have on its design and its use?’
Then we turn our attention to NASA --- is the space agency funded by the military? Should it be? And how has its unique funding arrangement impacted what it does?
Finally we’ll confront the thorny question of ‘how much influence should funding agencies have over research?’
Jan 17, 2022
28 min
The Amish community in Pennsylvania is heavily impacted by genetic diseases. You might think that their resistance to modern technology would make it difficult to treat these conditions. But actually their philosophies around family and community make it easier to manage these diseases.
John Franklin’s ships were lost to the world for more than a century and a half. They were only discovered by a team of people that combined modern search tools with historical knowledge.
We talk with Jennefer Nepinak about the concept of ‘two-eyed seeing.” Through this approach we consider new ways of dealing with mental health, and diabetes.
Jan 3, 2022
26 min
We often complain about having too little of something: Too little time, too little money. But today in first world countries a lot of our problems come from having too much of something: Too much sugar, too much technology.
We point this lens at a pair of historical stories to better understand if tragedies and hardships of the past were really the result of having ‘too little’ of something, or if we need to use a different perspective.
We talk with Dr Jason Fung about his views on fasting and whether we eat too much, too little, or just too often!
Dec 13, 2021
25 min
We’ve all heard the saying about “the best laid plans….” but there is a caveat to that. Not all unexpected consequences are bad. Sometimes something really amazing occurs unexpectedly.
This episode tells the story of Henry Molaison, better known as Patient HM, or “the most important brain in the history of neuroscience.” Henry didn’t set out to be a guiding light for the world of neuroanatomy. He just wanted a cure for his epilepsy. But what happened to him and the impact he had on the world is a story that needs to be told.
We will also hunt for cobras in India, and try to explain why that plan backfired.
Dr Seema Nagpal from Diabetes Canada will join us to explain the often unseen impact diabetes has on people, and to offer some thought on what the consequences of a cure might be.
These science stories from history help shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone hepatalin and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are living with type 2 diabetes. www.SciMar.ca
Nov 29, 2021
23 min
Join us for a wild ride through Vienna and Paris. We will hang out with Mozart, Marie Antoinette, and the incredible Dr Mesmer. We will drink cocktails and stay up way too late. All in an effort to answer the question: Is it possible that being blinded could help you see new things?
I’m not talking about literal blindness here, I mean when you intentionally deny yourself some key piece of information.
If you are hiring someone and are conducting interviews, would you make better decisions if the candidates were sitting behind a screen? Is a psychological study less valid if the participants already know what aspect of their behaviour you are measuring? And are there situations when the subjects and the experimenters have to be blinded?
These science stories from history help shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone hepatalin and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are living with type 2 diabetes. www.SciMar.ca
Nov 15, 2021
25 min
Sometimes great discoveries have to wait for the creation of the perfect tool.
What is the best screw ever invented? If you said the Phillips, you are wrong. The Phillips is the most popular screw type, but not the best. The standard slot screw is also very popular, but it isn’t the best either. The best screw type ever invented is the Robertson, and the story behind why it never became the biggest selling screw in the world is one you have to hear.
What is the difference between Latitude and Longitude? Why is one of them so easy to determine and the other virtually impossible? Well, it was impossible until they had the right tool. We will explain how a clock with a grasshopper inside made sailing the seven seas much safer.
These science stories from history help shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone hepatalin and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are living with type 2 diabetes. www.SciMar.ca
Nov 1, 2021
30 min
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