On February 12, 1809, Charles Darwin was born. Along with Alfred Russel Wallace, he formulated the theory of evolution, according to which the struggle for life leads to the survival of the species most fit to their environment. If you are skeptical about evolution (“it’s just a theory!”) or if you know people who are … Continue reading
I recently wrote about the Bill Nye versus Ken Ham debate over the scientific worthiness of creationism in the context of Darwin Day. It was my opinion that Bill Nye’s attitude in the face of Ken Ham’s unscientific arguments was just right and that Ham’s fragile house of cards completely collapsed by the end of … Continue reading
Bill Nye used mathematics to disprove creationism. It was only one tool in a rather large box, a box that might as well be bigger on the inside. The bow-tied man did a rapid calculation to help show the incredulity that should follow the claim that evolution is wrong and that the Bible got it … Continue reading
It may seem as if flu viruses get chosen based on a sluggish and never-ending game of bingo. H1N1? … Does anyone have H1N1? The next number is… H7N9. Please check your cards, the number is H7N9…. H5N1… do we have a bingo? Please bring your card in to be validated. The prizes tonight include … Continue reading
Whenever I drink milk, I get really gassy for no reason. I don’t understand: I’ve been drinking milk since I was a baby and it never bothered me before. Could it be that GMO thing I keep hearing about? No. It most probably has nothing to do with genetically-modified organisms but rather with lactose intolerance. … Continue reading
Hominids: members of the phylogenetic family Hominidae, which includes chimpanzees, orang-utans, bonobos, gorillas, and humans (as well as extinct related forms). What do hominids have in common? Relatively large bodies, long arms and, importantly, no tail. Hominids can also use their hands to gather food and sometimes to use tools. The prefix “homo-” can mean … Continue reading
The 2013 edition of the Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium is now over. It was quite the whirlwind for me (for reasons that will become clear in the coming weeks). I met some amazing people, learned a lot about common scientific misconceptions, and felt a certain relief at being surrounded by a large group of … Continue reading
As a prelude to this year’s Lorne Trottier Symposium on Public Science, I encourage you to take a look at Joe Schwarcz’s latest article in The Montreal Gazette. Here’s an excerpt: “In science we don’t cherry pick. We shake the tree, collect all the cherries, mash them together and then taste. And that’s just what … Continue reading
Every year, Lorne Trottier, McGill University alumnus and benefactor, in collaboration with Joe “Dr. Joe” Schwarcz‘s Office for Science and Society, organizes a fantastic, two-night symposium with stellar guest speakers who come to talk to the public on topics pertaining to pseudoscience, scientific research, health care, etc., essentially blowing away the fog of misinformation on … Continue reading
“Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Red Headed League The great detective … Continue reading
Cracked Science 