Microbiome Research is Blasting Off
“Our bodies are spaceships for microbes” is Dr. Allen-Vercoe’s microbiology lab motto at the University of Guelph. Amusing, yet completely on point. If earth is a rock hurtling through space...
Blog
Sleep and Immunity
As a kid, my father always emphasized the importance of sleep. Little did I know, as I hid under my blankets, reading a novel with a flashlight, that I was...
A D-lightful Vitamin: The importance of vitamin D for a healthy individual
Vitamin D describes a group of fat-soluble chemical compounds that promote normal growth and development, with vitamin D2 and D3 being the most important for humans. While essential vitamins cannot...
“Fat to Fit” While you Sit? – The Secrets of Resting Metabolism
Being sedentary and consuming fast food are habits that have stealthily entered our fast-paced Western lifestyles and are common contributors to obesity. In response, most of us have either aimed...
How Are Diets Changing Our Immune Systems?
“I am on a diet.” is probably one of the most commonly heard sentences these days. With or without a specific aim in mind, most of us have tried to...
Nutrition in a growing world: Weighing in on nutritional supplements
For many people, nutritional supplements are a regular part of their diet. In 2015, over 45% of Canadians reported taking at least one type of nutritional supplement, including but not...
Metabolic Disorders: Critical Missteps in Metabolism
When considering metabolism, what may first come to mind is the breaking down of dietary components to make energy for us to perform our daily tasks. However, metabolism is an...
A Brief Introduction to Bacteria, Viruses, and Parasites
With health and infectious disease concerns sweeping the world over the past few years, it might be concerning to learn that causes of disease can be anywhere and everywhere in...
The Life, Death and Afterlife of Lab Hustle
As graduate students, we often hear the admonition, “This PhD can’t be just a 9-to-5!”—sometimes justified with “Science should be your passion!” This “hustle” attitude extends beyond the scientific sphere...
Universal Basic Income
Imagine a world in which you were guaranteed $2,000 per month, regardless of your work status or other income. Where everyone from a working single mother of three to Drake...