Episode 14: All I want for Christmas is a Tyrannosaurus
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We talk with Dr. Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and dinosaur researcher, about how the fossil trade is a growing problem for researchers and museums around the world, and how it's only getting worse as record-setting sales drive prices up.
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Episode 13: Do no harm
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We talk with Dr. Abdullah Saleh, a paediatric surgeon and director of the University of Alberta's Office of Global Surgery, about how medical practitioners traveling to lower-income countries can end up doing more harm than good, even though they're trying to help.
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Episode 12: Are you an ally?
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We speak with Dr. Adam Murry, an assistant professor of Indigenous psychology, about his research project into quantifying the traits of allyship and how better understanding allyship can help both the groups who need it most and the people who want to be allies.
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Episode 11: Medic mushrooms
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We speak with Dr. Peter Facchini, a professor of biochemistry in our Faculty of Science and chief scientific officer of MagicMed, about studying the medicinal properties of psilocybin mushrooms and other drugs, and how synthesizing and improving them could lead to better mental health treatments.
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Episode 10: Can you spare some (higher ed) change?
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We talk to Dr. Stephen Larter, PhD, associate vice president of research and innovation at the University of Calgary, about how post-secondaries need to adapt to a changing world and how a university can help spark an economic recovery.
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Episode 9: Medical assistance in dying
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We talk to Dr. Beverly Adams, the senior associate dean of education at the Cumming School of Medicine, about how medical assistance in dying can offer choice and dignity to grievously sick patients and how medical schools are adapting to the practice.
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Episode 8: Going anti-viral
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We talk to Dr. Paul Kubes, an infectious disease expert in the Cumming School of Medicine, about what goes into studying a deadly disease, how COVID-19 has changed scientific research, and UCalgary's newly reopened Biosafety Level Three lab.
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Episode 7: Margin of error
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In this episode, we talk to Corey Hogan, former chief communications officer for the government of Alberta, about some of the factors that can skew opinion polls, how to make sure they're as unbiased as possible, and how to look at them with a critical eye.
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Episode 6: Key of T
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In this episode, we talk with Dr. Ari Agha, a choral singer and researcher with the City of Calgary, about potentially risking their singing voice when they embarked on testosterone therapy as part of their gender transition.
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Episode 5: The Waiting Game
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Dr. Peter Toohey, a professor of classics and author of the new book Hold On: The Life, Science, and Art of Waiting, talks about how we can better understand waiting, get better at doing it, and lead happier lives as a result.
info_outlineAs the COVID-19 pandemic carries on, wearing a mask has become a hot-button issue, especially in areas where it's mandatory. For some people, the issue of wearing masks has become politicized to the point that it's a symbol of their identity and political leanings.
While we know that wearing a mask helps slow down the spread of the coronavirus, and some people are wearing them willingly, others are fiercely resistant.
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Cara MacInnis, a social psychologist in our Department of Psychology, about peoples' attitudes towards wearing masks and why it's such a divisive issue.
Have an idea for a future episode? Email [email protected].