It has been a long and painful pandemic but the light at the end of the tunnel is within our sights. While there are many reasons for what will surely be a celebration, there is one one particular medical advancement that has raised all of our spirits and may represent the future for battling disease. It’s the mRNA vaccine. This week, we’re closing out our season on COVID-19 science with a guest we all need to hear. He is Pieter Cullis and he a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 variants. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.  We’re back with Earl Brown, a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa and also a colleague with whom I’ve performed research and published on emerging pathogens such as SARS and avian flu. He has been observing the impact of variants and is ready to answer your questions.  Next week is our season...

Over the course of the pandemic, our vocabulary has gained a specific word that has come to represent great concern and distress in our global community. Variant. In the context of COVID-19, it has meant a resurgence in viral infections, resistance to treatments, and the risk of an ineffective vaccine.  This week, we’re going to look at the science behind SARS-CoV-2 variants with Earl Brown. He’s a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa and also a colleague with whom I’ve performed...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and wastewater. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.  We’re back with Tyson Graber, a research associate at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. He has been working on the development of wastewater testing and has gained support from the local government who now shares that data with the population.  Over the last few months, I...

It may seem like COVID-19 is everywhere and this week, we’re going to find out how we can take advantage of that fact. Research has shown that the virus behind the disease, SARS-CoV-2 can survive in sewage and be identified using a diagnostic test. More importantly, the results of those tests provide an early warning system to communities about the spread of the disease.  Our guest this week has been working on the development of wastewater testing and has gained support from the local...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and diagnostic tests. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.  Our guest this week has been focused on why we need diagnostic tests for all to get us past this pandemic and to keep us safe and confident even long after. She is Cherie Lynn Ramirez and she is an assistant professor in the Chemistry and Physics Department at Simmons University. She was the...

The old adage of the only thing to fear is fear itself sometimes rings true although in the case of pandemics, it has a different meaning. We should fear the pandemic but in many cases, people tend to fear and rebel against the measures to keep people safe. But there is a way to prevent this from happening in an equitable way. It’s through the use of rapid diagnostic tests. They can help to keep us aware of the location of a pandemic virus, how’s it’s spreading in the community, and how to...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and its effects on our healthcare heroines. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today. Our guest is Emily Jenkins. Emily Jenkins. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. She is focused on optimizing mental health outcomes for Canadians through collaborative mental health promotion strategies; health services...

Pandemics usually are known for their impact on physical health in the forms of infection. But these worldwide outbreaks also affect mental health both in direct and indirect ways. We spoke about the direct manners earlier this season and this week, we’re taking a look at the indirect ways. Our guest is Emily Jenkins. Emily Jenkins. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. She is focused on optimizing mental health outcomes for Canadians...

In times of crisis, we look to heroines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in the form of healthcare workers. They have given so much of themselves and we are grateful. Yet, even as we offer our thanks, there continues to be suffering in the form of anxiety, burnout, and depression. This week, we’re going to hear about how COVID-19 is affecting our healthcare heroines with our guest, Abi Sriharan. She is the Program Director for Systems Leadership and Innovation and an Assistant...

In times of crisis, we look to heroines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in the form of healthcare workers. They have given so much of themselves and we are grateful. Yet, even as we offer our thanks, there continues to be suffering in the form of anxiety, burnout, and depression. This week, we’re going to hear about how COVID-19 is affecting our healthcare heroines with our guest, Abi Sriharan. She is the Program Director for Systems Leadership and Innovation and an Assistant...

SHOW NOTES – COVID-19 AND THE BRAIN - SASS CLASS It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and its effects on our brains and nervous system. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs and we got to so many during this discussion.  We again are joined by Mark MacLean. He is a resident in the department of neurosurgery at Dalhousie University. He has been focused on learning more about the ways this virus get into our...

The brain is one of the most protected parts of the human body. Yet, viruses such as herpes, HIV and now SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, have demonstrated their ability to get into this sacred space. Because the brain controls so many of our normal bodily functions, this invasion can lead to a variety of problems, known as neurological sequelae.  This week, we’re exploring what is currently known about the effect of COVID-19 on the brain and the nervous system in general. Our guest is...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and heart health. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs and we got to so many during this discussion. We again are joined by Ian Paterson. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He’s a cardiac researcher who has been working to better understand the effects of...

Almost as soon as COVID-19 appeared, one of the most troubling consequences was revealed. The virus, SARS-CoV-2 had an effect on the cardiovascular system, including the heart. Since then, researchers have tried to better understand not only the mechanisms behind this added trouble, but also the risks due to pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Our guest this week is Ian Paterson. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology of...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and biological sex. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode although most of them centred on a few important questions. It shows that when it comes to travel, we all seem to have the same concerns and hopes for the future.  Our guest is once again Eileen Scully. She is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and...

The determination of biological sex occurs at the genetic level in which one of our 46 chromosomes can either be an X or a Y. But that one variance can lead to countless differences between the two. Now, thanks to COVID-19, we have another as it has become clear XX and XY respond to the virus differently.  Last year, Eileen Scully outlined those differences and I’ve asked her to come on the show to share them with us. She is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on travel. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode although most of them centred on a few important questions. It shows that when it comes to travel, we all seem to have the same concerns and hopes for the future.  Our first guest is once again Ron St. John and he was the Director General of the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Public Health Agency of...

Billions of trips occur yearly by all sorts of vessels including cars, trains, boats, and airplanes. They help humans get from point A to point B quickly and effectively. But travel can also help turn an outbreak into a pandemic. Over the millennia, we’ve seen how human movement and migration can spread an infectious disease across the planet. We have had a few close calls and one was the SARS epidemic in 2003. After the world returned to normal, our guest worked on how to develop early...

As 2020 comes to a close we’re moving away from COVID-19 for a moment to talk with one of Canada’s greatest treasures, David Suzuki. For almost sixty years, he has been bringing science into our homes on radio and television and has inspired generations of scientists. We talk with him about his history, his motivation for being a science communicator and the lessons he has learned over the years. We also discuss his new adventure, a podcast, that will surely create an impact on anyone who...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on grief. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode and it seems like many of you are opening up about other areas of science with respect to this pandemic. I’ll be getting to one such question in this show. Our guest is once again, Katherine Shear. She is the Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work and the Columbia...

There are several unknowns when it comes to a pandemic but there is always one guarantee. People are going to be hurt and many are going to die. When that happens, people are going to grieve. This week, we are going to explore the science of grief with one of the world’s best experts, Katherine Shear. She is the Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She’s also the founding director...

It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on vaccines. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few Emails and DMs about the episode although as we saw with airborne spread, most of them centred on a similar theme or topic. Then there was one that seemed to come from everyone - will a vaccine get us back to normal? You’ll definitely want to hear the answer.   Our guest is again Peter Hotez, who is the Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine...

There’s no doubt vaccines have changed our world for the better. We’ve been able to save countless lives from several infectious diseases and managed to eradicate one of the deadliest, smallpox, off the planet. Now people are calling for a vaccine to fight COVID-19 to ensure it is controlled, eliminated and eventually eradicated. For this episode, we reached out to Peter Hotez. He’s spent decades developing vaccines and has been a leader in the COVID vaccine movement. He’s the Dean for the...