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Public lectures in the historic Redpath Museum, where McGill scientists bust myths and confront popular misconceptions.


    • Apr 9, 2013 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 52m AVG DURATION
    • 28 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from McGill Podcasts » Freaky Fridays

    Bugs, Drugs and the Amazing Race

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2013


    Wonder why you keep hearing about so many new infectious diseases? How do we manage them? Come explore the perpetual arms race between humans and microbes as we both battle for survival in our modern world.

    Alanna Watt: What is brain assembly?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2012


    This Freaky Friday explores the fascinating field of brain development (assembly) and what happens when it goes wrong, in particular in the spinocerebellar ataxia SCA6.

    The future of Quantum Mechanics

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2012


    By Bill Coish (Physics, McGill). How can we realistically use large scale quantum mechanical effects to our advantage? Check out these interviews in Nature and on CBC Radio 1 where Dr. Coish talks about quantum information science.

    Nature or Nurture: Do genes actually determine your personality?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2012


    By Roberta Palmour (Genetics, McGill). How do specific personality traits themselves predispose to particular types of mental illness? Listen to Roberta Palmour’s interview on CBC about personality disorders and her work with monkeys’ personality traits.

    Oxytocin me, baby — the truth about the so-called love hormone

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2012


    By Jennifer A. Bartz (Psychology, McGill). Oxytocin is widely known as the “love hormone” released during birth and breastfeeding to bond a mother and child, but it’s released other times, too. Like during an orgasm. Or a romantic date. Oxytocin supposedly overflows us with positive feelings about one another. Or does it? Read more about [...]

    The misunderstanding of dinosaurs

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2012


    By Emily Bamforth (Ph.D. candidate, Redpath Museum and Biology, McGill). Is a Pterodactyl really a dinosaur? Could ‘Jurassic Park’ actually happen? Come and find what you may not have known about society’s favorite prehistorical creatures. Check out this interview on CBC Radio 1

    Radiation as a weapon of mass benefaction

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2011


    The applications of radiation are as wide as the myths surrounding it. In this lecture, Arman Sarfehnia will discuss what radiation is, and look at a brief history of radiation, how it was discovered and what role it has played in our lives. The applications of radiation in diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology will be [...]

    The Aging Process — Myths and Realities

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2011


    What is aging? Recent animal studies have shown that clioquinol — an 80-year-old drug once used to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders — can reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. According to Dr. Siegfried Hekimi, clioquinol acts irectly on a protein called CLK-1, often informally called “clock-1,” and might slow down [...]

    Is love a big equilateral triangle?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2011 47:39


    McGill Psychology prof John Lydon delivers a Freaky Friday lecture on the science of close relationships: what are the physiological and psychological mechanisms that keep us in “love” ?

    Birds, brains, and songs

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2011 51:52


    Not only do some birds sing but they sing cleverly. Female birds prefer males that sing ‘prettier songs', but sometimes they have a strange definition of ‘pretty'. Neeltje Boogert discusses some amazing facts about animal communication.

    Science and Fiction in popular films — the good, the bad and the robotic

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2011 55:57


    How and why has science found its special place in popular films? What is the scientific significance of films like Avatar, Gattaca, and Tron?

    How I learned to stop worrying and love genetic modification

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2011 37:33


    Genetic engineering is the direct human manipulation of an organism’s genetic material in a way that does not occur under natural conditions. It involves the use of recombinant DNA techniques, but does not include traditional animal and plant breeding or mutagenesis. Learn about the genetic modification in experimental mice being used for research purposes.

    Black Hole

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2010 1:01


    Find out about the evolution of this baby black hole, and learn why, contrary to popular myth, a black hole is not a cosmic vacuum cleaner. What does it mean to be “sucked” into a black hole? Does the CERN reactor have anything to do with it?

    Earth’s earliest life — where did it come from?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2010 41:46


    Find out the origins of the planet’s oldest rocks and how they are linked to meteorites and the start of life on earth.

    UFOs and Close Encounters, Science and Society

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2010 65:36


    This lecture considers the public and scientific reaction to the UFO phenomenon from the perspectives of personality, psychology and the philosophy of science.

    Magic, Hypnosis and the Brain

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2010 63:34


    Hypnosis is an interesting tool for understanding how the mind works in terms of attention and suggestion. But can it be used therapeutically?

    UFOs: Close Encounters

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2010 51:01


    This lecture reviews the evidence about “Close Encounters,” the most controversial aspect of the UFO phenomenon, in which humans allegedly encounter and interact with extra-terrestrial beings. Donderi will review several well-documented close encounter cases and describe his own involvement in interviewing witnesses. He will illustrate a psychological science approach to these observations by describing two [...]

    Mushrooms: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2010 66:42


    Expert mycologist Suha Jabaji speaks about the world of fungi and their integral relationship with the health of the planet in this Freaky Friday presentation.

    Bats and Vampires: More Myth than Fact

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2010 65:40


    Dr. Angelika Meschede speaks about the amazing world and diversity of bats, how vampire bats really feed, and how they may one day help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

    UFOs: The Psychology of a Phenomenon

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2010 61:11


    In this Freaky Friday presentation, McGill psychology professor Don Donderi explains how and why he came to study the UFO phenomenon, and describes the chronology of the popular, official, and scientific viewpoint on the matter. He also reviews two UFO cases he has personally investigated.

    UFOs: The Evidence in Detail

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2010 83:27


    In his second lecture on UFOs, Donderi reviews the UFO evidence in detail and outlines the relationship between the evidence and the psychology of perception, motivation and belief. He also covers the interactions between skeptics like Carl Sagan and non-skeptical scientists and scholars like James E. McDonald and C.G. Jung. Finally, in keeping with the [...]

    Melting Glaciers, What Gives?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2009 62:07


    Bruno Tremblay from McGill’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences examines the truth and fiction of melting arctic glacial ice.

    Probability Surprises – Math or Magic?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2009 1:01


    Presented by Matthew de Courcy-Ireland in honour of the late William Moser, Professor Emeritus at the McGill Department of Mathematics and Statistics, this lecture looks at some of the surprises to be found when dealing with mathematical probability.

    What Does It Mean To Be Human?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2009 52:43


    There is a deeply ingrained assumption that humans are fundamentally different from other animals. To what degree, and in what ways is this true? Through the classic film Planet of the Apes André Costopoulos reflects on what makes us human.

    Big Hairy Spiders

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2009 64:30


    Dr. Christopher Buddle, McGill’s foremost spider expert, elaborates on the how Arachnids are misunderstood and under-appreciated.

    Storm Perfection

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2009 59:13


    What is a perfect storm? To an atmospheric scientist, it is a storm in which several factors come together to make it especially catastrophic. The 1998 Ice Storm was a perfect storm and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was another.

    Shark Tales

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2009 72:49


    McGill paleontologist Hans Larsson tells us why sharks have been misunderstood as relentless man-eaters.

    How do Birds Really Do it

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2009 53:42


    Dr. David Bird from the Avian Science and Conservation Centre at McGill discusses reproduction in birds.

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