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As Canada braces for another intense wildfire season, Greg Verkaik is digging into how drying peatlands are fuelling deep-burning fires. His fieldwork is providing critical insight in a warming world.

More: brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/fie...

#Wildfires #Peatlands #McMasterExperts
Digging deep: Fieldwork helping Canada prepare for a hotter, drier future
Greg Verkaik's research aims to better understand how peatlands influence wildfire behaviour - and how we can reduce the risk of wildfires.
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
May 28, 2025 at 1:46 PM
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With negotiations at a standstill, Canada Post workers could be on strike as early as next week. @stephross.bsky.social says the bargaining climate may be tougher this time around.

#Labour #CanadaPost #McMasterExperts

financialpost.com/news/canada-...
Canada Post hits pause on negotiations with union as May deadline approaches
Canada Post workers could be heading back to the picket lines, but they might find negotiating conditions far less favourable. Read more.
financialpost.com
May 15, 2025 at 6:11 PM
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Wildfires are burning in Canada and the smoke isn’t stopping at the border.

Mike Waddington tells @nytimes.com that a warming climate is turning Canada's forested lands into a tinderbox.

🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/w...

#Wildfires #McMasterExperts
Republicans Blame Canada for Wildfire Smoke ‘Suffocating’ the U.S.
www.nytimes.com
July 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
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McMaster researcher Lauren Colenso-Semple weighs in on the science behind this fitness trend.

#McMasterExperts
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · Jun 26
In the past year, weighted vests have become a fixture of the fitness world. But how effective are they? We asked exercise scientists to explain what the research shows.
Are Weighted Vests Worth the Hype?
Many influencers claim the vests are an essential tool for preserving bone density and muscle mass as you age. Here’s what we know about their effectiveness.
trib.al
June 26, 2025 at 8:23 PM
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With fires threatening communities across Canada, Ramla Qureshi, assistant professor in civil engineering, argues it's time to treat wildfire like any other major hazard and build accordingly.

#McMasterExperts #wildfires
June 9, 2025 at 3:45 PM
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“Is this walk going to do anything? Yes! The answer is yes. It’ll do way more than you think.” Kinesiology professor Jennifer Heisz speaks to The New York Times about the body-mind connection.

#McMasterExperts
July 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM
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The Hudson and James Bay peatlands are among the most significant carbon storages in the world. With wildfires burning and a warming climate, @alemugonsamo.bsky.social explains why they matter and what’s at stake.

#McMasterExperts

Read more: brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/qa-...
Fragile treasure: Q&A with expert Alemu Gonsamo on the Hudson and James Bay peatlands
Momentum is building to develop the Ring of Fire, which overlaps with one of the most important carbon storage systems in the world.
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
June 13, 2025 at 7:28 PM
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As wildfire smoke returns, should we be masking up again?

Catherine Clase explains how poor air quality affects our health and when respirators like N95s make sense.

#McMasterExperts #Wildfires

Listen here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.
www.cbc.ca
June 16, 2025 at 3:27 PM
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Civil engineering professor Lydell Wiebe joins the How’d You Learn To... podcast to talk about collaboration, community, and the role of teamwork in earthquake engineering.

"You can't engineer a building by yourself."

#McMasterExperts

🎧 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/3mK4...
How'd You Learn to Earthquake-Proof Buildings? with Dr. Lydell Wiebe
How'd You Learn To · Episode
open.spotify.com
May 23, 2025 at 8:09 PM
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A research team, led by Prof. Gerry Wright, has discovered a new drug class that could someday lead to breakthrough treatments for dangerous fungal infections.

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/res...

#McMasterExperts
Researchers discover all-new antifungal drug candidate in McMaster’s greenhouse
A research team at McMaster University has discovered a new drug class that could lead to breakthrough treatments for fungal infections.
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
August 12, 2025 at 3:36 PM
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How does extreme wealth affect our brains?

Sukhvinder Obhi, professor of social neuroscience, weighs in on how power and status may dull our neurological attunement to others.

Read more on @rollingstone.com ⬇️

www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

#McMasterExperts
What You've Suspected Is True: Billionaires Are Not Like Us
Why Elon Musk and other tech billionaires have a different perspective
www.rollingstone.com
June 16, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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New research shows how storytelling helped older adults navigate the emotional toll of the pandemic, offering connection and resilience in a stressful time.

#McMasterExperts #McMasterResearch

🔗 brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/how...
How storytelling helped seniors navigate the emotional toll of the pandemic
Researchers at McMaster University used stories to understand how older adults coped with the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic.
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
July 16, 2025 at 2:35 PM
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The job market is shifting and so is the balance of power at work.

“Companies can demand that employees come back into the office, and employees will comply,” Catherine Connelly tells @theglobeandmail.com

#McMasterExperts

🔗 www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Even as office hours ramp up, downtown foot traffic is slow to rebound
Recovery of activity in urban cities has flatlined despite stricter return-to-work mandates
www.theglobeandmail.com
July 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM
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Sean Carey has been studying the land, water and climate of the Yukon for decades.

His ties to the region and the people who live there make him one of Canada’s leading voices on northern hydrology and climate change.

#McMasterExperts #ClimateScience

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/res...
Research in the land of the midnight sun
"There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Professor Sean Carey has made the Yukon his lab since he was a grad student.
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
August 12, 2025 at 4:26 PM
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Canada’s wildfire smoke may carry more than carbon. Toxic metals like arsenic and lead are a rising concern, says Prof. Mike Waddington.

“It’s a bad-news scenario. It’s quite scary.”

Read more: grist.org/climate/cana...

@peatofmind.bsky.social #McMasterExperts #Wildfires
The smoke from Canada's wildfires may be even more toxic than usual
The country's legacy of mining means that toxic metals could be carried along plumes of smoke, endangering people in its path.
grist.org
June 6, 2025 at 12:35 PM
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Amid rising vaccine distrust and a growing family doctor crisis, Ontario is now the measles epicentre of the western hemisphere.

Prof. Dawn Bowdish in The Guardian: “It’s really hard to balance personal freedoms with public health."

#McMasterExperts

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
A massive outbreak has made Ontario the measles epicentre of the western hemisphere
Three-quarters of cases are in unvaccinated children, and this week saw the first fatality: a premature baby
www.theguardian.com
June 6, 2025 at 3:22 PM
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👑 What’s the royal connection behind the Speech from the Throne? McMaster expert and royal historian Justin Vovk talks to @judytrinh.bsky.social

#McMasterExperts #RoyalVisit #ThroneSpeech

www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...
The royal history behind the speech from the throne
What began as a 'hypothetical' invitation to His Majesty to read the speech from the throne will become a reality when King Charles III opens Canada’s 45th session of Parliament on Tuesday.
www.ctvnews.ca
May 26, 2025 at 3:49 PM
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Feeling overwhelmed by the news cycle? You're not alone.

Marisa Young, associate professor of sociology, looks at how our modern news habits are affecting mental health and what we can do about it.

#McMasterExperts #MentalHealth

📖: brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/nav...
Doomscrolling in a time of tariffs: Expert insights on the news cycle and mental health
Ways to stay informed without getting overwhelmed, when constant access to news and real-time information is taking a toll on mental health.
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
June 19, 2025 at 6:45 PM
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🧬 How did the plague persist for centuries, then fade away?

New research from McMaster and @pasteur.fr shows a single gene in Yersinia pestis shaped its evolution, virulence & eventual extinction.

#Plague #McMasterResearch #McMasterExperts

📖 Read more: brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/res...
Researchers show how the evolution of a single gene allowed the plague to adapt, survive and kill much of humanity over many centuries, only to fade out later
Scientists have documented the way a single gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, allowed it to survive hundreds of years by adjusting its virulence and the length of time...
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
May 30, 2025 at 4:52 PM
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What do baseball and religion have in common?

Plenty, says Hanna Tervanotko, an associate professor of religious studies - from ritual and community to the power of collective belief.

🔗 news.mcmaster.ca/fastballs-an...

#BlueJays #McMasterExperts #SportsFandom
Fastballs and faith: What religion and baseball have in common
When the Toronto Blue Jays clinched their spot in the World Series this week, the celebrations weren’t just about baseball. They were about belonging. Hanna Tervanotko, associate professor of Religiou...
news.mcmaster.ca
October 23, 2025 at 1:22 PM
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The Costco food court has never been a profit centre, it’s designed to get people in the store, says assistant prof. William Huggins.

But with rising food costs and economic stress, more people are going for the cheap eats and skipping the shopping.

#McMasterExperts

🔗 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
As a B.C. Costco cracks down on its food court, is there anywhere truly cheap left to eat? | CBC News
When Vancouver's downtown Costco recently posted signs announcing people will need an active membership card to purchase food from the food court, it sparked a fierce debate online about whether non-m...
www.cbc.ca
July 30, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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PFAS are making headlines again, from the Great Lakes to your closet.

Assistant professor Joseph Okeme breaks down what PFAS are, where they’re found, and why they matter for our health and environment.

#McMasterExperts

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/jos...
Understanding PFAS: Forever chemicals to be added to Canada’s toxic substances list
The federal government is taking steps to add PFAS to the list of toxic substances, a move that would empower the government to create regulations . . .
brighterworld.mcmaster.ca
July 23, 2025 at 1:28 PM
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"Perhaps someday, we will look at lying on a beach slathered with oil in the same way we look at smoking cigarettes," writes associate professor Elaine McWhirter.

#McMasterExperts
July 21, 2025 at 6:42 PM
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Short on time but want to boost your health and longevity?

In this episode of Just One Thing, Michael Mosley explores the science of HIIT with kinesiology professor Martin Gibala.

#McMasterExperts

🎧 Listen now: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley, Get Fit with HIIT
How a quick HIIT workout can burn calories, boost brainpower and help you live longer.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 14, 2025 at 2:11 PM
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Canada's housing crisis: Industry professor Steve Pomeroy looks back on how we got here and what the federal government needs to do to address it.

burlingtongazette.ca/500000-homes...

#McMasterExperts #CanadaHousing
500,000 homes per year by 2035: just how does that happen – can it happen?
By Staff June 16, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON Originally published by Logic,   Mark Carney wants to “build, baby, build” to fix Canada’s housing crisis—but supply alone can’t fix affordability. Decade…
burlingtongazette.ca
June 17, 2025 at 4:21 PM