Inside the Breakthrough - How Science Comes to Life

Give it All Away (Best of for 2025)

jeffblundell@rogers.com (SciMar) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:15:00 +0000

The discovery of insulin and building of the first Jeep. Two stories to explain why innovation and capitalism have a complicated relationship. Voted best episode from season 1.

Originally published May 3rd, 2021.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Seeing it Firsthand (Best of for 2025)

jeffblundell@rogers.com (SciMar) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 05:15:00 +0000

The story of Antarctic Explorer Roald Amundsen, and a giant squid. What do they have in common? Listen to find out. Reprised from season 1.

Originally published May 31st, 2021.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Money Matters (Best of for 2025)

jeffblundell@rogers.com (SciMar) — Thu, 6 Feb 2025 05:15:00 +0000

The Nazi scientist that powered NASA’s moonshot and the Roman emperor who built the Colosseum have more in common than you think. To find the connection, follow the money. Our most controversial episode from season 2.

Originally published January 22nd, 2022.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Ooops! That’s a Big Mistake (Best of for 2025)

jeffblundell@rogers.com (SciMar) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:15:00 +0000

A man gets a lobotomy to cure his epilepsy, and the government tries to rid India of cobras. Neither of those efforts go as planned. Dan Riskin’s favourite episode from season 2

Originally published November 29th, 2021.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Clinical Trials Gone Bad (Best of for 2025)

jeffblundell@rogers.com (SciMar) — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 05:15:00 +0000

Scurvy was a bigger threat to the Royal Navy than the French were, meanwhile the biggest threat to six men in a British hospital was their medicine! The connection explains how clinical trials are run. A landmark episode from season 2.

Originally published October 18th, 2021.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

What is Snake Oil? (Best of for 2025)

jeffblundell@rogers.com (SciMar) — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 05:15:00 +0000

What is really in ‘snake oil’ and why did an innocent man go to prison for murder. What’s the connection? Listen to find out. This is one of our favourite episodes from season 1.

Originally published April 5th, 2021.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Spreading the News

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin, Gregory Brown) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 05:05:00 +0000

Science communication has impacted our lives more than we ever thought it would. Getting complicated scientific and medical information out to a large number of people is crucial to our public health. And it is not easy.

We will look at how stories can help spread and preserve information. We start with the oldest true story ever told and ask why and how it stood the test of time.

Then we will listen to the most talked about radio play of all time: War of the Worlds. The lessons we can learn from that experience have so many layers, even if you think you know the story, you probably don’t.

Then we will talk to Gregory Brown, the host of ASAP Science.

He will explain what he thinks makes a great science story and how we can combat the global pandemic of misinformation and ‘science-phobia.’

These science stories from history help shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone hepatalin and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are living with type 2 diabetes. www.SciMar.ca

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Guinea Pigs

jeffblundell@rogers.com (dan riskin, dr wayne lautt) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 05:05:00 +0000

Let’s talk about the use of animals in medical research. It’s not a subject that people are very comfortable discussing, but we are going to do it anyway.

We will start with an incredible story of a fire in Bar Harbor Maine that impacted the health of people all over the world for years, even though they never even knew about it.

Then we will ask the question ‘what really causes Ulcers, and how did researchers figure that out?’

Dr Wayne Lautt has used animals in his experiments for years. But his approach to it is very different from the mainstream view.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Follow the Money

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin, Rachelle Bruton, Rachael Maxwell) — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 05:05:00 +0000

The relationship between researchers and funders is complicated.

Some people think that researchers should be left to their own direction and that all financial support should be ‘no-strings attached.’ But is that possible? Is it desirable?

We look at how the Roman Colosseum was funded, and ask ‘what impact did that have on its design and its use?’

Then we turn our attention to NASA --- is the space agency funded by the military? Should it be? And how has its unique funding arrangement impacted what it does?

Finally we’ll confront the thorny question of ‘how much influence should funding agencies have over research?’

We will speak with Rachelle Bruton, the Director of the National Programs Office at the National Research Council of Canada, and Rachael Maxwell, the Executive Director of Evidence for Democracy.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Old Meets New

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin, Jennefer Nepinak) — Mon, 3 Jan 2022 05:05:00 +0000

The Amish community in Pennsylvania is heavily impacted by genetic diseases. You might think that their resistance to modern technology would make it difficult to treat these conditions. But actually their philosophies around family and community make it easier to manage these diseases.

John Franklin’s ships were lost to the world for more than a century and a half. They were only discovered by a team of people that combined modern search tools with historical knowledge.

We talk with Jennefer Nepinak about the concept of ‘two-eyed seeing.” Through this approach we consider new ways of dealing with mental health, and diabetes.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Too Much or Too Little?

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin, Dr Jason Fung) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 05:05:00 +0000

We often complain about having too little of something: Too little time, too little money. But today in first world countries a lot of our problems come from having too much of something: Too much sugar, too much technology.

We point this lens at a pair of historical stories to better understand if tragedies and hardships of the past were really the result of having ‘too little’ of something, or if we need to use a different perspective.

We talk with Dr Jason Fung about his views on fasting and whether we eat too much, too little, or just too often!

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Unintended Consequences

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dr Seema Nagpal, Dan Riskin) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 05:05:00 +0000

We’ve all heard the saying about “the best laid plans….” but there is a caveat to that. Not all unexpected consequences are bad. Sometimes something really amazing occurs unexpectedly.

This episode tells the story of Henry Molaison, better known as Patient HM, or “the most important brain in the history of neuroscience.” Henry didn’t set out to be a guiding light for the world of neuroanatomy. He just wanted a cure for his epilepsy. But what happened to him and the impact he had on the world is a story that needs to be told.

We will also hunt for cobras in India, and try to explain why that plan backfired.

Dr Seema Nagpal from Diabetes Canada will join us to explain the often unseen impact diabetes has on people, and to offer some thought on what the consequences of a cure might be.

www.SciMar.ca

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Double Blind

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dallas Legare, Dan Riskin) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 05:05:00 +0000

Join us for a wild ride through Vienna and Paris. We will hang out with Mozart, Marie Antoinette, and the incredible Dr Mesmer. We will drink cocktails and stay up way too late. All in an effort to answer the question: Is it possible that being blinded could help you see new things?

I’m not talking about literal blindness here, I mean when you intentionally deny yourself some key piece of information.

If you are hiring someone and are conducting interviews, would you make better decisions if the candidates were sitting behind a screen? Is a psychological study less valid if the participants already know what aspect of their behaviour you are measuring? And are there situations when the subjects and the experimenters have to be blinded?

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Tools for Testing

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dr Wayne Lautt, Dan Riskin) — Mon, 1 Nov 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Sometimes great discoveries have to wait for the creation of the perfect tool.

What is the best screw ever invented? If you said the Phillips, you are wrong. The Phillips is the most popular screw type, but not the best. The standard slot screw is also very popular, but it isn’t the best either. The best screw type ever invented is the Robertson, and the story behind why it never became the biggest selling screw in the world is one you have to hear.

What is the difference between Latitude and Longitude? Why is one of them so easy to determine and the other virtually impossible? Well, it was impossible until they had the right tool. We will explain how a clock with a grasshopper inside made sailing the seven seas much safer.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

The Trouble With Trials

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin, Krista Coventry) — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Ten years ago, in a hospital in London England a drug company conducted a clinical trial. That trial went horribly wrong. The lessons learned from that event have informed every pharmaceutical trial since then. We will hear from one of the men who took that experimental drug.

We will also look to history -- and uncover the origin of the first ever clinical trial. It was conducted on a sailing ship in the middle of the ocean. The lessons learned from that experiment saved thousands of lives over the next century.

And lastly we will look at what SciMar is currently testing and consider the long ranging impact those trials might have.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

What's in a Name?

jeffblundell@rogers.com (John West, Dan Riskin) — Mon, 4 Oct 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Kick back and enjoy a cold Corona beer as we tell stories about the importance of names. From cameras to resumes to hormones, names matter.

George Eastman decided to name his company Kodak after playing a game of Anagrams with his mother. But the choice wasn’t an accident. It was a deliberately constructed name with a very clear intent.

Similarly the brewers of Corona beer didn’t pull that name from the top of their head, They had a very clear idea of who they were speaking to when they wrote that on the label. But did the outbreak of Coronavirus undo all that brand building?

And what would you name a newly discovered hormone that comes from the liver and is crucial for fighting type 2 diabetes? The people at SciMar decided on ‘hepatalin.’ And we will tell you why.

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Introducing Season 2

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Dan Riskin invites you to listen to season 2 of Inside the Breakthrough - How Science Comes to Life. This innovative series combines stories of the distant past with modern updates to get a better understanding of how science works.

In season two we will explore the connections behind naming a new hormone, ridding a city of snakes, and battling Napoleon on the high seas.

Along the way we will learn how a professor at Stanford turned mild mannered young men into cruel vicious prison guards, and how the Irish Potato Famine really had nothing to do with potatoes.

We will ask questions such as: “Did we learn the wrong lesson from the sinking of the Titanic?” “Who pays for NASA’s rockets?” and “What can you learn from a man with no memory?” It’s a fun filled ride that also checks in with George Eastman, Dr James Lind, Marie Antoinette, Henry Ford, and some Australian guy that intentionally gave himself an ulcer.

The host Dan Riskin comes from Discovery Channel where he hosted the science news show “Daily Planet,” and wrote the book, “Mother Nature is Trying to Kill You.”

The show is produced by SciMar, a research group exploring a paradigm shift in the way we treat Type 2 Diabetes. www.SciMar.ca

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Bonus Episode – How We Got Here

Wed, 1 Sep 2021 15:55:00 +0000

SciMar does more than produce a podcast. They are a real medical research company doing really amazing work in the field of type 2 diabetes. This episode tells the story of how they got here. ‘Here’ being: on the verge of a transformational breakthrough in metabolic health. It starts with a Eureka moment in a lab… travels to a biological science conference in Minnesota… and then spends a quiet week relaxing beside the lake in Jasper, Alberta. How does all that lead to a breakthrough in the way we diagnose and treat type 2 diabetes, AND an award-winning podcast? This is their story.

www.scimar.ca

Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Seeing It With Your Own Eyes

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin, Dr Victoria Sid, Dr Wayne Lautt) — Mon, 31 May 2021 04:05:00 +0000

We made it! This is the final episode in season one… and it is a huge day for the medical research group SciMar. Some scientific discoveries are exciting because they reveal something that was previously unknown. But a lot of ‘discoveries’ are actually visual confirmation of a proven fact. Roald Amundsen already knew the South Pole was in the middle of Antarctica. He already knew it was covered in ice and would be very, very cold. But he still risked his life to go see it. Oceanographers already knew that colossal squids were prowling the dark recesses of the seas, but it was still a landmark day when one was captured alive. And for SciMar, they already knew that the HISS hormone could make people more insulin sensitive and healthier, but the day they can demonstrate conclusively that it does what they always believed it could do will still be one for the ages. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on type 2 diabetes. Specifically we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - hepatic insulin-sensitizing substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.caLearn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Going Back to Square One

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 17 May 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Starting a story at the beginning makes sense… but what if there is a mistake in that first sentence? Does it invalidate the rest of the story? What if your experiment is based on an assumption that later turns out to be false? And how can you protect your tower of discoveries from tumbling down? We start with an unbelievable story about New York City being buried in horse manure, and discover the solution is in Detroit. Then we witness how British doctors thought they had solved polio, but actually hadn’t. Finally Dr Wayne Lautt explains Looping Theory… and how that can mistake proof your experimental results. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Why Giving It All Away Doesn’t Always Work

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 3 May 2021 04:05:00 +0000

You’ve probably heard that Banting and Best gave away the patent for Insulin for one dollar. But why did they do that? And did it achieve what they wanted? We often associate being successful with being profitable. And for a lot of enterprises that is true. But what if your goal is to win the second world war, and you do, but you go bankrupt in the process… is that a ‘success?’ What if your goal is to save a lot of people’s lives, and the only way to do that is to also make a lot of money? Does that sound like a contradiction? The truth is the relationship between ‘social good,’ and ‘good business’ is messy. We dig deep into this idea of morality, profits and what it really means to ‘do the right thing.’ These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Generations: What Newton taught Einstein

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 04:05:00 +0000

How many astronomers does it take to discover a planet that doesn’t exist? The Answer: Generations. Depending on where you live, (and a thousand other variables) your life expectancy is probably between 75 and 85 years. Even at the high end, that’s not enough to solve all the world’s problems. That’s why most big questions can only be answered by multiple generations. We follow the story of a Roman temple that became an British Castle, and then an English jail. Then we follow the story of Neptune and Vulcan… two planets that were discovered by a dozen people over the course of two hundred years. Dr Wayne Lautt joins the show to share who his mentors and heroes are. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

When Snake Oil Enters the Courtroom

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 5 Apr 2021 04:05:00 +0000

What do you think of when you hear the term Snake Oil? Do you think of miracle vitamins with outlandish claims? Do you think of sneaky sales people trying to separate you from your money? Or do you think of actual snakes? The truth is, those are all true. Snake Oil is a complicated concept that includes shiffy profiteers, and an audience that is, if not ‘gullible,’ at least ‘susceptible.’ Joseph Sledge spent three decades in prison because of bad forensics, and when you learn how it played out in the courtroom… you’ll see that what he really fell victim to, was “Snake Oil.” The best defence against snake oil is science. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Diversity, Leaded Gasoline, and Carjacking

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 04:05:00 +0000

The answers to life’s biggest questions will vary widely based on one simple variable: who you ask. If you do an experiment on men, you might get a different result than when you do it on women. Rich, poor, black, white, young, old… people are diverse and you learn more when you ask your questions of a diverse audience. Joseph Henrich figured out that a lot of experiments were being done on a very homogeneous group of people… he calls those people “WEIRD.” You’ll have to listen to find out why. Something else you might learn if you study a diverse group is that leaded gasoline leads to violent crime. There are a lot of steps in between those two ideas so buckle in for that ride. And lastly Dr Lautt of SciMar explains why so many researchers only use men as test subjects, and what the consequence of that is. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Why Unpopular Science is Good Science

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 8 Mar 2021 05:05:00 +0000

When someone tells you “that is a stupid idea,” how do you react? Do you reconsider your position? Do you dig your heels in and get defensive? Do you quit, or work harder? Being unpopular is a regular state of affairs for scientists. The nature of the work requires you to disrupt paradigms and make people uncomfortable. How a scientist reacts to that criticism is crucial to their success. Galileo got told he was wrong by the Pope himself. Seriously, the entire Catholic Church told him his idea that the Earth went around the Sun was flawed. But he stood his ground, and ended up in jail. Ignaz Semmelweis had a simpler idea -- that doctors should wash their hands. But that idea was met with opposition as well. He stood his ground and ended up in an asylum. Dr Wayne Lautt of SciMar has spent 30 years being told his ideas are unfounded. How should he react? What are the consequences of pushing back? These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Ross Geller and Marie Curie are Outsiders

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 05:05:00 +0000

The TV show Friends was king of primetime for a decade and while all six characters were ‘friends’ one of them was not like the others: Ross. We look at why he was such a poor fit with this group and what that means for real life scientists. Marie Curie studied at the Sorbonne. She discovered Polonium and Radium. Eventually she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. All that makes her a unique character. We go to Poland to discover what else made her an outsider. Host Dan Riskin confronts his own reality as an Outsider while also drawing comfort from the realization that that distinction puts him in some esteemed company. And we visit with Dr Wayne Lautt from SciMar. He is disrupting a paradigm, changing the way we think about type 2 diabetes. Specifically, he is looking at the liver and hormone that comes from there, as something that can improve our sensitivity to insulin. www.SciMar.caLearn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

How Bad Timing Killed the Electric Car

jeffblundell@rogers.com (Dan Riskin) — Mon, 8 Feb 2021 05:05:00 +0000

There was a time that the battle between Electric, Gasoline, and Steam powered cars was a dead heat. So why did gas win? Was it price? Or power? Speed, noise, marketing, or political influence? Or was it just Bad Timing? Reader’s Digest magazine told us about the invention of the LED 60 years ago. But those tiny lights that make your phone screen so clear didn’t transition immediately into everyday use. They have a long and muddled history. This story brings together Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Charles Kettering, Nick Holonyak, and Dan Riskin’s Great Aunt Marney. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.caLearn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

Eureka! Before and After

jeffblundell@rogers.com (dan riskin, wayne lautt) — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 05:05:00 +0000

When we tell science stories they usually have a long complicated build up, and finish with someone yelling Eureka. But is Eureka really the end? What if we look at it as the beginning? Or the middle? In this first episode, we meet Archimedes - a brilliant scientist from ancient Greece that is credited with the first use of the word “Eureka!” And we also travel to England for the story of Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin. Lastly we meet Dr Wayne Lautt and hear about his Eureka moment. The series is hosted by Dan Riskin. He is formerly the host of Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and also a contributor to The Nature of Things on CBC. Dan is also a highly regarded scientist in his own right. These science stories from history help shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/