Weekly Quiz: Microbes, Maternity Leave, and Machine-Made Law

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const title = "Weekly Quiz: Microbes, Maternity Leave, and Machine-Made Law"; const date = "January 24, 2026"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_Microbiome_JAN26-1536x1024.jpg", title: "What Do Microbes Have to Do with How We Age? Everything, Actually", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/what-do-microbes-have-to-do-with-how-we-age-everything-actually/", question: "Scientists studying sleep and aging have become increasingly interested in the gut microbiome. Some of the strongest evidence that the microbiome can enhance sleep comes from research centred around people with which chronic condition?", options: [ "Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)", "Addison’s disease", "Celiac disease", "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)", ], answer: "Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)", correct: "Perhaps the strongest proof that the microbiome is associated with improved sleep comes from fecal material transfer (FMT) experiments done on people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is well established that an altered dysbiotic gut microbiome is associated with IBS. Sleep disturbances and changes in sleep patterns are also associated with IBS. In human FMT studies where healthy feces were transferred into IBS patients, improvements were seen in sleep (in addition to depression and anxiety). Related studies have put human feces into germ-free animals with similar results. Collectively, this work suggests that the microbiome can have direct effects on sleep. ", incorrect: "Perhaps the strongest proof that the microbiome is associated with improved sleep comes from fecal material transfer (FMT) experiments done on people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is well established that an altered dysbiotic gut microbiome is associated with IBS. Sleep disturbances and changes in sleep patterns are also associated with IBS. In human FMT studies where healthy feces were transferred into IBS patients, improvements were seen in sleep (in addition to depression and anxiety). Related studies have put human feces into germ-free animals with similar results. Collectively, this work suggests that the microbiome can have direct effects on sleep. ", }, { title: "Face It, One More Pipeline Won’t Save Us from Trump", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/one-more-pipeline-wont-save-us-from-trump/", question: "Canada’s Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline is often cited as proof that pipelines can help diversify the country’s oil markets, but even this relatively successful project came at a high price. Approximately how much did TMX cost to build?", options: [ "$14 billion", "$20 billion", "$34 billion", "$50 billion", ], answer: "$34 billion", correct: "Sure, TMX is making money now, and was arguably a good investment. But it cost $34 billion, and that was along a pre-established route, twinning an existing pipeline. By contrast, any new pipeline to the north coast would have to break new ground across some of the most difficult terrain in Canada—several mountain ranges and densely forested watersheds where almost no roads or railways currently exist. That price tag would be astronomically higher than that of TMX. It’s the kind of investment that would take years to build and decades to pay off, assuming global oil demand and prices stay high. That’s no less a gamble than Venezuelan stability.", incorrect: "Sure, TMX is making money now, and was arguably a good investment. But it cost $34 billion, and that was along a pre-established route, twinning an existing pipeline. By contrast, any new pipeline to the north coast would have to break new ground across some of the most difficult terrain in Canada—several mountain ranges and densely forested watersheds where almost no roads or railways currently exist. That price tag would be astronomically higher than that of TMX. It’s the kind of investment that would take years to build and decades to pay off, assuming global oil demand and prices stay high. That’s no less a gamble than Venezuelan stability.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_FiredWhilePregnant_JAN26-1536x1024.jpg", title: "Yes, You Can Be Fired While on Maternity Leave", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/fired-on-maternity-leave/", question: "Many employees assume firing someone during pregnancy or parental leave is illegal, but the reality is more complicated. When an employer terminates a pregnant person “without cause”—a common loophole used to avoid overt discrimination claims—which two human rights statutes typically determine whether the termination violates Canadian law?", options: [ "The Canada Labour Code and the Employment Insurance Act", "The Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial human rights legislation", "The Criminal Code and provincial employment standards legislation", "The Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Pay Equity Act", ], answer: "The Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial human rights legislation", correct: "An employee can be terminated on a without-cause basis under both common law and the statutes. There are two human rights statutes that can apply: the Canadian Human Rights Act and the specific provincial human rights legislation, which, in Ontario, is the Ontario Human Rights Code. In employment, which one applies depends on whether the employee is federally or provincially regulated. Lawyer Aaron Zaltzman explains that, in Canada, it is not inherently illegal to terminate an employee who is pregnant or on parental or maternity leave, so long as that termination is unrelated to the pregnancy or to the leave itself. “You can already see where the law is falling short,” Zaltzman says. “Because no employer in their right mind is going to come out and admit a connection between an employee’s leave and their termination.”", incorrect: "An employee can be terminated on a without-cause basis under both common law and the statutes. There are two human rights statutes that can apply: the Canadian Human Rights Act and the specific provincial human rights legislation, which, in Ontario, is the Ontario Human Rights Code. In employment, which one applies depends on whether the employee is federally or provincially regulated. Lawyer Aaron Zaltzman explains that, in Canada, it is not inherently illegal to terminate an employee who is pregnant or on parental or maternity leave, so long as that termination is unrelated to the pregnancy or to the leave itself. “You can already see where the law is falling short,” Zaltzman says. “Because no employer in their right mind is going to come out and admit a connection between an employee’s leave and their termination.”", }, { title: "When Evidence Can Be Deepfaked, How Do Courts Decide What’s Real?", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/when-evidence-can-be-deepfaked-how-do-courts-decide-whats-real/", question: "As legal fees climb, more Canadians are turning to tools, like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, to represent themselves in court, often while facing lawyers who are using even more sophisticated artificial intelligence. Approximately how many generative AI tools have been identified in the “legaltech” field?", options: [ "Fewer than 100", "About 250", "About 450", "More than 600", ], answer: "More than 600", correct: "An inventory compiled in June of 2025 found 638 generative AI tools available in the “legaltech” field, for uses such as trawling through legal databases, reviewing contracts, searching for patents, and drafting documents. Companies are developing specialized artificial intelligence tools for the use of big firms, who can pay for the most advanced tech. For a self-represented litigant, ChatGPT may be better than nothing, but it’s the kiddie-pool version of the paid products available to a well-resourced lawyer on the opposing side.", incorrect: "An inventory compiled in June of 2025 found 638 generative AI tools available in the “legaltech” field, for uses such as trawling through legal databases, reviewing contracts, searching for patents, and drafting documents. Companies are developing specialized artificial intelligence tools for the use of big firms, who can pay for the most advanced tech. For a self-represented litigant, ChatGPT may be better than nothing, but it’s the kiddie-pool version of the paid products available to a well-resourced lawyer on the opposing side.", }, ];