Jarry developed an early interest in several paranormal topics such as ghosts and vampires as well as cryptozoology, but progressively abandoned those beliefs while studying biochemistry in university.[1]
His work as a health researcher included muscular dystrophy research, low-vision rehabilitation and molecular diagnostic testing. His interest for forensic biology led him to work for a time at identifying the remains of American soldiers through mitochondrial DNA.[1][3][2][4]
From 2015 to December 2024, Jarry has been co-hosting the Body of Evidence podcast with cardiologistChristopher Labos, examining various health claims (such as vitamins curing cancer) through scientific lens.[14][15] The podcast, which uses humour to present discussions on medical issues between Jarry and Labos (and sometimes guests), won the Canada’s Favourite Blog for 2017 award from Science Borealis.[16][17] He also hosted the podcast Within Reason from 2013 to 2015.[18] On similar topics, Jarry previously wrote the Cracked Science blog for its two-year run.[19]
Jarry's science education work was prominently featured by numerous media outlets in North America and Europe in July 2018, when a video he produced for the Office of Science and Society went viral, reaching 10 million views and was shared 130,000 times in two weeks. The 2-minute video titled "This NATURAL TRICK can CURE YOUR CANCER" adopted the tone and visual appearance of those promoting fake cures commonly seen on the Internet, claiming one Johan R. Tarjany (an anagram of Jarry's name) discovered a moss derivative that cures cancer, before revealing the information as false and inviting the watcher to think critically about health information. The video gained widespread attention and news coverage when relayed by people with a large online presence such as David Gorski, Susan Gerbic, Kavin Senapathy and comedian Scott Rogowsky.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
1 2 Hill, Adrienne; Saunders, Richard (5 March 2023). "The Skeptic Zone #752 - 5.March.2023". The Skeptic Zone (Podcast). Event occurs at 15:15. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
↑ Marriott, Hannah (4 January 2023). "Saunas — so hot right now". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
