The top 5 expert comment stories of 2017

From weighing in on contentious issues to countering "alternative facts," UAlberta experts had a lot to say this year.

1. Our dangerous national trail is nothing to celebrate

After cycling 12,500 kilometres from Victoria to Charlottetown, political scientist Edmund Aunger urged the Canadian government to set safety standards for what he called "a dangerous motorway."

2. Edmonton Eskimos is a racial slur and it's time to stop using it

While the CFL team's fans were hoping for a Grey Cup appearance this year, Inuit author Norma Dunning explained why she had a different hope.

3. 7 ways to soothe your child's pain in the hospital

ER doctor Samina Ali's straightforward advice was a blessing for parents anxious to ease their kids' suffering during a hospital visit.

4. Addressing 'alternative facts' about Lyme disease

Infectious disease experts Stan Houston and Lynora Saxinger put the lie to Lyme disease misinformation, asserting that the tick-borne illness is overdiagnosed in labs and overexposed in the media.

5. The real facts about the social studies curriculum-revision process

Education professors Carla Peck and Lindsay Gibson provided insider perspective to set the record straight on three egregious myths about Alberta's social studies curriculum overhaul.