Yam (vegetable) Yam (vegetable) Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus "Dioscorea" (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers. Yams are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical world regions. The tubers themselves are also called "yams", having numerous cultivars and related species. In parts of the United States and Canada, "yam" is sometimes used to refer to varieties of the unrelated sweet potato ("Ipomoea batatas"). The name, yam, appears to derive from Portuguese "inhame" or Canarian (Spain) "ñame", which derived from West African languages during trade. The main
Desiree Schell campaign encouraging students to submit a 60-second video with a science theme. Desiree Schell Desiree Schell is the host of the live Canadian call-in radio talk show and podcast "Science for the People". An advocate for scientific skepticism, Schell is a strong advocate of critical thinking and is strongly interested in the promotion of skepticism publicly. In her work as a labour organizer, Schell creates curricula and teaches courses on effective activism, drawing on the experience of other social movements. Desiree has also blogged for The Paltry Sapien. In 2011 Schell was a featured speaker at The Amazing Meeting and