Humming away in the Rutherford Physics building, a long cold walk from Stewart Bio, is a computer that can predict one of the fundamental processes in biology: how vertebrae form. Paul François, associate professor in the department of physics, and associate member of the department of biology, is one researcher[Read More…]
Articles by Leigh Miller
This Week in Research
Vitamin D and cancer Vitamin D is correlated with many health benefits, including lower cancer risk; but until now, the link has always been unclear. McGill researchers have uncovered a piece of the puzzle, explaining how the vitamin may help to prevent cancer. In a recent study published in[Read More…]
Weekly Crossword
The answers are available here!
Trottier Symposium serves up science to curious public
Last week, the McGill Office of Science and Society hosted the Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium, a lecture series that brings science to the public. Food: A Serving of Science featured four lectures on the science of diet and nutrition. The panelists explored topics ranging from fad diets to the[Read More…]
Naturopathic medicine: health care boon or bane?
Last week, SUS hosted its annual Graduate and Professional Schools Fair. Some students were surprised to see the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine listed next to the McGill University Department of Human Genetics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.[Read More…]
This Week in Research
HIV Vaccine Researchers at the University of Western Ontario and Sumagen Canada are one step closer to creating a marketable HIV vaccine. Last week, Dr. Chil-Yong Kang successfully completed the first phase of human clinical trials. The vaccine SAV001-H, is a genetically modified, killed whole-virus vaccine. First, the virus is[Read More…]
Open Access offers antidote to overpriced journals
To students leaving the academic world, the cost of information may come as a shock. Without access to the extensive collections of the McGill library, journal articles cost around 30 dollars per view. The library pays thousands of dollars per journal subscription. In 2011, McGill paid $12,224,900 for journals and[Read More…]
This week in research
Flightless Birds Flightless birds are an evolutionary puzzle. The most befuddling aspect of these seemingly-related animals is their dispersion across far corners of the earth, because, well, they’re flightless. Two opposing ideas seek to explain the far-reaching origins of these birds. In one, Charles Darwin suggested that a common ancestor[Read More…]
Christie Rowe: earthquake hunter
Christie Rowe is an earthquake hunter. The Wares Faculty Scholar and assistant professor of earth and planetary science at McGill travels the world studying fossilized earthquakes— earthquakes that occur deep in the earth’s crust, but eventually leave a visible record in rock that has risen to the surface because of[Read More…]
Crossword Solution
FEATURE: Free Education Goes Online
Many McGill students see recorded lectures as an invitation to take courses from the comfort of their sweatpants and couch. While many students just don’t want to get out of bed, professors at Stanford and educational researchers are thinking bigger: why not offer a course that can be taken from[Read More…]
Open source urban planning
Last Saturday, over 100 hackers gathered in the Shatner Ballroom for Hack Ta Ville. They were drawn by the chance to comb through freshly released data—everything from the location and age of Montreal trees to the legal parking times in spots all over the city—to use as building blocks for[Read More…]
SciTech Weekly Calendar
Stones and Beer Bike Tour Fossil, rock, and architecture bike tour with beer and snacks included. Sunday, September 16th from 16:00 to 20:00. Meet at the Redpath Museum. Admission is $15 for students, call 514-398-4094 to reserve a spot. TranspoCamp Montreal Transportation-focused hack-a-thon. Friday, September 21st from 8:30 to 17:00[Read More…]
Upcoming Fall 2012 Science Events
If you could eat science and technology, fall at McGill would be one big free lunch. Here are some upcoming events on and off campus. Check out the Tribune website for more SciTech events throughout the year! DOWNTOWN CAMPUS Soup and Science — come for the soup, stay for the[Read More…]
A guide to cell phone plans in Montreal
Purchasing a cell phone plan in Montreal can be a complicated undertaking. Browsing through the many contracts offered by over half a dozen companies (some of which are actually the same company) is enough to make any student swear off phones and opt for email and Skype. Before resorting to[Read More…]
Why invasive species matter
In a study published last month, a team of South African scientists found that invasive species are thriving in Antarctica. The finding is yet another that points to the growing impact of invasive species. Last week, the Tribune sat down with Anthony Ricciardi, associate professor of invasive species biology at[Read More…]
Why invasive species matter
galvbayinvasives.org In a study published last month, a team of South African scientists found that invasive species are thriving in Antarctica. The finding is yet another that points to the growing impact of invasive species. Last week, the Tribune sat down with Anthony Ricciardi, associate professor of invasive species biology[Read More…]
Jet stream and snowless ground bring summer weather
Last week, as unusually hot temperatures hit Montreal, McGill students flocked to green spaces all over campus, trading winter coats for shorts and tank tops. The peak of the hot spell hit on March 21, with the temperature reaching 25.8 C degrees, according to Environment Canada. Wednesday’s high exceeded the[Read More…]
Jet stream and snowless ground bring summer weather
Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune Last week, as unusually hot temperatures hit Montreal, McGill students flocked to green spaces all over campus, trading winter coats for shorts and tank tops. The peak of the hot spell hit on March 21, with the temperature reaching 25.8 C degrees, according to Environment[Read More…]
Life Sciences Complex awarded LEED gold certification
ecohouseplan.com Last month, the McGill University Life Sciences Complex was awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)gold certification. The Life Sciences Complex is composed of two brand new buildings, the Francesco Bellini Life Sciences Building and the Cancer Research Building, in addition to the existing McIntyre Medical[Read More…]
St. Lawrence river may hold clues to the ocean’s future
A paper that was first drafted in a bar in Mont-Joli has been recognized by Quebec Science Magazine as one of the top 10 discoveries in 2011. The paper, written by McGill earth and planetary science professor Alfonso Mucci, is the result of a study on water quality in the[Read More…]