Chronic pain is not unique to adults; it affects millions of children and teenagers worldwide. In fact, about one in four children will experience a period of chronic pain—pain which lasts three months or more—at least once in their lives. This often-invisible burden can interfere with school, friendships, physical activity,[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
Back to the roots: Investigating how soil influences root traits
Plant roots may be out of sight, but they are not out of mind for McGill researchers. While it is known that fine roots—those less than two mm in diametre—possess highly variable physiological and morphological properties, the reasons behind this variation remain unknown. Caroline Dallstream, a PhD student in McGill’s[Read More…]
Concealed identity: How social science research overlooks multiracial participants
For many multiracial individuals, answering a seemingly simple question—“What is your race?”—can be anything but straightforward. Demographic forms, surveys, and research questionnaires often present a narrow list of options. These limited categories, often shaped by researchers’ own biases, can lead to results that may not fully encompass one’s true racial[Read More…]
Rethinking environmental risk assessment for Indigenous communities
Across Canada, Indigenous communities are grappling with a severe environmental crisis. Approximately 4,500 sites on reserve lands are listed as contaminated in the Canadian Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory, representing 29 per cent of all such sites nationwide. This disproportionate concentration of contaminated sites has resulted in significantly higher exposure to[Read More…]
Neurostructural correlates of obesity: Evidence for brain-body interactions
A recent study led by Filip Morys, a Research Associate at The Neuro in Montreal under the supervision of Dr. Alain Dagher, explores the bidirectional relationship between obesity and brain function. The findings reveal that weight gain can be both a cause and a consequence of changes in the brain.[Read More…]
Patient perspectives on services provided by a deradicalization clinic
As social polarization increases around the globe, attitudes that justify the use of violence grow alongside it. Deradicalizing both potential and convicted offenders of violent extremism—violence motivated by ideological, political, or religious agendas—thereby continues to be important for preventing the perpetuation of hate. In a recent study, Cécile Rousseau, professor[Read More…]
Hormone therapy: A new way to treat Alzheimer’s, or more harm than good?
Menopause is often associated with sleep disturbances, hot flashes, and mood swings—but could it also play a role in brain health? While most people do not immediately link menopause with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—a brain condition that results from the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain—research suggests that[Read More…]
Dementia and disparities: The sex differences in healthcare use
Healthcare inequities—avoidable differences in health across population subgroups—are ubiquitous in Canada. Even though women are more affected by dementia—a group of age-related diseases characterized by memory decline—than men, current dementia policies often do not consider sex-based differences. Dementia is a major public health issue, with the number of cases projected[Read More…]
Less is more: How efficient crop water use promotes environmental sustainability
Freshwater plays a pivotal role in global food production, with over 70 per cent of available freshwater supplies used in agriculture for pumped irrigation and rainwater harvesting. While the water cycle ensures freshwater regeneration through a continuous movement of water between the surface and atmosphere, our current usage of freshwater[Read More…]
Do we really choose our groceries, or does habit choose for us?
How do we decide what to buy when we go grocery shopping? Why do we purchase the same items time and time again? Do we really choose our groceries, or do we pick what we buy based on habit alone? Hiroshi Mamiya, a professor in McGill’s Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics,[Read More…]
