Human activity has degraded or destroyed many ecosystems; an estimated 75 per cent of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered by human activity. This degradation contributes to climate change, reduces water quality, degrades soils, and disrupts pollination patterns. Restoration of degraded ecosystems may serve as a solution to[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week at McGill
Every year, from Nov. 18 to Nov. 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) observes World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), recognizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the greatest modern threats to global development and public health. AMR was responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 alone. McGill’s own[Read More…]
Immortal time bias: A source for inaccuracies in cancer prevention research
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and as such, cancer treatment and prevention research has been a large focus of medical professionals worldwide. Over the past few decades, several studies have proposed that metformin—a medication widely used for type II diabetes management—is a potential preventative measure for[Read More…]
What is the best way to track ammonia pollution?
Ammonia (NH₃) is an essential component of agricultural fertilizers, but can become an environmental pollutant. Roughly half of all nitrogen used in the agricultural industry escapes into the environment; 56 per cent ends up in water bodies and 44 per cent is released into the air, mostly as NH₃. The[Read More…]
Freedom space: A new blueprint for river resilience
For decades, river management in Quebec has focused almost exclusively on water. However, rivers do not just carry water; they also transport sediments, and ignoring this may explain why current river management practices fall short. At last week’s GeoSpectives seminar—an annual seminar series hosted by McGill’s Department of Geography—Concordia University[Read More…]
Advances and challenges in viral diseases and their emerging therapies
The global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic served as a wake-up call to the world’s lack of resilience and infrastructure to guard communities from viral pathogens. This, in turn, has driven a global focus on viral pathogenesis, fostering collaboration and innovation. It also triggered a landmark coordination effort in[Read More…]
The effects of tobacco and cannabis use during pregnancy
Around 70 per cent of people who use cannabis have been found to use nicotine and tobacco products (NTP) as well. This trend is similarly observed among pregnant people. While both NTP and cannabis use during pregnancy have individually been shown to negatively impact pregnancy outcomes—such as preterm birth for[Read More…]
How dominant genomic narratives reinforce colonial narratives
The ‘Vanishing Indian’ myth—the idea that Indigenous populations are destined to disappear— has long been used to excuse and enact the physical and cultural genocide of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas. This rhetoric remains prevalent in modern genomics, often supporting the treatment of modern Indigenous Peoples not as autonomous communities,[Read More…]
How aspects of body image may predict self-injury in university students
Content warning: Self-injury Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) remains an urgent and often overlooked mental health concern, and one that demands greater attention from universities worldwide. As many as 44 per cent of those who engage in NSSI in adolescence continue to do so when they start university, and eight per cent[Read More…]
The cooling power of wetlands: Climate benefits in Canada’s prairies
Amid rising global temperatures and intensifying heatwaves, wetlands are among Earth’s essential natural defences. However, Canada’s Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) ecosystems are under threat from decades of drainage and agricultural expansion that have turned much of the landscape into cropland. This shift reduces their capacity to store carbon and regulate[Read More…]