Latest News

Arts & Entertainment, Music

‘Lost in Bloom’ chronicles The Neighbourhood Watch’s coming-of-age

by Noma Mirny on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

On the morning of Jan. 31, a group of guys in grey beanies gathered around a computer screen from the comfort of their own homes, drinking coffee, adjusting their headphones, and cheerily chatting away. Meet The Neighbourhood Watch, a Toronto-based band consisting of pianist Tyler Moretti, drummer Wyeth Robertson, and brothers guitarist Ethan and vocalist Tristan Surman, U3 Arts. Their excitement was palpable. On Feb. 4, their latest album Lost in Bloom—a two-year writing endeavour—was released.

The band, which has now amassed 75,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and is featured on the “Indie All Stars” playlist alongside the likes of Tame Impala and Glass Animals, started as an accident in a basement. All of the band members attended the same Toronto high school, and, through a set of mutual connections, formed The Neighbourhood Watch. Luckily, attending the same arts school exposed them to an assortment of different musical styles.

“We [were] surrounded by a bunch of musicians all the time [and] there was just a unique style that funneled through that school,” Moretti said. “We were always surrounded by a very […] diverse set of music tastes [that were] very simple but artistic in a lyrical sense.” 

In their creative classrooms, the future musicians were equipped with the artistic storytelling tools they needed to compose engaging musical pieces.

“Wyeth, Ethan, and I, we were all studying film there and Tyler studied drama [….] We were [all] coming from backgrounds where we were [essentially studying] how to tell stories. [And] I think that that’s always been one of the things that I like most about our music, is that you could kind of say that it’s cinematic […] and I think that our studying of film [was] kind of an impetus for that,” Tristan Surman said.

Since forming in 2017, one of their greatest challenges has been developing an authentic sound. On their debut album, Community Protected, the quartet classified their music as predominantly folksy, taking inspiration from The Lumineers and The Head and The Heart. Experimenting more in their sophomore record, the group joked that they threw the kitchen sink in their four-month production time, ultimately feeling that this produced a less cohesive set of tracks in Goodbye Childhood (2019).

In their newest album, Lost in Bloom, it seems that the band has finally bloomed into its sound. Taking musical cues from The Beatles, Kodaline, Alabama Shakes, Arcade Fire, and Cage the Elephant, Lost in Bloom is a beautiful amalgamation of tender folk, lively rock, and kitchen-dancing, head-bopping indie. Particularly outstanding is the Great-Caesar-esque tour-de-force of “20 Year Dream,” the melancholic delicacy of “Hailey,” and the tenderhearted wisdom of “Focus Up.”

Written over the span of two years, the band admitted that working on Bloom during COVID-19 has proved to be difficult, but the pandemic also encouraged them to explore their central theme of emotional and interpersonal maturity. Describing the album as being both a break-up and a coming-of-age record, main songwriter of the band Tristan Surman said that the heart of the album revolves around the idea of growing up. 

“If you were to put all of our albums in sequence, every single one is […] about a different aspect of growing up,” Tristan Surman said. “So, one of the core themes I think for this record is asking, ‘As we grow up, as we become more mature and responsible people, what is our responsibility to the people that we love? [….] How do we create enough space for those people to just be themselves and never let our emotions or our personalities stop them from fully flourishing? [….] I think a lot of what this album is about is a moment of realization that growing up should be less about ambition, and more about kindness.”

You can now stream Lost in Bloom on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube Music, and Pandora. Album cover art by Ella Roy. Video production by Charlie Hill and Max Mezo. Press photography by Jamie Brennan.

Sports, Winter Sports

The McGill Tribune’s comprehensive guide to winter sports in a pandemic

by Adam Burton, Sarah Farnand, Sophia Gorbounov on

More in Sports:

In many cities, winter is a time to stay indoors and wait until the snow begins to melt. In Montreal, however, the colder months offer a slew of activities for everyone. Even in the ongoing pandemic, many outdoor sports remain available with set restrictions, letting anyone take a break from their screens and venture into the great outdoors. The McGill Tribune offers its guide for enjoying winter activities while still respecting COVID-19 regulations. 

Downhill skiing and snowboarding

Even as the Quebec government maintains its curfew, mountains for downhill skiing and snowboarding remain open during business hours, albeit with several new restrictions: Lessons and classes are not permitted, skiers can only go with members of their family bubble, and night skiing is not allowed in accordance with the 8 p.m. curfew. In addition to these restrictions, common regulations such as reduced chairlift capacity and mandatory masks continue to be enforced. 

For Montreal’s avid skiers and snowboarders, Quebec offers numerous ski resorts within driving distance of the city. Mont Tremblant, perhaps Quebec’s most famous mountain, features diverse terrains for all skill levels. However, its popularity means Tremblant can be extremely busy, a concern especially prevalent during the pandemic. Mont Sutton, though a smaller mountain, is renowned for its glade skiing, with tree-covered trails for any skill level. Finally, Mont Saint-Anne, while a three-hour drive from Montreal, makes up for the long distance with some of the best skiing conditions year-round. 

Skating

Whether going alone, with friends, or with family, skating is an activity that anyone can enjoy. While indoor arenas remain closed for recreational skating, Montreal offers over 200 outdoor rinks across all its boroughs. On the City of Montreal website, each borough has a list of rinks and their skating conditions. As with most other activities, rinks close at 7:30 p.m. to allow people to return home in time for curfew. 

For those close to McGill, Parc Jeanne-Mance features two well-conditioned rinks. Parc La Fontaine, although farther from the core of McGill student life, has two hockey rinks and one illuminated recreational rink. Altogether, the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough has 13 rinks—both recreational and athletic—spread out across six parks. 

Sledding 

Although sledding is typically seen as a children’s activity, the exhilaration of jetting downhill on a thin piece of shabby plastic is fun for anyone. Moreover, any park with a downhill slope already provides the perfect conditions for sledding. 

For McGillians close to campus, Parc Jeanne-Mance and Parc du Mont-Royal Park both offer hills for enthusiastic sleighers. Further away, Parc Jean-Drapeau’s Espace 67 provides obstacle-free riding, with a designated path to walk back up the slope.

Unlike other winter sporting activities that require specific apparel and equipment, sledding only requires something to descend on, along with the usual winter attire. Even without a proper toboggan, anything from inflatable pools to laundry baskets to garbage can lids can be repurposed for some lightning-fast downhill sled runs. 

Cross-country skiing 

During any snowfall, Montreal’s avid cross-country skiers make their way to Mont Royal. The local mountain has a wide range of cross-country ski trails with 22 kilometres of marked trails. As the sport does not require much interaction, COVID-19 restrictions only require a mask in washrooms and buildings. 

While downhill skiing is expensive, with some one-day mountain tickets selling at over $200 dollars, cross-country skiing requires no mountain and no chairlift tickets, making it a more accessible winter activity.

Apart from McGill’s neighbourhood hill, Montreal boasts over 100 kilometres of marked cross-country ski trails. Parc Jarry has a 2.1-kilometre trail for beginners and families, as does Parc-nature de Bois-de-Liesse with its nine-kilometre wooded trail. For those who want to build their technique with assistance, Parc Jean-Drapeau offers free beginner’s classes on site. 

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is believed to be over 10 thousand years old, first used in the migration over the Bering Strait from Siberia to Northern Canada. While snowshoeing is no longer a necessity, many still choose to strap on their raquettes and go out for a brisk walk in the woods. Snowshoeing allows people to stay active in a time of year where they would otherwise be indoors clinging to the warmth of their tiny student apartments. 

Montreal has dozens of parks and rental locations that make this the ideal winter sport for those looking to explore new parts of the city. Parc du Mont-Royal, Parc Jean-Drapeau, Parc-Nature Pointe-aux-Prairies, and the Lachine Canal offer rental services and several kilometres of trails. Many paths have fireplaces en route, locations ideal for birdwatching, and even bistros at the end of trail for those looking to warm up after a long day of exertion.

Hockey

In many cities, the most difficult part of playing hockey is finding ice time. Montreal, however, eliminates the problem with dozens of maintained hockey rinks available for use. The rinks at Parc Jeanne-Mance, Place des Arts, and Parc La Fontaine are ideally situated for students in the downtown area.

In winters past, rinks were packed to the brim with locals looking to get some time on the ice. Dozens of informal leagues pop up throughout the city, with players of any skill level able to find equivalent competition. While the city has limited hockey games for the duration of lockdown, rinks are still open for individual practice and skating. Now is the perfect time to work on your skill set, so grab your skates and lug a bucket of pucks to your local hockey rink and work on that slap shot and hockey stop.

Fat Biking

While most deem Quebec winters too frigid for cycling, every year a select few break out their fat bikes: An off-road bicycle with oversized tires designed to grab at groomed snow. 

Fat Bikes are ideal for those looking to get in some mileage during the period when cycling is otherwise inaccessible. Parc Jean-Drapeau and Parc du Mont-Royal are fantastic options for those looking to stay in the city, as they offer on-site rental booths and regularly groomed trails. Parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville and Mont Tremblant boasts longer woodsy trails that are removed from the city, making them ideal for more serious cyclists on a full day excursion. 

Tubing

Nothing says wintertime like speeding down a hill in an inflatable doughnut. Thankfully for tubing fanatics, Montreal has several prime locations. For those living in the downtown area, Parc du Mont-Royal and Parc Jean-Drapeau both offer inner tube rentals and groomed trails close to home. 

Further north, Les Super Glissades St-Jean-de-Matha boasts scenic views and the fastest sliding tracks in the province, allowing tubers to reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour. Alongside tubing, Les Super Glissades also is also ideal for a variety of other winter activities, including snowshoeing, skating, and cross-country skiing, perfect for those who aim to cross all winter activities off their list.

Art, Arts & Entertainment

Queer McGill’s Zine keeps queer communities up-to-date and involved

by Lowell Wolfe on

More in Art:

On Jan. 29, Queer McGill held an online, synchronous open-mic night celebrating the debut of their winter semester zine—a self-published, pamphlet-style magazine showcasing queer art submissions from McGill students. The zine, which contained poetry, visual art, and prose writing, was Queer McGill’s second publication, succeeding their summer zine which exclusively contained visual art. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Queer McGill event coordinator Jordan Elbualy elaborated on how the first zine came together.

“We were trying to look for new ways to engage with people,” Elbualy said. “We had made this [online] art-sharing group, and we thought it would be a good way into [publishing a zine]. One of our resource coordinators, Natan, was working on an e-library and we thought it would be a good thing to include.”

Alongside displaying the zine for the attendants, students at the open-mic night performed spoken-word poetry and music. For the first performance, student poet Alexa Pronman recited poems about witches and perception, and her stand-out poem titled “At the Edge of the Universe” creatively personified human experiences such as life and death. On guitar, musician Vc Renaud covered The Head and Heart’s “Rivers and Roads.” Renaud’s most stunning performance occurred when they performed the currently untitled final song of their upcoming record, which will be available on all streaming platforms in April. 

“[The first zine] was well received, which was why we decided to do another one,” Elbualy said. “We got a lot of good feedback about it, so we thought we’d bring that forward again.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Queer McGill’s zine was a way to communicate with the McGill community and reach out to anyone who could benefit from Queer McGill’s resources.

“We also wanted to make sure everyone was up to date on all the events we were running throughout the semester and to put in our product guide, which is another important resource that we offer,” Elbualy said. 

Queer McGill’s product guide enables students to acquire free, gender-neutral supplies. The zine release showcased stand-to-pees, organic pads, mooncups, and an exciting new addition: Breast forms. McGill students can obtain any of the products by filling out an online order form. The Zine also advertised some of Queer McGill’s upcoming events, such as “Palentine’s Gay” on Feb. 12.

“For Palentine’s Gay, we do a ‘powerpoint party,’ which basically [means] everybody makes a powerpoint about something they care really passionately about […] and you present it to the group,” Elbualy said. “In the last powerpoint party, I ranked all the One Direction albums, something silly like that.” 

Queer McGill is also hosting the “Drag and Burlesque online hangout” on Feb. 25. The event will be similar to their previous drag events, but adhere to social-distancing guidelines.

“We usually actually do a drag show that we put on at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine, but unfortunately, we couldn’t transfer that to an online platform,” Elbualy said. “In the spirit of drag and burlesque, we’re doing a drag-themed hang-out. We’re trying to encourage people to come in drag make-up, or whatever they want to dress up in for it.”

With the success of their first zine and the hype surrounding their second zine’s release, Queer McGill hopes to continue using the zine-format as a platform to showcase queer art around McGill. 

“We want everyone to be informed about our events and resources, and we want to give queer artists a place to showcase their work,” Elbualy said.

Sports

2021 Winter X Games return to Aspen

by Sophia Gorbounov on

More in Sports:

On Jan. 31, the 25th edition of the Winter X Games kicked off in Aspen, Colorado. Held at the Buttermilk Ski Resort, the event featured only skiing and snowboarding events and was organized in a fenced-off venue, with no spectators permitted due to the ongoing pandemic. The pandemic also caused some athletes to withdraw from the Games, namely Canadian snowboarders Mark McMorris and Max Parrot. 

The X Games are an annual extreme sports event hosted by ESPN. The first Summer X Games were held in 1995 in Newport, Rhode Island, with the winter edition being introduced two years later in Big Bear Lake, California. Among the various extreme sports, the event prominently features skateboarding, motocross, skiing, and snowboarding. 

Due to the freestyling nature of the events, past X Games have seen their competitors introduce new, never-before-seen tricks. Some notable feats include Tony Hawk’s first ever 900 in skateboarding, Shaun White’s Double McTwist 1260 in snowboarding, and Travis Pastrana’s first double backflip in Moto X. 

This year, despite a reduced number of events and competitors, athletes put their best foot forward to deliver exhilarating performances. 

Jamie Anderson won another gold medal in Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle with her first run, making her the most decorated female competitor in X Games history with a total of 20 X Games medals. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott took second place in the same slopestyle event, while Quebec’s own Laurie Blouin won the bronze medal.

Dusty Henricksen from Mammoth Lakes, California made his X Games debut this year. Any pressure of his first Games did not seem to affect the 17-year-old snowboarder, who went on to win not one but two gold medals in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle and the Snowboard Knuckle Huck. 

“I was just trying to stay on my feet and snowboard and have a good time with all these boys,” Henricksen said in an interview with Forbes. 

His win in the slopestyle event made Henricksen the first American male snowboarder to win the event in 12 years—since Shaun White in 2009—as well as the first snowboarder to win two gold medals in his rookie appearance.

Alongside Henricksen, Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu also made her first X Games appearance. Gu took first place in Women’s Ski Superpipe, as well as Women’s Ski Slopestyle and third place in Women’s Ski Big Air. Her debut made Gu the first woman to win three X Games medals in her rookie appearance, and the first rookie ever to medal in every event she competed in. 

Marcus Kleveland, an X Games snowboarding veteran from Norway, made his seventh X Games appearance. In the Men’s Snowboard Big Air, Kleveland placed first, earning him his fifth X Games gold medal. However, while he started off strong in Men’s Snowboarding Slopestyle, Kleveland eventually fell short, finishing the event in fifth place. 

This year, the slopestyle events took on a “jam session” style where competitors had a set amount of time to complete as many runs as they could and were only judged on their best run and not on overall performance. This method has received backlash, especially from fans who claimed the all-or-nothing judging style was partially responsible for Kleveland’s low placement. 

Overall, the 2021 Winter X Games did not fail in showcasing some of the world’s best winter extreme sport athletes. Even with fan favourites like Shaun White withdrawing from the Games, athletes like Marcus Kleveland, Chloe Kim, and Nick Goepper all delivered expert performances. Moreover, with first-timers Dusty Henricksen and Eileen Gu breaking records, this year’s event kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

Football, Sports

The McGill Tribune presents: Super Bowl LV Preview

by Adam Menikefs on

More in Football:

On Feb. 7, the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will kick off against the NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. The game will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, marking the first time in Super Bowl history where a team will play the championship game in their home stadium. The Buccaneers will return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2002 season, while the Kansas City Chiefs look to repeat their victory—a feat that has only been accomplished once in the 21st century. 

Both teams have had a unique path to the Super Bowl this season. Kansas City continued their success from last season, finishing 14-2, placing them first in the AFC and granting them a first-round bye in the playoffs. In the Divisional round, the Chiefs narrowly beat the six-seeded Cleveland Browns, despite Super Bowl LIV MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes sustaining a concussion in the second half. In the AFC championship game, the Chiefs punched their ticket to the big game with a significant win over the upstart Buffalo Bills. On the other side, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by four-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, finished the season 11-5, placing fifth in the NFC. Tampa Bay went on the road to Washington in the Wild Card round, and New Orleans in the Divisional Round, beating both teams in closely contested games. In the NFC championship game, the Buccaneers beat the favourite Green Bay Packers, converting on a first half hail-mary and intercepting Aaron Rodgers on three occasions.

When assessing the player and team statistics from the regular season, the strengths and weaknesses of each team are made clear. On offence, each team was reliant on a strong passing game. Kansas City led the league in passing yards per game with 303.4 and placed third in passing touchdowns with 40. Tampa Bay finished second in passing yards per game with 289.1 and second in passing touchdowns with 42. Although neither had a strong rushing game, Kansas City had a significantly better performance, finishing 16th in the league in rushing yards per game, compared to Tampa Bay in 28th. 

On defence, the Buccaneers were reliant on a strong front seven, allowing the league’s least rushing yards per game, only 80.6 and 10 rushing touchdowns. In comparison, the Chiefs finished lower in both categories, giving up 14 rushing touchdowns and 122.1 yards per game on the ground to opponents. 

The most important matchup in this contest will be the Kansas City offence against the Tampa Bay defence. At the line of scrimmage, the Buccaneers will have a significant advantage going into the game. The Chiefs offensive line lost left tackle Eric Fisher, their former first overall pick, to a torn Achilles, a difficult blow to a unit that already lost first-team All-Pro Mitchell Schwartz earlier in the season. On the other side, the Buccaneers front seven are peaking at the right time. 2018 first round pick and defensive tackle Vita Veta’s return from injury last week was a critical addition to an exceptionally good core that features a staggering five former All-Pro selections. 

However, despite this advantage, Kansas City’s offensive weapons are historic. Patrick Mahomes, one of the most talented quarterbacks in NFL history, has connected with his two First team All-Pro selection targets Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce throughout the season and playoffs, a trend that should remain consistent this Sunday. Complemented by Head Coach Andy Reid’s strategic, aggressive play-calling, the Chiefs’ air attack will pose a difficult challenge for the upstart, young Buccaneers secondary. 

The McGill Tribune predicts that, ultimately, the Buccaneers will struggle to stop the Chiefs’ pass attack and their offence will come up just short, with Kansas City emerging victorious 31–27. The contest will live up to its significance, with two quarterbacks striving to end their careers as the greatest to ever play.

Creative, Podcasts

The T: “Investigating the SSMU’s Student Fee Policy with Sébastien Duckett” Feb. 3

on

More in Creative:

This week on the show:
SSMU Finance Commissioner Sébastien Duckett takes us through the Finance Committee’s new report, “Investigation into the SSMU’s Student Fee Policies,” — a deep dive into current fee practices and policy that reveals a lack of financial due diligence and accountability, and contains recommendations to rectify these issues.

Student governance: SSMU Legislative Council (Jan. 28th)
Episode links:
SSMU student fee investigation reveals lack of due diligence, financial accountability, by News Contributor Juliet Morrison: www.thetribune.ca/news/02022021-3/
SSMU Legislative Council approves motion to support Dollarama workers, by Social Media Editor Marie Saadeh:
www.thetribune.ca/news/02-02-2020-2/

Host: Sequoia Kim, News Editor
Guest speaker: Finance Commissioner Sébastien Duckett
Podcast Producers: Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Alex Hinton, Creative Director Aidan Martin, Editor-In-Chief Helen Wu.
Artwork design: Design Editor Chloe Rodriguez

Features

The threat from inside

by Kennedy McKee-Braide on

More in Features:

On Jan. 6, far-right supporters of former United States President Donald Trump stormed the American Capitol Building in an attempted insurrection that killed five. Throughout Trump’s presidency, far-right extremist hate groups proliferated on social media and in public spaces. Political figures, including the president himself, have also depreciated the gravity of their own actions, which has in turn brought far-right radicalization into the mainstream. 

 

Far-right extremism, also referred to as the extreme right, is defined as a branch of right-wing political ideology and action that is more radical than the mainstream realm of conservative politics.

 

Some Canadians may see far-right politics as a distinctly American phenomenon, but far-right hate groups have long been lurking across the country, including in Quebec. Four years ago on Jan. 29, a far-right extremist killed six and injured 19 at a Quebec City mosque, inspiring similar attacks around the world in years to come. Much like in the U.S., Canadian extremist networks have only grown stronger through social media, and even more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

In Quebec, the far-right has existed for decades. Frédérick Nadeau is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the Centre of Expertise and Training on Religious Fundamentalism, Political Ideologies and Radicalization (CEFIR), a research centre focussing on political radicalization based in Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. According to Nadeau, the existence of far-right movements in Quebec dates back to at least to the Quiet Revolution. Up until around the 2010s, however, such groups generally flew under the radar. For the first half of the decade, these groups were mostly made up of young skinhead neo-Nazis. 

 

“Starting in 2015-2016, with La Meute, the Soldiers of Odin, and Storm Alliance, we see that the extreme right becomes less ‘clandestine,’” Nadeau wrote in an email to //The McGill Tribune.//* “It abandoned the [neo-Nazi] approach characteristic of the skinhead groups prior to 2015, and adopted a more (ultra)nationalist and identity-based ideology.” 

 

In essence, far-right extremist groups became more palpable, making the average person more likely to get involved, thus rendering them more accessible to new demographics. Nadeau explained that the makeup of these groups has shifted from primarily young, violent skinhead types to middle-aged workers and otherwise ‘ordinary’ people. As these shifts in formal or informal group membership occured, public debates sprang up over several controversial pieces of legislation. 

 

“This trend can be linked to the opening of the floodgates we see in the wake of debates surrounding reasonable accommodations (2006-2008), and the Charter of Values (2013), which permitted a normalization of hostile discourse towards immigration and Islam,” Nadeau wrote. “We therefore encounter a plethora of xenophobic and islamophobic groups on social media, and we see groups looking to exit the virtual space to materialize in the ‘real world.’”

Science & Technology

When feelings don’t care about the facts

by Zoe Karkossa on

More in Science & Technology:

The rise of the Information Age has enabled widespread public access to scientific research, but it has also disseminated a dazzling array of misinformation. Distinguishing fact from fiction during a pandemic can be difficult, particularly for the significant number of Canadians that struggle with literacy.

Dr. Christiane Northrup is one of many health-oriented online presences that has capitalized on social media’s wide reach. Despite a steadfast commitment to astrology and vaccine denialism, she has successfully leveraged her training as an obstetrician-gynecologist into a career focussed on women’s health spanning multiple decades. Her Instagram posts alternate between advertisements for her ebooks and short videos, during which she casually chats about her cats, fan mail, and harmful pandemic misinformation.

In a recent article for McGill’s Office for Science and Society, science communicator and M.Sc. Jonathan Jarry described how people tune out scientific experts in favour of influencers like Northrup.

“As science and technology become more and more complex, when we lose touch with it, it’s very easy for us to fall back to our intuitions, to believing things because they make us feel good, not because they are true,” Jarry said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

When scientific information is poorly communicated, people tend to fall back on the assumptions they already hold, often confusing personal experiences and compelling falsehoods with proven facts. The human tendency towards irrationality is only furthered by modern media distrust and times of crises that decrease trust in public authority. 

Northrup’s platform was initially built on her bestseller Women’s Health, Women’s Bodies, which combines relatively accurate health information with more dubious mysticism. Her straightforward advice about dealing with hot flashes and the proven issues with mammograms is easily accessible to women with doubts about the medical system. 

However, Northrup is no stranger to dangerously inaccurate health information. Her recent content resolutely ignores reality, actively discouraging people from getting vaccinated, spreading unfounded claims about the danger of the COVID-19 vaccine, and going so far as to brazenly deny the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Northrup has carefully crafted her persona to target female audiences, focussing on keeping her audience engaged rather than providing factual insight or analysis. The impressive social media following that she has garnered shows that health beliefs are often grounded in emotion rather than reason. 

“Feelings don’t care about facts,” Jarry said. “If somebody’s irrational beliefs are based in emotions, in values, no amount of saying [that] the science is true whether you believe in it or not […] will really make a difference if you’re trying to […] change their mind about something.” 

Although Northrup’s talk of intuition and vitamin supplements may seem relatively inconsequential, other messages she spreads have the potential to cause significant harm. Efficient and widespread vaccination against COVID-19 is essential to halting the spread of the disease. Misinformation on social media can have damaging effects on trust in health institutions and can affect people’s likelihood of getting the vaccine. 

Scientists and policymakers have a duty towards society to disseminate science in an accurate and accessible way. Developing a vaccine is important, but educating people, reducing transmission, and preparing our society for future risks are also crucial to maintaining public health. Accomplishing these goals cannot happen without establishing reliable communication and public trust.

“The first thing that I think we should do is to listen to these concerns, because by listening to them, we can better understand where this person is coming from,” Jarry said. “It also shows that we care about their anxieties and their fears, and this is how you build a relationship of trust.” 

Among the proliferation of untrustworthy sources, there is a growing movement of science communicators striving to deliver accessible and accurate health information. Through online initiatives such as ScienceUpFirst, they aim to reclaim the social media narrative surrounding COVID-19 and to help people understand scientific information. Effective science education is fundamental to public health, and it can only be achieved through the dedication and compassion of scientists and educators.

Science & Technology

McGill research study finds fisheries may save humans after nuclear war

by Laurie Chan on

More in Science & Technology:

When thinking about the aftermath of a nuclear war, fisheries are not the first things that come to mind. However, in a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), a team of McGill researchers revealed that marine fishery supplies could be vital to sustaining human life by providing food security after a nuclear war or other abrupt climatic shocks. 

Among other catastrophic effects, such as immediate destruction of cities and firestorms, nuclear war would result in the release of soot into the atmosphere, blocking out sunlight and leading to a plunge in atmospheric temperature. Consequently, there would be an unprecedented reduction in agricultural production, posing a risk to worldwide food security. 

“I think it’s very important to study what the potential effects of a nuclear war could be so that we are well informed when we, or our decision-makers, decide rules for whether or not we should have these weapons,” Kim Scherrer, a PhD student in McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

Alongside Scherrer, a team of researchers evaluated the effects of nuclear war on the worldwide food system through six “war scenarios,” modelling how fishing worldwide would change depending on rapidly increased fish demand or decreased ability to fish. These were done through the state-of-the-art Community Earth System Model. Each scenario simulated a war-like event, followed by the socioeconomic response of the fishing industry, pertaining to the simultaneous fishing demands. 

Based on existing global tensions, the study simulated five conflicts between India and Pakistan with increasing quantities of soot release, and one substantially larger U.S.-Russia war injecting 150 teragrams of soot into the atmosphere. The industry responses included a range of fishing demands, from business-as-usual, or no change, as a control scenario to very large increases or complete collapse. 

The main findings from these climate models showed that well-managed fisheries are key to maintaining fish and seafood as stable food sources. In practice, this means implementing strict quotas on fish catches. While fisheries may appear as a short-term solution, they can be instrumental to global nutrition in the immediate years following a nuclear war, especially as the climate restabilizes itself in the following five to 15 years.

“It’s a good idea to monitor gear types and details of the fishing to prevent destructive practices, but the most important thing is simply to fish less,” Eric Galbraith, a professor at McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, wrote in an email to the Tribune. “This ends up giving us more fish to eat, [being] more profitable, and producing [fewer] emissions.” 

According to Scherrer, while the research revolved around the potential outbreak of a nuclear war, the findings are equally applicable to other possible climatic shocks, such as volcanic eruptions. The results are also relevant to more subtle changes, such as unmitigated climate change, which has already started to put pressure on the fishing industry. 

“I think that’s a really important finding, that being prepared for the worst should be the same as just avoiding overfishing and maintaining abundant fish stocks, so it’s not like [we] have to do something completely different,” Scherrer said. 

The study found that the U.S.-Russia war scenario and business-as-usual fishing would be closest in predicted magnitude to the end-of-century fishing declines under unmitigated climate change. 

In the future, Scherrer hopes to uncover the links between other food sources that might be important in a climate disaster resulting in a food emergency. In particular, she hopes to gain a better understanding of the relationships between the farmed crops and the animals that we eat.

“We can’t run our lives or societies thinking that nuclear war would happen tomorrow,” Scherrer said. “The urgent thing that we find in the study is that when it comes to fisheries, you don’t have to be doing something very different to be prepared.”

1 … 357 358 359 360 361 … 1,364

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue