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Student Life

French at Work seminar series expands students’ linguistic horizons

by Maya Mau on

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For students with French as a second, third, or fourth language, navigating Montreal can be challenging. Although McGill is an anglophone university, the ability to speak some French is useful when exploring other parts of the city, since it has been the official language of Quebec since 1969. Gaining sufficient conversational French skills to make the most of living in the city can be difficult, but navigating the Quebec job market is another challenge entirely.

Luckily, the French Language Center (FLC) seeks to help students develop their French language skills so they can navigate Quebec’s job market with ease. The FLC’s “Series French at Work – Français au travail” seminar series helps students with intermediate to advanced French backgrounds develop their verbal and written French while also connecting them with employers throughout the province. 

The series is organized in collaboration with McGill’s Careers Planning Service (CaPS) and participation in the series appears on students’ official McGill co-curricular records (CCR). Recognition on this document provides both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for students to attend the seminars.

French Studies lecturer Joannie Proulx is confident that the FLC’s services are meeting a student demand.

“The French professional communication workshops were strongly motivated by concrete needs expressed by our students,” Proulx wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Many of our students want to remain and work in Quebec after their studies, but have expressed not feeling prepared enough to transition into the French workplace.”

Marion Vergues, Faculty of Arts lecturer and the director and academic coordinator of the series, believes that the ability to speak French is invaluable to students seeking a job in Quebec after graduation.

“Being able to work efficiently in a multilingual environment [provides] more confidence in one’s ability to adapt to an ever-changing job market, as well as more opportunities [for] growth,” Vergues wrote. “French plays a major role in this part, of course in Quebec and in all Canadian provinces because of bilingualism requirements, but also in our globalized world.”

The series provides students with the tools necessary to develop a profile, write a CV, and participate in interviews in French. Vergues has enjoyed leading several of the seminars. 

“I find them nurturing,” Vergues wrote. “I have been teaching French for Professional Communication for a while. It allows me to interact with students by teaching French for specific objectives, which is still underrated in language curricula at university level [compared] to literature for example.” 

Like most events, the seminars have had to take a different form since COVID-19 hit in March 2020.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the French Language Centre has had to adapt to remote teaching and learning to ensure access to high-quality courses and activities,” Vergues wrote. “It has been both a challenging and rewarding process due to a unique pairing of self-driven and skilled instructors and engaged students.”

Although the “Series French at Work – Français au travail” seminars are geared towards students who already have an intermediate or advanced background in French, the FLC’s offerings are diverse. Proulx helps ensure that there are opportunities for beginners to enjoy being in a bilingual city and become familiar with the French language.

“I coordinate a team of amazing French language assistants (monitrices de langues), who create and facilitate fun pedagogical activities for students learning French, such as field trips in Montreal or Quebec [City] (before Covid), French meetups, a language partnering program, game nights, and a tutoring service,” Proulx wrote.

Both Vergues and Proulx emphasized the importance of engaging in the FLC’s events.

“I would encourage students to try and participate in a French activity, whether it is a game night or the language partnering program,” Proulx wrote. “Since we all shifted to remote […] interactions, I think it’s now more important than ever to connect with people. Why not pick up some French in the process?” 

Vergues described the benefits of student engagement with the FLC.

“Take advantage of all opportunities to engage in activities offered in French on the campus,” Vergues wrote. “Get to know [the] Francophones of McGill. They are proud ambassadors of the French [language], and passionate about it!”

Solin Hall Annex
McGill, News

Students excluded from residences for noncompliance following policy change

by Pia Mikhael on

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In response to increasing COVID-19 cases in Montreal, the McGill administration updated the Residence Handbook, eradicating the three-strike policy for breaking COVID-19 measures. The new policy, implemented on Jan. 13, maintains that a written warning or a disciplinary meeting will follow a first offence, with the possibility of up to a 10 day exclusion from residence, or even a complete lease termination. On Jan. 21, as a result of noncompliance with COVID-19 restrictions, between 15 and 20 students were notified of their exclusion from residence for seven days, and had their student IDs confiscated, preventing them from using their meal plans and accessing McGill facilities. 

Noa Crébassa, a U2 Arts student in Solin Hall, said that she was not surprised about the change in policy.

“I would say the [new] one-strike [policy] makes sense because of all the violations taking place in New [Residence] and Royal Victoria College last semester,” Crébassa said.

Tom*, a U0 Arts student living in Campus 1, expressed his frustrations with the lack of communication between the university and its students.

“[McGill] is not communicating what the rules are,” Tom* said. “Students received emails saying they had to leave by 10 a.m. the following day, giving them less than 24 hours to find places to stay.”

Some of the students who were excluded from their residences had nowhere to go and said that the university had sent them a list of hotel suggestions, but people under the age of 18 are unable to book rooms themselves. 

“Airbnb check-ins are at around 3 or 4 p.m., so students had nowhere to go [at 10 a.m.],” Tom said. “[Students] weren’t allowed to use their meal plans either. They were pretty much stranded until they could find a hotel or an Airbnb.” 

Vikram Nathan, a U0 Science and floor 14 representative of New Residence Hall council, said that the situation sparked anger among many students.

“In one severe case, a student had to spend the night unhoused,” Nathan said. “She spent it at a subway station. Students have to pay out of pocket for their housing [….] This is all just disastrous from a mental health standpoint.”

Tom described students’ frustration due to the lack of communication from the university. 

“I understand that students are breaking COVID guidelines, which I know is not a good thing, but the way that McGill is handling all of this is not right, especially in regards to evicting students with no prior strikes,” Tom said. 

Nathan pointed out the lack of support that McGill is providing students in residences. 

“This all feels very unsympathetic,” Nathan said. “There’s a massive disconnect between what [McGill] thought they could achieve by putting us all in [residence] and what is actually happening,”

McGill Media Relations Officer Frédérique Mazerolle said that the university has always communicated its rules to the students. 

“The safety of our students and staff is our foremost guiding principle,” Mazerolle said. “McGill continues to work hard to create a safe and welcoming experience for all students who have chosen to join us in residence.” 

Mazerolle disagreed that students were not adequately informed of the changes in regulations.

“The university has been very clear that students living in residences are expected to abide by these new rules and regulations,” Mazerolle said. “A number of students have faced short-term measures for non-compliance to public health authorities and McGill’s COVID-19 regulations in residences.”

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

A previous version of this article quoted Crébassa saying that there was no warning before the implementation of the new policy. In fact, she was not surprised about the change in the disciplinary policy. The quote has been updated. The Tribune regrets this error.

content warning ed, McGill, News

EDRSC panel brings attention to misrepresentation of eating disorders in media

by Wendy Zhao on

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CW: Eating disorders

The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Eating Disorder Resource and Support Centre (EDRSC) held a panel discussion on eating disorders and their representation in mainstream media as a part of SSMU’s Mental Health Action Week. Held on Jan. 27, the “Misrepresentations of Eating Disorders in the Media” panel examined the intersections between eating disorders, race, gender, and sexuality. Panellists discussed how these topics are portrayed in popular culture, the effect of stereotypes, and obstacles to obtaining treatment.

Drawing upon personal experiences, panellists discussed how mainstream media tends to portray eating disorders as being the same as experiencing a negative body image—specifically as women trying to comply with heteronormative beauty standards. 

Roselyne Douge-Charles, an educator and professor at Algonquin College, spoke about the representation of eating disorders within the Black community. Douge-Charles highlighted the importance of open discussions—which might validate lived experiences more so than clinical reports—as a tool to bring about change in how we understand and represent eating disorders.

“I don’t know if we need more research,” Douge-Charles said. “Just […] having people [at this panel] and listening to people saying that this is real for them should be enough to be a catalyst to see if we can create some changes in the way individuals are supported around eating disorders [….] Sometimes saying that we need more research is a way to deny what we already know. [It’s] like a cop-out. [We] already know what’s going on [and we] need to fix it”.

The panellists delved into misrepresentations of eating disorders and how a lack of representation in treatment spaces can create barriers to accessing support. The panel focussed on how the treatment process needs to be re-examined, especially as we learn more about how eating disorders affect individuals from different backgrounds. 

Support volunteer for the EDRSC, Liam Fowler, U1 Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, explained how stereotypes and assumptions can be harmful to individuals living with eating disorders.

“One of the things I’m hearing [in this discussion] is the idea of trying to fit into either a diagnosis or trying to fit a physical or mental narrative,” Fowler said. “The consequence of this is that if you are dealing with some of these feelings, conditions, or habits, you might not be able to identify that yourself because it is not the image that’s being portrayed [to you].”

The panellists focussed on how positive forms of treatment, like peer-led discussion groups, can help reduce trauma that can stem from traditional treatment services. Long waitlists, difficulties accessing treatment, and a lack of representation exacerbate a dangerous cycle for those seeking help. Co-founder of the EDRSC, Cody Esterle, BA ‘20, called on universities and other institutions to provide better support for students living with mental illness.

“This is a huge problem in universities that is facing so many students […] and in order to access [resources] a lot of people need to drop out, [putting] their entire life, education and plans on hold,” Esterle said. “It is not a system that is set up for people to survive in the long run [….] There are events like #BellLetsTalk that just populate the entire narrative and conversation, and you’re not talking about the deeper issues, support systems, [or] resources that [are needed].” 

EDRSC is hosting its third annual Eating Disorder Awareness Week from Feb. 1 to 5, with programming offered daily to help raise awareness about disordered eating, provide resources for those struggling, and explore the impact the pandemic has had on eating habits. The centre also offers weekend support groups for those with loved ones struggling with disordered eating and related issues.

Additional information about resources and group support sessions will be posted on the EDRSC’s Instagram and Facebook accounts throughout the week.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

‘Euphoria’ bridge episodes give special insight into the show’s leads

by Angelica Voutsinas on

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Fans of HBO’s Euphoria were given two bridge episodes to stave off their hunger for a second season of the acclaimed show. Released on Dec. 6 and Jan. 24, respectively, the bridge episodes provided stripped-down character studies for the show’s protagonists and main couple: Rue Bennett (Zendaya) in “Trouble Don’t Always Last,” and Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer) in “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob.” 

After its initial release in 2019, Euphoria was lauded for its distinct visual style. Through innovative camera movements, eye-catching uses of colour, trendsetting makeup, and tons of glitter, Euphoria captivated audiences from its first episode. Global lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early March postponed production of the highly anticipated second season, but showrunner Sam Levinson gave fans two special bridge episodes to tide them over until season two could be filmed in all of its hyper-stylized glory. Levinson, who also wrote and produced Malcolm & Marie, the first feature movie filmed in quarantine, found a way to film safely in accordance with L.A. public health directives, which subsequently meant restricting the show’s eccentric visual style. 

“Trouble Don’t Always Last” begins with the show’s star-crossed lovers in a scene that seems too good to be true—because it is. Jules is nowhere to be found, while Rue, relapsing on Christmas Eve, sits in a diner with her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor Ali (Coleman Domingo), eating pancakes and talking about life. The episode, which almost entirely takes place in a single diner booth, gives us an emotional look into Rue’s thoughts in a detailed account that departs from a typical fast-paced Euphoria episode. 

Levinson gives brilliant monologues to both Rue and Ali, touching on everything from spirituality, Jules, and revolutions, though ultimately returning to Rue’s sobriety. Levinson’s stinging account of addiction comes from personal experience, with Rue’s narrative being semi-autobiographical to his own life. The episode features more dialogue-heavy scenes that would otherwise be absent in normal production—but Levinson used COVID-19 restrictions to his advantage to shape the narrative in a different but engaging manner. 

Zendaya gives a stellar performance in this episode, portraying a vulnerability in Rue that viewers have never seen before as she decides whether her life is worth saving by sobering up. Domingo delivers a similarly remarkable performance, giving an emotional account of someone who tries to keep a positive outlook on life, despite losing his family to his addiction. 

The second bridge episode, titled “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob,” was released less than two months later. It functions as Jules’ redemption arc after some fans of the show labeled her as the series’ villain for her so-called toxic behaviour in her relationship with Rue. In this episode, Levinson allows the audience to see the world through Jules’ eyes and better understand the reality of what it’s like to love someone with an addiction.

“Fuck Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob” partially mirrors its previous episode in its one-on-one conversational structure, with Jules facing an identity crisis and speaking with a therapist. One of the episode’s compelling conversations stems from Jules’ thoughts on detransitioning, not because she no longer desires to be a woman, but because she fears she has crafted her femininity based on what men want. While the first episode practically features 50 straight minutes of conversation, “Sea Blob” uses flashbacks and dream sequences throughout the therapy session to give insight into Jules’ thoughts. While this formal choice provides some relief from exposition-heavy dialogue, the interspersed use of both flashbacks and dream sequences sometimes proves to be confusing—though this effect may be intentional, as viewers experience the same sense of disorientation that Jules feels. 

While the pandemic is to blame for the scaled-down production of these episodes, audiences also have it to thank for them existing in the first place. Without the bridge episodes, we would have never had the opportunity to so thoroughly understand these complex characters. 

 

Creative, Podcasts

The T: Residence Exclusions and an Open Letter on Academic Freedom, Jan. 29

by Sequoia Kim on

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News Editor Sequoia Kim provides a weekly roundup of McGill news. Listen here through SoundCloud, or search for the title on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week on the show: 

In conversation with first-years facing 7-day temporary exclusion from residence following outbreak in residences 

An open-letter concerning Theology Professor Douglas Farrow Student governance: McGill Senate meeting 

Webinar of the Week: “Black Racialization and Resistance at Elite Universities” 

Episode links: 

Student groups write open letter concerning Religious Studies professor, by Student Life Staff Writer Maya Mau 

McGill Senate approves creation of a Global Engineering program, by Sports Editor Sarah Farnand 

Professor Rosalind Hampton hosts talk on building anticolonial strategies, by Contributor Elizabeth Strong 

Host: Sequoia Kim, News Editor 

Podcast Producers: Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Alex Hinton, Creative Director Aidan Martin, Editor-In-Chief Helen Wu. 

Artwork: Design Editor Chloe Rodriguez

Creative, Podcasts

Change Makers: Andrea Brazeau

by Sarah Ford on

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In the first episode of the Change Makers podcast, Multimedia Editor Sarah Ford speaks with Andrea Brazeau, an Inuk fourth year Education student who has been fighting for the Quebec government to provide better wifi to Nunavik. They discuss the implications of the issue, the government’s inaction, and what McGill students can do to help.

Science & Technology

Trained Immunity: The immunologic memory that humans have always had

by Namrata Rana on

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Memory is invaluable when it comes to the immune system. The immune system is the body’s natural defence mechanism against infection or foreign pathogens and is made up of two key systems. The innate immunity is a rapid, non-specific first response to pathogens or tissue injury. In contrast, adaptive immunity provides a highly specific and prolonged response by remembering attacking bodies and eliminating recurring infections.

For several years, researchers have maintained that immunologic memory is exclusive to adaptive immune cells called lymphocytes. Trained immunity, however, challenges this dogma by suggesting that the body’s immediate responders, innate immune cells, are also capable of immunologic memory to a certain degree. It proposes that the body’s innate immune system is able to adapt and resist subsequent infections with a more potent, persistent response than previously thought. 

In partnership with the RIKEN institute, McGill Microbiology and Immunology professor David Langlais looks to explore the mechanisms of trained immunity by using an interdisciplinary approach of genomics and immunology.

Immune cells are often regulated by signalling pathways. Cell signalling, a form of cell-to-cell communication, is responsible for coordinating functions between multiple cells.

“It has been known for a while that a combination of signal inputs from different cells can influence a different output,” Langlais said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Trained immunity is the product of these input interactions that can change how the cell adapts itself to the next signal it receives.”

The functional reprogramming of innate cells was first observed in plants and invertebrates, organisms that lack an adaptive immune system. It was noted that foreign triggers could boost recurring immune encounters by enabling stronger, more rapid responses. Response molecules called cytokines were released upon exposure to subsequent challenges. These reactions are hypothesized to stem from modifications in mechanisms responsible for gene expression, known as epigenetic regulation, instead of the genetic code itself. 

“Rather than changing the DNA sequence of the genome, knowing when and how a gene is expressed […] can not only explain reprogramming of cells, but also raise questions on the possible trans-generational and disease-causing effects it may carry,” Langlais said.

The challenges of elucidating the mechanisms of gene expression are mainly due to the limited tools available for isolating trained immunity within individual cells. Langlais believes that McGill’s collaboration with RIKEN could change that. 

“We are restricted to studying chromatin changes to cell clusters, which is not as effective as being able to see how each individual cell’s DNA expression is being altered to reprogram current and future innate immune cells,” Langlais said. “Using the resources of both institutions, we will use single-cell genomics to develop a new bioinformatics tool to address this limitation.”

Researchers are actively investigating trained immunity in the context of the current pandemic. A preprint study reported on the potential effectiveness of leveraging non-specific innate immunity to protect against COVID-19 by providing a booster dose of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, usually used against tuberculosis bacteria. None of the 71 participants who received the booster vaccine fell sick. 

“The role of the BCG vaccine trials in [fighting] COVID-19 is not to generate a specific response against [the coronavirus],” Langlais said. “It is being used to change the functional state of the innate immune system at the genomic level so it can adapt its existing response to a second infection by giving a higher magnitude and modified speed of response.” 

Indeed, a higher infection rate of 8.6 per cent was observed in the unvaccinated group. Although the tuberculosis bacterium and SARS-CoV-2 virus are different pathogens, these results show that mobilizing the immune system against one could potentially protect against the other. 

While COVID-19 has brought more attention to trained immunity, research on this subject is often forgotten due to the lack of resources available to produce more relevant, accurate evidence on its impacts at the genomic level. With increased funding in this domain, researchers can not only improve upon classical immunology but provide new approaches to treating inflammatory diseases.

Commentary, Opinion

If McGill refuses to protect students, it should at least protect its reputation

by Rory Daly on

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On Nov. 30, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) published an open letter regarding McGill’s Statement on Academic Freedom, arguing that the statement’s unclear wording allows professors to engage in bigoted behavior under the guise of academic freedom. SSMU demanded that McGill do more to protect students from discriminatory language, and requested that McGill strip Philip Carl Salzman of his title Professor Emeritus in anthropology, citing several prejudiced and discriminatory pieces he has posted to public forums in the past several years. His articles direct harmful rhetoric towards minorities, especially Muslims and Arabs.  The university’s retort two weeks later defended Salzman’s speech as his academic right, but students remain concerned by their response and lack of action. McGill should be incentivized to remove the title of Professor Emeritus from Salzman, if not because they care about defending students from racism, but because it is in their own self-interest. The issue has put McGill in the centre of a controversy that threatens the university’s reputation, one they would seek to preserve even as they prioritize a twisted form of free speech over their students.

Among some of Salzman’s articles published in the last five years are titles such as “’Islamophobia’ Invention Has Served Its Purpose Spectacularly Well,” and “Arabs Strive for Honor, Not Peace,” which clearly single out Muslims and Arabs. The texts themselves are even more disconcerting—the former piece claims that Islamophobia is a creation to silence dissent towards Islam in its first sentence. Not only is that an extraordinarily racist view on the subject, but it ignores significant acts of violence towards Muslims, such as the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017. 

Although Salzman’s works are harmful to the university’s reputation—and more importantly, to its students—McGill declined to take action on the matter in a response penned by Provost Christopher Manfredi on Dec. 15. In fact, the controversy triggered a wave of opinion pieces, including one published in the Montreal Gazette, which defended Salzman’s writings as part of a necessary diversity of thought in society and academia. A petition was also made that directly asked that McGill make a “public vindication” of Salzman. Despite having been started by the nonpartisan-sounding National Association of Scholars (NAS), the group is actually a conservative, American non-profit that champions the teaching of “Western civilization and American history.” The term “culture war” was coined in the 1990s to describe a phenomenon where the left and right struggle for cultural consensus on controversial topics, such as free speech. The fact that culture war obsessives like the NAS have picked this controversy to focus on should worry McGill’s administration, as they are drawn into a political fight that could damage the university’s reputation.

Salzman’s writings cross a moral boundary that harms students, but if the university refuses to acknowledge that, it must think of this situation from a pragmatic standpoint. SSMU’s letter does not necessarily call for radical change: It seeks to clarify the academic freedom policy rather than letting it be used as a blanket defense. Clarifying what McGill views as protected speech will serve to avoid such issues in the future. Such simple steps should not be rejected as carelessly as in the Provost’s statement addressing the situation.

McGill’s administration may view itself as being neutral, but neutrality is a matter of perception, and their inaction will continue to harm students. It is not as if academics being stripped of titles will stop them from publically espousing toxic views. Famous geneticist James Watson has claimed race is linked to intelligence, and the subsequent stripping of his titles has not stopped him from making these comments repeatedly over the last two decades. So by allowing Salzman to keep his title despite making similarly racist claims about Middle Eastern culture being warlike and cruel, all McGill is doing is making itself a target in this case and in future cases. 

Editorial, Opinion

Moving past academic austerity

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Students returned on Jan. 7 to remote classes and the biting cold of yet another brutal academic winter. Unrested after a break that felt too brief—even after the three-day extension—and unassured by McGill’s short-term solutions, many will continue to suffer from the same predicaments that arose in the fall. From declining mental health to surging financial insecurity, a whirlwind of student problems was unleashed when the pandemic punctured the overpressured hot-air balloon that is higher education. A new teaching model must emerge from the ruins of the old: Universities, and society more broadly, must recalibrate standards of success and embody compassion into education rather than perpetuating academic natural selection for “best.”

Many students have struggled with online learning, and even those who have seen their grades improve are haunted by insecurities about it. After all, it is unclear how grades obtained this year will be evaluated by law, medical, and other post-graduate programs. Although McGill has reimplemented an emergency Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) policy to ease students’ burdens, future admissions councils may hold it against them. McGill should ensure that its admissions officers are mindful of the pandemic’s dire consequences for students’ performance. McGill alone cannot uproot the vicious sink-or-swim mentality that has long characterized academia: All educators must recognize the immeasurable toll that remote learning has taken on students’ well-being.

Yet this understanding cannot be forgotten once in-person learning resumes. Because usual study habits are often not conducive to remote learning, students—notably first years who have taken important prerequisites and other courses online—may be left to flounder if the old metrics of examination are reinstituted again. Any return to the classroom must be forgiving to accommodate this period of realignment. Instructors should continue to use alternative modes of assessment, such as offering essays or projects in lieu of exams, not just to account for different learning styles but also to give students time to relearn old habits.

Meanwhile, outside of the classroom, hundreds of internships and fellowships were cancelled due to the pandemic. Thousands of students who depend on them for professional advancement will be disadvantaged as a result—especially considering that students’ resumes may be weighted heavier by employers and admissions committees in the future, as the remote conditions may undermine the perceived value of transcripts. Moreover, numerous universities have eliminated—possibly for good—certain graduate programs, particularly in social sciences and humanities. For many McGill graduates who relied on paid internships, scholarships, and bursaries to remain afloat, the consequences could be devastating, as the simultaneous depletion of the job market may leave them entirely dependent on government aid, which may not even be available to some international students. 

Remote learning has also stifled networking opportunities and other means of career development. This has rendered students highly dependent on McGill’s Career Planning Services (CaPS), faculty advisors, and other services that were underfunded as well as overburdened before the pandemic—and which are now increasingly inaccessible. 

Consider that those who can afford unpaid internships or have professional connections are privileged over minorities and other economically disadvantaged persons. The same holds true of disparities in study environments, including internet access and other resources. 

Universities are not powerless to mitigate this crisis. For example, they can open up library spaces for students taking standardized exams such as the LSAT to counter internet inequalities. McGill could invest more resources in career development to properly arm students to find internships and work in spite of the pandemic. But it should go even further and rethink antiquated practices, perhaps following the lead of universities like Concordia in establishing co-ops for students in Arts disciplines and expanding research outlets for STEM students. 

Above all, students need to be assured that their work will count for something and that they are not alone in their struggles. The pandemic must force academia to evolve past the doctrine of survival of the fittest, and McGill can take the lead by ensuring their students survive remote learning and the pandemic economy.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

When the world of dinosaurs was rocked, so was the climate

by Margaret Wdowiak on

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As tropical forests are cleared for agriculture and coral reefs overheat from rising temperatures, thousands of species vanish into oblivion, unable to survive the rapid climatic and environmental changes of the Anthropocene—the age of the sixth mass extinction. The Anthropocene epoch is an unofficial unit of geological time used to describe the current historical period where human activities have massive climatic and ecological ramifications. 

To fully understand the current climate crisis, we must turn to the Earth’s last mass extinction: The Cretaceous-Paleogene period. The environmental changes of the asteroid impact that caused this extinction have long been an enigma. However, the mystery has finally started to be unveiled. 

In a new study published in Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology, a group of McGill researchers shed light on this mystery by exploring the secrets buried inside Canadian rocks. To examine how the dinosaur extinction transformed the surrounding environment, the team extracted plant wax samples from river sediments in southern Saskatchewan. 

“Plant waxes are small molecules found on the surface of plant leaves. They help protect plants from being dried out,” Dr. Peter Douglas, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “They are useful to geologists because when they are washed into sediments in rivers, lakes, and the ocean, [where] they can be preserved there for millions of years. They are like molecular fossils that we can dig up and examine later.”

The researchers extracted samples spanning the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, the time period between when dinosaurs were alive and after they went extinct.

These plant wax samples allowed scientists to reconstruct changes to plant ecology as well as carbon and water cycling within this timeframe. The researchers estimated the precipitation and vegetation patterns of the era by measuring the ratios of carbon and hydrogen isotopes.

The team found that local ecosystems and plant communities experienced a long-term shift from aquatic to terrestrial plants. They speculated that this shift was due to the extinction of large plant-eating dinosaurs, allowing terrestrial plants to expand their reach unchecked on land. The changes in precipitation patterns, which were found to be relatively minor and short-lived, could possibly be due to changes in either vegetation or isotopic fractionation related to soil evaporation and transpiration.

Overall, these findings have significant implications for the future of paleontology and add to knowledge on the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.

“I think coupling these kinds of molecular methods with traditional paleontology has a lot of promise for better understanding how environmental changes were linked to the extinction of different species,” Douglas wrote. 

Despite its focus on the past, the study has important implications for the present. 

“Trying to understand future changes in precipitation is a really important goal of climate science, and looking at past changes of precipitation when the Earth was warming or cooling can help us better understand this,” Douglas wrote. 

While the past might help in understanding the world today, it is important to remember that a direct comparison cannot be drawn between the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event and the ongoing Anthropocene extinction.

These insights can help determine the ways in which current climatic changes might alter precipitation patterns and affect ecosystems. For example, changes in precipitation levels, like droughts, can be very harmful to wildlife. Additionally, the study can also shed light on how the disappearance of large herbivores like zebras might affect the health of our ecosystems. 

“Our results are also consistent with a lot of other research that shows extinction of large herbivores can cause big changes in plant ecology,” Douglas wrote. “This could have implications for the widespread extinctions happening on Earth now, which will likely have important effects on present-day plant ecology.”

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