Reducing chemical waste through sustainable ketone-making

Pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and plastics all owe their existence to chemical synthesis. Ketones, a functional group with a central carbon double-bonded to an oxygen, are an important ingredient in a wide range of useful chemicals. Unfortunately, their synthesis is energy-intensive and requires many steps, creating significant chemical waste. Bruce Arndtsen, a[Read More…]

Yes, she can

On Feb. 9, the Olympic Torch will complete its journey to the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium for the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. For the 16 days that follow, millions of Canadians, from as far as 9,000 km and 10 time zones away, will tune in to support the world’s best[Read More…]

Arctic environments could yield clues about life on other planets

A research team led by Professor Lyle Whyte and post-doctoral fellow Jacqueline Goordial from McGill’s Department of Natural Resource Sciences has explored using low-cost, low-mass, and currently-available microbiological instruments to detect signs of life in astrobiological missions on other planets. Published in the December 2017 issue of Frontiers in Microbiology,[Read More…]

The science of “Black Mirror”

Charlie Brooker’s harrowing British sci-fi series Black Mirror returned to Netflix with six new episodes exploring multiple technologies of questionable ethics. From the digital uploading of human minds to predictive neuroscience technology, the show’s fourth season illuminated some frightening, futuristic concepts. But with real-life advancements in brain imaging, artificial intelligence, and[Read More…]

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