Across higher education, professors, students, and administrators are grappling with how to respond to the widespread availability of fast, free, and increasingly capable chatbots like ChatGPT. In a survey conducted by The Tribune with 46 McGill undergraduate participants, only one in five students reported not using ChatGPT for class, while[Read More…]
Tag: research
A world in decline: Can ecological restoration reverse the damage?
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…]
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…]
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 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…]
Trust your gut: How your gut microbiota uses the foods you eat to prevent disease
Hidden deep within the human digestive tract lies a dynamic and complex population: The gut microbiota, a community of over 100 trillion microbial cells that influence the body far beyond digestion. Consisting of bacteria, viruses, eukaryotes, and archaea, a diverse microbiota has been shown to have many beneficial health effects,[Read More…]
There are not plenty more fish in the river: A story on endangered Quebec fish
Copper redhorses, a kind of freshwater fish, are the only vertebrates found exclusively in Quebec. However, their population is declining. Recent evidence suggests that the ‘recruitment’—a measure similar to birth rate—has dropped in the past few years. Hugo Marchand, a postdoctoral researcher in Jessica Head’s ecotoxicology laboratory at McGill’s Department[Read More…]
Stop-and-go: How male and female hockey players move differently
Hockey is a key component of Canadian culture, as it is our national sport and a great source of joy and pride. Whether played competitively, in gym class, or just for fun on a frozen lake, hockey unites players across the country. Yet despite its importance to many across various[Read More…]
