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…]
Tag: science
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…]
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…]
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…]
When cells collide: Understanding the effects of red blood cell collisions
The field of biomedical engineering is complex, to say the least. Out of all the sciences, it is one of the hardest to understand, as it centres around understanding and altering the millions of interactions occurring in our bodies everyday. In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, McGill Alumni[Read More…]
When will the Generative AI bubble pop?
With the increasing presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday life, professors are grappling with the extent to which AI should be allowed in the classroom. Some allow AI as long as usage is disclosed, some strictly prohibit it, and others view it as a tool that encourages students to[Read More…]
Fact or fiction: Is your brain wired for a specific learning style?
You have likely encountered the idea that everyone learns best through a specific ‘learning style.’ Social media, classroom discussions, and even online quizzes often promote this claim, categorizing students as auditory, visual, writing and reading, or kinesesthetic learners. This conception sounds convincing, and after many years in the educational system,[Read More…]
Unraveling the painful mysteries of dyskinetic cerebral palsy
Dyskinetic cerebral palsy is the second most common subtype of cerebral palsy (CP). Children with DCP usually experience serious motor impairments along with comorbidities such as cognitive deficits, communication challenges, seizure disorders, and sensory impairments. Despite its severity, very little is understood about DCP. McGill MD student Victoria D’Amours and[Read More…]
Shop talk: We need to have a word about jargon
A 2020 study on jargon published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology found that not only did using more jargon harm levels of understanding among lay people, but it also decreased their engagement with the material and their subjective sense of identification with the scientific community at large.[Read More…]
All ages aboard: Making public transport more accessible for older adults
A city’s public transit system should serve the needs of all its inhabitants and leave no citizen behind. However, many older adults living in Canadian cities are reluctant to use these services, relying on their cars instead. Meredith Alousi-Jones, a PhD candidate in McGill’s School of Urban Planning, and her[Read More…]
