The deep ocean—at least 200 metres below sea level—is home to an organic carbon pool comparable in size to the atmospheric carbon reservoir. This carbon pool has remained consistent in size for millennia. If just one per cent of the deep-ocean carbon were released in the atmosphere through microbial respiration,[Read More…]
Tag: scitech
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…]
Lava planets: Where oceans of magma rage and wind breaks the speed of sound
One side of these planets sits at temperatures hot enough not only to melt, but to vaporize their solid rocky surface, creating oceans of molten lava and an atmosphere of vaporized rock. On the other side, the cold is unrelenting—temperatures reach well below -200 degrees Celsius, allowing its surface to[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…]
Normal results, hidden illness: Rethinking bloodwork in anorexia nervosa
Blood tests are the cornerstone of modern medicine, often relied on as objective indicators of health. In patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), however, these numbers may be misleading. A new study from Montreal’s Douglas Institute, published in the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, found that women with anorexia nervosa had[Read More…]
Dice: The statistician’s Roman Empire
It’s a rainy Wednesday night in 50 BC, and you’re playing Yahtzee against Julius Caesar. You have four 4s, one 6, and one roll left. You have a decision to make: Do you risk it and try to get a Yahtzee, or settle for a fairly impressive four-of-a-kind? It turns[Read More…]
Boosting medical students’ surgical confidence through non-dominant hand training
While all of the clinical rotations in which medical students participate are challenging, one of the most intimidating rotations is general surgery. This is not surprising given what is at stake in an operating room (OR). “First of all, you have to understand sterility and how not to contaminate the[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…]
Freshman science requirements got you down? We got you covered
CHEM 110. MATH 140. BIOL 111. PHYS 101. Every McGill science student will recognize these course codes in an instant; they are none other than the freshman science program course requirements. Whether it is your very first semester at McGill, or you are getting those last few credits of your[Read More…]
Investigating the link between sex-dependent gene expressions and major depressive disorder
Why do women experience major depressive disorder (MDD) at nearly twice the rate of men in the post-puberty stage? During this critical stage, MDD manifests in a sex-specific way in its prevalence, symptomatology, and treatment responses when comparing males and females. In a recent publication in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity,[Read More…]
