As senate reform once again makes its awkward, halting round through this country’s public consciousness, it is perhaps timely to reflect on this peculiar institution’s elder brother: the British House of Lords. No longer a bastion of the hereditary aristocracy—though they still hold a seventh of the seats—the upper chamber[Read More…]
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Picks for the 2013 Oscar Winners
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a reputation as tame, dust-covered fossils that shirk from innovation and gravitate towards the crowd-pleaser. This was true for the Best Picture winners of the last two years—both The Artist and The King’s Speech are fine, but not spectacular, eulogies for[Read More…]
A sonnet stored in DNA would sound as sweet
DNA has an incredible capability to store information. Now, thanks to a simple cipher, DNA can be manipulated to act as a storage system for digital data. The importance of archiving data holds significantly more relevance in today’s world, where information is generated at an increasing pace. From GDP economic[Read More…]
Does chocolate make you smarter?
As it becomes increasingly difficult to find a seat at McLennan, it’s clear midterms are fully underway at McGill. Although these tests make up less of our grades than finals, many students will do whatever it takes to perform well. Tactics range from taking up residence in the library to[Read More…]
Tiny, immortal jellyfish: Scientists discover immortality in pinky-nail-sized jellyfish
From the philosopher’s stone to Voldemort and his horcuxes, humans have long been fascinated with the concept of immortality. However, scientists have found that one pinky-nail-sized jellyfish species has the remarkable ability to live forever. Turritopsis nutricula, which originated in the Caribbean, is biologically immortal; its mortality rate doesn’t increase[Read More…]
Meet the main players at the Quebec Education Summit
On Feb. 25 and 26, the provincial government will hold a summit for members of civil society and the higher education community to discuss the future of the post-secondary education system in Quebec. Before the summit commences, the Tribune set out to give students a look at some of the[Read More…]
Montrealers gather to say “no” to PQ’s Bill 14
More than 200 people gathered in the square opposite Quebec Premier Pauline Marois’ office on Sunday afternoon to protest the Parti Québécois’ (PQ) proposed changes to language laws with Bill 14. The rally featured several guest speakers who denounced the bill’s potential impacts on Quebec society, and was organized by[Read More…]
Cooking up a family feud
The world of haute cuisine is a mystery: what happens in the kitchen is usually kept secret, and what comes out is invariably delicious, beautiful, and expensive. Every dish has a deliberate balance of textures, flavours, and colours. Similarly, every restaurant has a clearly defined balance of power that inevitably[Read More…]
Looking beyond mutation with cancer genetics
The media constantly bombards us with coverage of presumed cancer causing agents, jumping to the conclusions that we should ‘avoid this’ or ‘avoid that,’ only to contradict themselves the following week. Since the culmination of the Human Genome Project, which succeeded at sequencing the entire human genome, the media has[Read More…]
BoG discusses need for communication on budget cuts
Last Tuesday’s Board of Governors (BoG) meeting included updates on the provincial government’s $19.1 million budget cuts. The Board also discussed the damages from the flooding of the downtown campus that occurred Jan. 28, and the administration’s intention to replace the provisional protocol on protests with two documents: a Statement[Read More…]
