On Feb. 22, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) presented a lecture from members of the RI-MUHC community, as part of their ongoing Distinguished Professors Lecture Series. This month’s distinguished professor was Guy Rutter, a professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal and researcher specializing[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
“Defying time and season:” Black McGill scientists through history
The history of science and technology is still reckoning with the contributions of Black researchers. White supremacy has deployed the sciences, and their ideal of objectivity, to dehumanize Black people, experiment on them, and legitimize slavery, colonialism, and dispossession. With the fights for medical and environmental justice still urgent and[Read More…]
Searching for sustainable heating methods in McGill’s basements
With the advent of sustainable architecture, complex and innovative techniques for increasing energy efficiency have proliferated. But what if the key to this puzzle lies in the basements of 19th-century Canadian institutional buildings, built to resist the extreme cold of Canadian winters prior to the widespread adoption of electricity? In[Read More…]
Immunotherapy and artificial intelligence for melanoma treatment
Malignant melanoma, a cancer that originates in melanin-producing cells, is the deadliest variety of skin cancer. In the past 11 years, immunotherapy has increased the median survival rate of advanced melanoma from nine months to six years. However, it is still a developing treatment. Farida Zakariya, a masters student in[Read More…]
A look into the economics of cannabis legalization
With cannabis as the most popular illegal drug worldwide, the recent increase in legalization has sparked discussions among economists. Upon analysis of legalization, impacts on crime and violence, drug consumption, and taxation, there have been calls for a review of the cannabis market and its reformation policies by governments and[Read More…]
Demystifying the mysterious fast radio bursts
On Feb. 7, 2024, the Trottier Space Institute hosted a public lecture on the mystery of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), fleeting blasts of cosmic energy that can outshine an entire galaxy, but only for a few milliseconds. They invited Duncan Lorimer, professor of Physics and Astronomy and Associate Dean for[Read More…]
Melting permafrost in arctic ponds: An unfolding factor for climate change
Climate change is a concept that we perceive as both intimately close and somewhat distant. We notice its effect through warmer winters and the sweltering heat of summer, but we easily get lost when trying to find tangible actions we can take to slow it down. Peter Douglas, an assistant[Read More…]
What’s the matter with antimatter?
Since the mid-1970s, the Standard Model of particle physics has, as the name suggests, served as the standard theory for what fundamental particles exist in the universe, and how they interact with each other. While a mountain of experimental evidence from the last 50 years supports the model, there are[Read More…]
Swimming upstream: The case of U.S.-Canada collaboration in fishery management
While “transboundary fishery governance” may not immediately evoke images of glamorous public servants heroically striving toward healthy ecological practices, it turns out to be a critical, yet often overlooked aspect of our food supply. Fishery management is the practice of regulating the extent of fishing, specifying permitted and restricted areas,[Read More…]
Annual hackathon abounds with creativity, camaraderie, and caffeine
There are many ways to get an adrenaline rush. For some, skydiving, horror movie jump-scares, or kickboxing does the trick. For others, it’s McHacks. McHacks is an annual hackathon that a team of McGill students organizes, where teams of hackers have just 24 hours—from Saturday noon until Sunday noon—to design[Read More…]
