Jacob Barnett is only 13, but he is set to become a paid atrophysics researcher at Indiana Unversity-Purdue University Indianapolis. He believes that he is close to disproving Einstein’s theory of relativity. Matthew Savage is now 20, but he was solving complex mathematical problems at the age of six, and[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
McGill lab uses novel technology to model human body
While most McGill students are likely more interested in finding free food than understanding the biological processes that allow them to digest it, researchers at McGill are using new technologies to examine digestion, and other important physiological processes. To determine exactly how the body digests without using human test subjects,[Read More…]
Open Access offers antidote to overpriced journals
To students leaving the academic world, the cost of information may come as a shock. Without access to the extensive collections of the McGill library, journal articles cost around 30 dollars per view. The library pays thousands of dollars per journal subscription. In 2011, McGill paid $12,224,900 for journals and[Read More…]
Researchers seek to unfog mysteries of hurricanes
Last week, Hurricane Sandy caused massive storms as far north as New England and Southern Ontario. Sandy’s aftermath is still making headlines across the East Coast. Like many hurricanes and storms, Sandy’s early development seemed erratic and unruly; sources from the American Global Forecast System and other organizations in North[Read More…]
This week in research
Flightless Birds Flightless birds are an evolutionary puzzle. The most befuddling aspect of these seemingly-related animals is their dispersion across far corners of the earth, because, well, they’re flightless. Two opposing ideas seek to explain the far-reaching origins of these birds. In one, Charles Darwin suggested that a common ancestor[Read More…]
Why leaves change colour during the fall
There is always a sense of child-like wonder that is evoked by staring at that vibrant, multi-coloured silver maple en route to work. Indeed, why trees change their colour during the fall is the kind of question a father might have to answer for his curious five-year-old daughter. Yet changing[Read More…]
Global epigenetics project granted millions in funding
Last week, scientists came one step closer to understanding the human body on a new level—down to each type of body tissue and its specific stages of phenotypic development. Through Genome Canada and the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada finalized an agreement to supply $41 million towards epigenetic[Read More…]
Researchers find vampires not so undead after all
On Halloween, the streets will be filled with children dressed up as witches, vampires and other frightening creatures. For the past fifty years, research has speculated that the myth of one of these monsters can actually be traced back to a medical disorder. Vampires are typically characterized by sensitivity to[Read More…]
Research in protein breakdown opens doors for cancer treatment
A team of researchers, led by McGill Professor Dr. Barry Posner, has recently uncovered the importance of growth factors in maintaining healthy cells. Growth factors are molecules that stimulate and regulate cellular growth. Put simply, our cells are involved in a continuous cycle of breaking down and re-growth, much like[Read More…]
Robotic prosthetics make technological gains
With his amicable demeanour and brilliant smile, Cameron Clapp is the quintessential Californian. There is, however, one other dominant element of his persona—his shiny, state-of-the-art robotic limbs. Clapp, now 26, lost both his legs below the knee and his right arm after getting hit by a train at the age[Read More…]
