Last month, the Astronomical Society of India awarded McGill physics professor Eve Lee the 2022 Vainu Bappu Gold Medal for her work in astrophysics. The award honours young astronomers—typically under 35—for their exceptional achievements and potential. Lee’s work focuses on exoplanets, which are planets that orbit around other stars in[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
Data scraping reveals Montreal’s hidden property owners
With the school year closing fast, one thing on returning students’ minds is finding a new apartment. However, many students will struggle throughout the process, facing high competition and prices, adding to the already stressful experience of moving into a new place. In the 1990s, Montreal, and Canada as a[Read More…]
Think twice before taking a drag from your friend’s vape
Most students at McGill have encountered a vape pen: Whether they’ve taken a hit from someone’s JUUL at a party, walked through a cloud of grape-scented vapour in front of McLennan, or bought one from the depanneur on the corner. In Canada in 2021, 13 per cent of youth aged[Read More…]
Alveolar macrophages, the lungs’ safeguard
Pulmonary infections—such as COVID-19 and the flu—in which bacteria or viruses enter and damage the lungs, are among the leading causes of death in older adults. Elderly people’s increased susceptibility to pulmonary infections is attributed mostly to immune systems that weaken over time. The initiation of immune responses to protect[Read More…]
Ball python pigmentation research is coloured in by crowdsourced data
When you think of genetics research, what animals first come to mind? Fruit flies? Mice? Our understanding of genetics is defined by a small number of model organisms—the ones used to study a particular biological phenomenon because of how similar their genes are to humans. Mice are the most common[Read More…]
The inextricable relationship between partner violence and HIV
Four decades into the HIV epidemic, the world is still struggling to keep the disease under control. While countries in the Global North have benefitted from access to life-saving drugs, those in the Global South have had to contend with exorbitant prices, barriers to access, and little help from pharmaceutical[Read More…]
Five must-see items at the Redpath Museum
If you haven’t been to the Redpath Museum since it reopened on Jan. 10, it is definitely worth a visit. The McGill Tribune combed through the collections to find five interesting objects that you might not have noticed to explore the science behind them. 1. Buddha Pearls Right after checking[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: What’s new with ChatGPT?
What exactly can ChatGPT do? At some point, neck-deep in research, we have all looked at a Google search result and wondered why the search engine couldn’t give us a straight answer. Well, soon, it might be able to. With the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI, a search engine arms[Read More…]
The barriers to gender-affirming care at McGill and beyond
CW: Mention of suicidal ideation Transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals face innumerable barriers by simply existing in a world wrought with transphobia. The U.S. National Transgender Discrimination survey report on health and health care found that transgender individuals in the U.S. are over four times more likely to contract[Read More…]
A PhD in love? Relationship advice from McGill psychologists
Valentine’s Day may be about celebrating love, but it’s also a chance to celebrate the science that helps us understand love and other intimate interpersonal relationships. The McGill Tribune spoke to Catalina Enestrom, a graduate student working at McGill’s Lydon Lab, about the latest research on the psychology of relationships. Assessing[Read More…]
