On Feb. 24, Russian troops launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine that rapidly escalated into full-blown war. On televisions and on the front pages of newspapers, the world watched as families were split apart on crowded train platforms and cities were leveled by bomb blasts. Ukrainian civilians faced the harrowing[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
Tannic acid might help develop a drug to treat COVID-19
Although most of us would like to forget about the pandemic as Canada eases its restrictions yet again, the threat of COVID-19 overwhelming the health-care system is still present as the country enters a sixth wave. A team of researchers from McGill, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Université[Read More…]
New vaccine could lead to the elimination of deadly parasite
Prevalent in habitats ranging from rainforests in Central and South America to deserts in the Middle East and Africa, a devastating protozoan parasite carried by tiny flies infects over a million people each year. This parasite, which belongs to the Leishmania genus, enters the body through the bite of an[Read More…]
From bioink to cryogenics: The rapid acceleration of 3D printing technology
A nozzle squeezes out a stream of molten plastic, ceramic, steel or even cells—layers and layers of which stack up, one after the other. Every layer laid down must wait for the last to dry before the next is begun. Patience is a virtue, and these machines are virtuous. 3D[Read More…]
Student Research: How the tickle of a feather guides bird flight
Flying is fundamental to the survival of birds. It’s how they migrate, find food, mate, and escape predators. Along with its benefits, flight comes with unique risks as well: One wrong maneuver and a bird could plummet out of control. So, how exactly do birds become the masters of flight[Read More…]
Tribune Tries: Visiting Montreal’s Biodome
Montreal’s Biodome is part of the Space for Life complex, a network that includes four other museums––the Biosphere, the Botanical Garden, the Insectarium, and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. The network aims to provide educational and research opportunities that prioritize sustainability and biodiversity protection. Researchers at the Biodome have access[Read More…]
The gendered accessibility problem with HPV vaccines
While COVID-19 vaccination continues to dominate public consciousness, the rate of vaccination for other diseases has decreased. In Canada, recent estimates show that up-to-date routine vaccine coverage was five per cent lower in children compared to the pre-pandemic rate. The fear of contracting COVID-19 at the doctor’s office is one[Read More…]
AI will train the new generation of expert surgeons
How do we quantify the skill of a surgeon? Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, McGill’s William Feindel professor emeritus in neuro-oncology and director of the Neurosurgical Simulation Research Centre at The Neuro, has been asking himself this question for much of his career. After nearly two decades of research into surgical[Read More…]
Astronomers identify new a star coated in helium-burning ashes
A recent discovery among the stars has caught the global attention of many astronomers and astrophysicists, as its existence challenges the fundamental theories of stellar astronomy. The new star is coated in oxygen and carbon, elements that form when helium is burned, as discovered by German astronomer Klaus Werner and[Read More…]
Excavating Earth’s history through ancient rock formations
Scaling mountainous terrain or keeping an eye out for grizzly bears and moose while wading through the flowing rivers of the Yukon may not seem typical of academic work. But these were only some of the many challenging conditions McGill researchers endured while conducting a recent study looking at oxygen[Read More…]
