On Nov. 17, the McGill Space Institute (MSI) hosted a special public lecture titled “Surveying the Universe,” given by Steven Kahn, the director of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and a professor of physics at Stanford University. Khan discussed the goals of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) which is[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
Building pathways toward a greener future
Nov. 17 marked the end of the “Food for Thought” lecture series’ 21st season. Hosted by the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, this year’s theme was centred on sustainable use and conservation of resources that are otherwise taken for granted. Michael Jemtrud, an associate professor at McGill’s School of[Read More…]
Plastic planet: Challenges in creating a greener world
With every passing day, the Earth takes another step towards becoming a plastic planet. Plastic has infiltrated every habitat across the globe, from the high seas to the soil beneath cities. In an effort to address the gargantuan problem of plastic pollution, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party[Read More…]
Tracking devices are revolutionizing the study of remote wildlife
The movement patterns of migratory birds, especially those that travel vast distances, are often hard to track. This makes these species difficult to locate in the wild and even harder to study. Biologging, which involves attaching tiny tracking instruments onto animals to observe their location and behaviour, has emerged at[Read More…]
Picture this: The illustrious world of medical illustration
Before writing was used as a means for communication, ancient civilizations relied on pictorial representations of objects, which included visual representations of medical concepts. Medical illustrations date back to 15,000 BCE, and have continued to evolve over time. Over the course of many millennia, advancements in art and technology have[Read More…]
With tumours, it’s what’s on the inside that counts
For the first time, McGill researchers have detected regions of high rigidity within the developing tumour microenvironment (TME) of breast cancer tumours. These findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest new possibilities for mapping the progression of invasive tumours based on the physical properties of the TME, including tissue stiffness. The[Read More…]
What machines cannot learn, and what they should not be taught
Artificial intelligence (AI) developers are no longer satisfied with programs that play checkers and optimize search engine results, and have moved toward loftier ambitions such as diagnosing leukemia and probing the creators’ inner emotions. Humans often perceive AI as being inherently superior to their own minds, completely free of earthly[Read More…]
Fictionalizing science: How literature and film have shaped modern technology
Science fiction has always focussed primarily on imagining the future and coming up with inventions far beyond what was possible at the time. Whether science fiction directly inspired inventors or because writers were able to predict the future, several technologies first featured in fiction are now part of everyday life.[Read More…]
Data scientists seek the perfect picture of a whale
For most Quebec residents, whale watching is a special occasion. For Whale Seeker, a Montreal-based artificial intelligence (AI) developer, it’s everyday business. To meet the needs of ecological research, Whale Seeker uses cutting-edge AI technologies to detect marine mammals with imaging methods that can be delivered as quickly and as[Read More…]
New research centre to usher in the era of digital democracy
In an age of increased globalization, social media makes it easy for people to voice their opinions online, discuss issues, organize around causes, and hold leaders accountable. However, media and technology have a tendency to amplify both positive and negative trends in contemporary discourse. In recent years, media technologies, and[Read More…]
