Unless you are a very specific type of person (white, straight, and male), the tech industry is a frustrating place to work. The fact that one of the world’s fastest growing, most influential fields is so overwhelmingly male is concerning, because the growth and evolution of so many other related[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
Fast radio bursts tangle with unknown forces
Streaking across the sky with a luminosity far greater than the sun’s, fast radio bursts (FRBs) remain powerful yet mysterious phenomena. They were discovered in 2007 when curiosity inspired the astronomer Duncan Lorimer to search the farthest reaches of space, with the FRBs being powerful enough to surpass the typical[Read More…]
Why science students shouldn’t be afraid to write
For students in the Faculty of Science, the typical evaluation consists of a knowledge-based exam. Large class sizes, characteristic of first and second-year courses, often require evaluators to depend heavily on multiple choice questions. For better or for worse, this means that science students are rarely subjected to the torments[Read More…]
Canada’s fentanyl crisis by the numbers
The scientific community describes the fentanyl crisis in these general words: Catastrophic and growing. Over the past decade, Canadian researchers have observed the deadly effects of the growing trend of cutting fentanyl into powdered party drugs. With the help of Edith Zorychta, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and[Read More…]
Microbead ban exposes the dangers of plastic pollution
The Canadian government has heard the cry of environmental activists and scientists. On Jan. 1, 2018, Health Canada enacted an official ban on the manufacturing and importation of products containing microbeads, following a written proposal for the regulation on June 2, 2017. A ban on the sales of these products[Read More…]
Five fun science electives that will satisfy your curiosity
Each semester, McGill students spend hours searching for courses that are both interesting and manageable. For those who are not enrolled in a Science major and are feeling particularly adventurous this semester, The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of five fascinating electives that are sure to pique your interest. CHEM[Read More…]
Bomb cyclone rings in the New Year
On Jan. 4, 2018, much of the American and Canadian East Coasts were hit with chilling temperatures, snowy conditions, and hurricane-force winds. Iguanas fell from trees in Florida, Boston’s streets flooded with icy water, and parts of New Brunswick saw more than 50 centimetres of snow. The culprit was a[Read More…]
The indestructible deconstructed
A group of McGill scientists were recognized for their cutting-edge research, an example of innovation at its finest. “Innovations are the solutions that no one else would think of,” Don Sheppard, professor of microbiology and immunology and researcher, told The McGill Tribune. Québec Science Magazine recently recognized Sheppard and his team[Read More…]
Breastfed babies are less likely to develop eczema
Since the 1950s, breastfeeding has been almost a taboo subject in the United States and Canada. A simple Google search of “breastfeeding” shows top news stories of women being shamed by strangers for breastfeeding in public. This negative response might help explain the low rates of breastfeeding in many developed[Read More…]
Studying bird speech patterns can explain universal grammar rules
In the 1960s, Noam Chomsky, a linguist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, observed that different languages across the world have common patterns. Chomsky postulated the Theory of Universal Grammar (UG), which suggests that humans have created languages and grammar rules that conveniently fit with how our brain is organized.[Read More…]
