Astrobiology, the scientific study of life beyond Earth, was born in 1959 and pioneered by NASA’s Ames Research Center. Along with scientific research, public imagination of extraterrestrial life was broadening. In 1969, when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins successfully landed on the moon, it reached new heights. Since[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
Brain circuit connectivity directly affects how much we like music
Humans are on the lookout for rewarding stimuli all the time. Our ability to experience pleasure from some of these stimuli is an evolutionary mechanism to ensure the pursuit of basic biological needs, such as eating, known as primary rewards. However, humans also have the capacity to experience pleasure from[Read More…]
Fact or fiction: What is clinical hypnosis?
When one thinks of hypnosis, images of volunteers on stage responding to different names or stimuli come to mind. However, stage hypnosis is often actually the result of someone “faking it.” Dasha Sandra, a U3 Honors student in the Department of Psychology studying hypnosis and hypnotizability at McGill’s psychological research[Read More…]
Say ‘no’ to the nocebo
It’s that time of year again, when mental health initiatives are becoming more active. With finals looming ahead, it may seem like the pervading mood on campus is generally negative. However, it’s important that we question whether these initiatives themselves are responsible for subconsciously swaying our mood this way. The[Read More…]
McGill researcher develops new HIV self-testing app ‘HIVSmart!’
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the deadliest viruses in the world and has claimed over 35 million lives to date. Recently, Nitika Pant Pai, Associate Professor at the McGill Department of Medicine and researcher at The Research Institute McGill University Health Centre has helped develop a new app[Read More…]
The Village Effect: How face to face contact can make us healthier, happier, and smarter
On Nov. 24, McGill’s Department of Psychology hosted Canadian psychologist, journalist, and broadcaster Susan Pinker, who delivered this year’s Macnamara Lecture in McGill’s McIntyre Medical Building. Pinker spoke about her latest book, The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact can Make us Healthier, in which she underlines the importance of face-to-face social[Read More…]
New statistical measure calculates relationship between climate change and plant health
Climate change is altering seasonality as we know it; the average American winter has shrunk by more than one month over the last century. While this has received plenty of attention as a positive phenomenon for sun-starved North Americans, the impact that shorter winter seasons and changing photoperiods—the interval in[Read More…]
Les Olympes de la Parole introduced to North America
On Nov. 15, the University Women’s Club of Montreal (UWCM) launched the first ever North American rendition of “Les Olympes de la Parole,” an academic competition that aims to engage young women in both local and global issues of gender inequality. Les Olympes de la Parole was first launched in[Read More…]
How e-Health can help new and expectant dads
Post-partum depression is frequently associated with mothers, but up to 18 per cent of men also report depressive symptoms during their partner’s pregnancy or in the months after birth. A decline in mental health attributed to the transition into parenthood can be found across genders for similar reasons, according to[Read More…]
Project pollution: McGill professor highlights the risk
On Oct. 19, the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health released a report identifying pollution as the cause of nine million deaths across the world in 2015. The report addressed the costs of water, soil, and air pollution to the global economy and public health, stressing pollution as an underreported[Read More…]
