An invasive species can be any kind of living organism—bacteria, fungi, plants, insects, fish, or even the organisms’ eggs—that has no evolutionary history in a particular region, but is able to establish a self-sustaining, reproducing population. Given that there are no natural mechanisms that control their influence over an ecosystem,[Read More…]
Science & Technology
The latest in science and technology.
What does it mean to call food nourishing: A historical perspective
Today, individuals who wish to commit to a healthy diet will find no shortage of scientific data to ground their choices. However, as we scroll past yet another study about the nutritional merits of the latest fad diet, it may be instructive to look back on the time before the[Read More…]
McGill alumnus develops one-handed surgical knot-tying method
McGill alumnus Farah Na’el Musharbash has created a new method to tie surgical knots that only requires the use of one hand, which can be greatly advantageous to a surgeon. After attending McGill University from 2012 to 2015, Musharbash began medical school at the Washington University School of Medicine in[Read More…]
Explaining tocophobia
Everyone is afraid of something, or at least that’s what we’re told. According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 8.7 per cent of the adult population suffers from a phobia, or a “marked and persistent fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation.” The good[Read More…]
Why we procrastinate and tips to overcome it
“The deadline is a week away—I’ll just do it tomorrow.” For many, this phrase has become the all too familiar reasoning to put off an assignment in exchange for a more relaxing night spent watching Netflix. However, as finals approach, those who left studying to the last minute will start[Read More…]
Everything you wanted to know about the blobfish but were afraid to ask
Ever pictured a cross between Squidward from Spongebob and a grumpy English Bulldog? If not, look at a picture of the infamous “blobfish” and wonder at the mysteries of life. According to the New York Daily News, the blobfish, or Psychrolutes marcidus, was voted “World’s Ugliest Fish” by the Ugly Animals[Read More…]
MNI research sheds light on link between magnets and memory
Desperately looking for new ways to cram for upcoming exams? Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) of McGill University have discovered a way to improve sound memory performance in the brain using magnetic pulses. The researchers of the study, published on March 23 in Neuron, asked study participants to[Read More…]
Montreal’s AMERICANA Conference: ‘From Innovation to Action’
The AMERICANA Conference, a forum and international trade show for environmental technologies, was held from March 21 through March 23 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. With over 12,000 participants, 200 kiosks, and 200 conferences, the conference hall was packed. The participants and speakers represented 36 countries including Morocco,[Read More…]
What’s the deal with CRISPR?
CRISPR offers the potential to cure presently untreatable cancers and diseases. Moreover, it could revive an extinct organism, such as the mammoth, using tiny bits of genomic information that scientists have collected through their serendipitous discoveries. “CRISPR is a gene editing technique that allows investigators to alter the gene sequence[Read More…]
McGill conference commemorates World Tuberculosis Day
The diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) remain the top two leading public health challenges of the 21st century. First identified in 1882, mycobacterium tuberculosis is by far the world’s most successful pathogen: One-third of the world's population is infected, with 10.4 million new infections and 1.8 million deaths in 2015. In recognition[Read More…]
