On Jan. 6, McGill astronomers tracked down one of the brightest known repeating signals in the universe to a specific part of a galaxy just seven light years wide. The signal, called a Fast Radio Burst (FRB), was first detected in part by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)[Read More…]
Research Briefs
Solving the mysteries of Earth’s Cryogenian ice age
Typically, one wouldn’t think to ask a geologist about the most pressing issues in evolutionary biology. Yet, for some biologists, rock formations and fossil records—which have only gained the attention of natural scientists in the last 50 years—provide a plentiful source of untapped information about the history of life on[Read More…]
Rapid urbanization is driving biodiversity decline
Humanity is currently experiencing an unprecedented era of urban growth. By 2030, more than 1.2 billion additional people are expected to live in cities, equivalent to building a city the size of New York every six weeks. A group of international scientists, including Andrew Gonzalez, a professor in the McGill[Read More…]
29th edition of Soup and Science
McGill professors presented their scientific research to crowds of students in the Redpath Museum at the 29th iteration of Soup and Science from Jan. 13–17. After snacking on complementary soup and sandwiches, writers from The McGill Tribune compiled highlights from the week. Nutrient cycling and ecosystem science Fiona Soper, assistant professor in[Read More…]
Weathering the storm of aerosol emissions
There has long been concern surrounding the environmental impacts of extracting oil from Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands, the world’s third largest oil reserve. According to a McGill-led study published in Environmental Pollution, contamination from the Athabasca oil sands is impacting the weather patterns of nearby regions. The study was led[Read More…]
The gut microbiome in disease and health
There are thousands of different bacterial species living inside our intestines. This environment, called the gut microbiome, provides the body with key vitamins and ensures a healthy immune system. The composition of the gut microbiome is key: Dysbiosis, a condition that occurs when ‘bad’ bacteria take over the gut, is[Read More…]
Big discoveries from tiny rodents
In the past decades, the field of neuroscience has made astounding progress toward unravelling the intricacies of the human brain, but much of how it functions remains terra incognita. Adrien Peyrache, a researcher at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and Canada Research Chair in systems neuroscience, studies how brain structures[Read More…]
The hidden costs of ‘orphan wells’
According to some estimates, there may be up to five million oil and gas wells in Canada and the United States. In Alberta alone, more than 600,000 wells have been drilled—one for every seven people in the province. The consequences of the extraction, refinement, and use of petroleum is well[Read More…]
Drug testing sewage systems
Substance use is a global issue, affecting more than 235 million people annually. As public awareness of the opioid epidemic grows, up-to-date information on drug use remains critical in addressing these health concerns. The importance of such data led to a study that was published in the journal Addiction in October,[Read More…]
The underlying unity of life
Comparing animals of various sizes has historically been a challenge for biologists. From simple observation, an elephant could not be more different than a mouse. Yet, a universal underlying principle concurrently governs them both. Scaling laws—derived mathematical models that compare an organism’s key life traits to its body mass—present an[Read More…]
