Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools now shape how many students tackle tasks such as essay writing, problem-solving, and even brainstorming ideas. Across online platforms, users claim that their reliance on AI has compromised their vocabulary, writing abilities, and creativity, raising concerns about a weakening of cognitive skills overall. However, from a[Read More…]
Tag: research
Refuting students’ false mathematical arguments with counterexamples
When today’s elementary school students learn about fractions, they are sometimes asked to explain how they reason, for example, that one fraction is greater than another. By constructing their own arguments to explain how they came to a particular mathematical conclusion, they take on more agency in their own learning.[Read More…]
Uncovering Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) results from the progressive loss of specific brain cells responsible for movement. As these neurons deteriorate, patients experience tremors and difficulty with balance and coordination. Although treatments can alleviate specific symptoms, nothing slows the progression of the disease. Projections estimate that by 2031, approximately 163,000 Canadians will[Read More…]
Do good, feel good: Volunteering and its potential benefits to youth mental health
What if youth engagement in civic activities—volunteering, activism, and advocacy—did more than help communities? What if it also improved the mental health of volunteers? While traditional approaches to mental health include psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, and pharmacological treatments, some McGill researchers are exploring how civic involvement can contribute to positive[Read More…]
ChatGPT, three years in
Across higher education, professors, students, and administrators are grappling with how to respond to the widespread availability of fast, free, and increasingly capable chatbots like ChatGPT. In a survey conducted by The Tribune with 46 McGill undergraduate participants, only one in five students reported not using ChatGPT for class, while[Read More…]
A world in decline: Can ecological restoration reverse the damage?
Human activity has degraded or destroyed many ecosystems; an estimated 75 per cent of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered by human activity. This degradation contributes to climate change, reduces water quality, degrades soils, and disrupts pollination patterns. Restoration of degraded ecosystems may serve as a solution to[Read More…]
World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week at McGill
Every year, from Nov. 18 to Nov. 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) observes World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), recognizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the greatest modern threats to global development and public health. AMR was responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 alone. McGill’s own[Read More…]
Immortal time bias: A source for inaccuracies in cancer prevention research
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and as such, cancer treatment and prevention research has been a large focus of medical professionals worldwide. Over the past few decades, several studies have proposed that metformin—a medication widely used for type II diabetes management—is a potential preventative measure for[Read More…]
Advances and challenges in viral diseases and their emerging therapies
The global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic served as a wake-up call to the world’s lack of resilience and infrastructure to guard communities from viral pathogens. This, in turn, has driven a global focus on viral pathogenesis, fostering collaboration and innovation. It also triggered a landmark coordination effort in[Read More…]
The effects of tobacco and cannabis use during pregnancy
Around 70 per cent of people who use cannabis have been found to use nicotine and tobacco products (NTP) as well. This trend is similarly observed among pregnant people. While both NTP and cannabis use during pregnancy have individually been shown to negatively impact pregnancy outcomes—such as preterm birth for[Read More…]
