To describe Palestine’s current healthcare system as anything less than devastated would be a mischaracterization. According to United Nations (UN) experts, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are systematically targeting and destroying hospitals, Israel is blocking external aid and resources, and famine is taking the country by storm. In such a[Read More…]
Tag: scitech
How institutional regulations of multiple relationships gatekeep psychotherapy
Are there risks in enforcing ethical boundaries in the context of psychotherapy? This question arises when considering how and why ethical red tape becomes cemented into clinical practice, especially in regard to the client-psychologist relationship. Dennis Wendt, associate professor in McGill’s Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and director of[Read More…]
Fact or Fiction: Does taking Tylenol while pregnant cause autism?
If you have done any scrolling recently, whether on TikTok or a news feed, then you have likely seen that U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that using Tylenol during pregnancy can be “associated with a very increased risk of autism” in children, and that it is “not good.” His statement[Read More…]
Are deep-ocean microbes waiting for lunch?
The deep ocean—at least 200 metres below sea level—is home to an organic carbon pool comparable in size to the atmospheric carbon reservoir. This carbon pool has remained consistent in size for millennia. If just one per cent of the deep-ocean carbon were released in the atmosphere through microbial respiration,[Read More…]
Fact or fiction: Is your brain wired for a specific learning style?
You have likely encountered the idea that everyone learns best through a specific ‘learning style.’ Social media, classroom discussions, and even online quizzes often promote this claim, categorizing students as auditory, visual, writing and reading, or kinesesthetic learners. This conception sounds convincing, and after many years in the educational system,[Read More…]
Lava planets: Where oceans of magma rage and wind breaks the speed of sound
One side of these planets sits at temperatures hot enough not only to melt, but to vaporize their solid rocky surface, creating oceans of molten lava and an atmosphere of vaporized rock. On the other side, the cold is unrelenting—temperatures reach well below -200 degrees Celsius, allowing its surface to[Read More…]
Unraveling the painful mysteries of dyskinetic cerebral palsy
Dyskinetic cerebral palsy is the second most common subtype of cerebral palsy (CP). Children with DCP usually experience serious motor impairments along with comorbidities such as cognitive deficits, communication challenges, seizure disorders, and sensory impairments. Despite its severity, very little is understood about DCP. McGill MD student Victoria D’Amours and[Read More…]
Normal results, hidden illness: Rethinking bloodwork in anorexia nervosa
Blood tests are the cornerstone of modern medicine, often relied on as objective indicators of health. In patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), however, these numbers may be misleading. A new study from Montreal’s Douglas Institute, published in the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, found that women with anorexia nervosa had[Read More…]
Dice: The statistician’s Roman Empire
It’s a rainy Wednesday night in 50 BC, and you’re playing Yahtzee against Julius Caesar. You have four 4s, one 6, and one roll left. You have a decision to make: Do you risk it and try to get a Yahtzee, or settle for a fairly impressive four-of-a-kind? It turns[Read More…]
Boosting medical students’ surgical confidence through non-dominant hand training
While all of the clinical rotations in which medical students participate are challenging, one of the most intimidating rotations is general surgery. This is not surprising given what is at stake in an operating room (OR). “First of all, you have to understand sterility and how not to contaminate the[Read More…]
