NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC | Two-thirds of the longest rivers no longer flow freely—and it's harming us
A new study warns that many of the benefits rivers provide, from water to food to flood control, are increasingly at risk thanks to dams and diversions.
NATURE | Driverless cars: researchers have made a wrong turn
Uber Technologies is set to go public this week, an event that has been described as the most anticipated technology filing since Facebook in 2012. Some forecasters expect that the ride-hailing giant could sell up to US$10-billion worth of stock.
CBC | Joelle Barron, Lindsay Nixon, Casey Plett named finalists for $5K LGBTQ emerging writers prize
Joelle Barron, Lindsay Nixon and Casey Plett have been nominated for the Writers' Trust of Canada's $5,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ emerging writers. Nixon is a Cree-Métis-Saulteaux curator, editor and writer. Their memoir, nîtisânak, was published in 2018. Their writing has appeared in The Walrus, Malahat Review, Room, and Teen Vogue. Nixon is currently a PhD student in art history at McGill University.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL |Therapy at the museum: How the Art Gallery of Hamilton curates unique experience for people with dementia
Artful Moments, a program run by the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) aimed at people with dementia and their caregivers is part of a growing trend toward offering art therapy inside museums, as the institutions try reaching out to all sections of the community.
THE STAR PHOENIX | EcoToxChip aims to slash cost and time for chemical toxicity tests, save lab animals
The rectangular, white plastic plate Markus Hecker holds in his hand serves as the matrix for a new way of screening chemicals for toxicity, one that could spare the majority of live animals now used for this purpose in labs. If the chips are proven to work, they could be an invaluable tool in the testing of thousands of chemicals already in use — chemicals that, in many cases, were launched on the market decades ago, before the advent of stricter safety rules.
GLOBAL NEWS | Scientist behind massive telescope near Penticton wins prestigious fellowship
One of the scientists who helped spearhead a massive telescope project in the Okanagan has won a prestigious award honouring Canada’s ground-breaking researchers. McGill University astrophysicist Matt Dobbs is the recipient of the 2019 Killam Research Fellowship in Natural Sciences. Dobbs was rewarded for his project, titled “Unveiling the Cosmos with a New Paradigm Digital Radio Telescope,” involving the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or
MARKETWATCH | These Colleges now Offer Courses in Cannabis
The (marijuana) industry is expanding rapidly. That growth could present an opportunity for both recent graduates seeking jobs and the higher education institutions willing to prepare them.
THE CONVERSATION | The Taming of Polio and the Challenge of the Flu
The now nearly global eradication of polio through vaccination is a testimonial to the enlightenment of humans dedicated to the alleviation of human disease. In the early 20th century, hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have been paralysed by polio annually.
TBR NEWSMEDIA | CSHL’s Megan Crow tackles a neuroscience ‘holy grail’
One of the challenges scientists are addressing is how pain becomes chronic, like an injury that never heals. The opioid crisis is a problem for numerous reasons, including that people are in chronic pain. Crow was interested in understanding the neurons involved in pain, and to figure out a way to treat it. “The sensory neurons in pain sparked my general interest in how neurons work and what makes them into what they are,” she said.
FORBES | Bombardier's Laurent Beaudoin On Running And Scaling A Family Business
"Not long ago, I had the pleasure, indeed honor, of sitting down with Laurent recently to reflect back on his long career. He is Canada's, indeed one of the world's great entrepreneurs and I have followed and commented on Bombardier for the some 18 years I have been at McGill in Montreal, where their global headquarters is. I have known him a bit for a long time and been a close and avid follower of Bombardier and Monsieur Beaudoin."
THE GUARDIAN | Fresh concerns over chemicals for ripening fruits, softening foods
In recent times, there have claims and counter claims on health implications of using chemicals such as calcium carbide, ethylene and ethephon for ripening fruits. A study published in Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public has demonstrated possible health hazards of fruit ripeners.The study titled “A Critical Analysis of Artificial Fruit Ripening: Scientific, Legislative and Socio-Economic Aspects” was conducted by researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh Univ
FORBES | Why Human Capital Is The Key To Startup Success
A recent study from McGill University that explored how startups in rural Switzerland managed to thrive, despite being outside of traditional tech clusters. The authors examine seven successful high-tech firms that reside in five small towns in the east of Switzerland.
MONTREAL GAZETTE | McCord Museum will double in size and stay at its current site
Months of speculation ended when the McCord Museum announced Tuesday that its new home will be built on the site of its current home on Sherbrooke and Victoria Sts. in the heart of Montreal’s Golden Square Mile.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL | Illustrious surgeon Dr. Wilbert Keon was first in Canada to install an artificial heart
Dr. Keon earned a master of science degree in experimental surgery from McGill University, and trained at Montreal General Hospital, Toronto General, the Hospital for Sick Children and Harvard Medical Center in Boston. But cardiac surgeon was only one aspect of his illustrious career. Dr.
THE NEW YORK TIMES | Is Dancing the Kale of Exercise?
Studies show that dance provides multiple cognitive and physical health benefits, suggesting it may be the kale of exercise. These results echo those of a 2008 Journal of Aging and Physical Activity study by Patricia McKinley of McGill University in which seniors participated in a tango dance program. The report showed that long-term tango dancing was associated with better balance and gait in older adults.
