Indigenous Awareness Weeks 2024: September 19 – October 2
Indigenous Awareness Weeks is a two-week series of events involving Indigenous academics, artists, and community members, hosted by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Its goal is to encourage a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples among students, staff, and faculty at McGill University, as well as in the broader Montreal and Quebec communities.
Using sunlight to turn two greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals
McGill University researchers have harnessed the power of sunlight to transform two of the most harmful greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals. The discovery could help combat climate change and provide a more sustainable way to produce certain industrial products.
Research finds sex-based differences in how brains handle threats
A new study has uncovered significant differences in how male and female mice process threats, even as they exhibit similar behavioural responses.
The discovery suggests that including both male and female subjects in neuroscience research will lead to more accurate conclusions and ultimately better health outcomes.
Six students at McGill University receive Canada’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scholarship
Six students have been named McGill University’s recipients of Schulich Leader Scholarships, the most generous student award for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) studies in Canada.
McGill alumnus Seymour Schulich, BSc’61, MBA’65, DLitt’04, established the Schulich Leader Scholarships for entrepreneurial-minded students who excel academically and display leadership, charisma and creativity.
New insights could help prevent psychosis relapses in youth and young adults
New findings from McGill University researchers could help clinicians understand the course of delusions in youth and young adults that signal the need for a timely intervention to prevent a full relapse of psychosis.
Delusions — strong beliefs that don't align with commonly accepted reality— are a defining symptom of psychosis but are not sufficiently understood.
Digitally cataloguing archived plant specimens can transform conservation efforts
Digitally cataloguing the more than 300 million plant specimens preserved in museums worldwide could yield crucial insights into how to preserve biodiversity amid climate change, a study by McGill University researchers has found.
Digitally cataloguing, or digitizing, a herbarium specimen involves recording the species name and original location and uploading that record to a digital repository that is publicly accessible.
A better way to assess bridges’ earthquake safety
Researchers from McGill University have developed a more efficient way to assess how likely a bridge is to be damaged in an earthquake. The information could help authorities prioritize infrastructure for upgrading and improve emergency response plans.
Microbes in orbit: Understanding spaceflight’s impact on gut health
Scientists have uncovered how space travel profoundly alters the gut microbiome, yielding insights that could shape future space missions.
The groundbreaking study, led by a McGill University researcher in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD), NASA’s GeneLab and an international consortium, offers the most detailed profile to date of how space travel affects gut microbes.
The brain’s balancing system
A finding by a McGill-led team of neuroscientists could open doors to new treatments for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders attributed to dysfunctions in specific dopamine pathways.
The power of face time: Insights from zebra finch courtship
A new study on songbirds sheds light on the power of social interaction to facilitate learning, insights that potentially apply to human development.
McGill University researchers discovered that zebra finches deprived of early social experiences could still form strong bonds with a partner later in life. Once placed into cohabitation with a male, females that had never heard a mating song before could quickly develop a preference for his melody.
What time the malaria-bearing mosquito bites you might make a difference
A discovery by McGill-affiliated researchers could lead to more effective treatment of malaria and other parasitic diseases.
Exciting advance in stem cell therapy
A new technique developed by McGill researchers for mechanically manipulating stem cells could lead to new stem cell treatments, which have yet to fulfill their therapeutic potential.
Dream discovery: Melatonin's key role in REM sleep revealed
A significant breakthrough in the understanding of sleep mechanism opens new promise for treating sleep disorders and associated neuropsychiatric conditions: Scientists have pinpointed the melatonin receptor MT1 as a crucial regulator of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
$1.45M to boost Indigenous youth mental health services
A national initiative to bolster Indigenous youth mental health services across Canada has secured $1.45 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Ultrafine particles linked to over 1,000 deaths per year in Canada’s two largest cities
A first-of-its kind study conducted in Canada’s two largest cities by McGill-led researchers has linked about 1,100 premature deaths per year to an unregulated air pollutant.
Ultrafine particles (UFPs) primarily come from vehicle emissions and industrial activities. Canada’s federal and provincial governments have not set concentration limits for UFPs, as they have for larger fine particles known as PM2.5.