Why leaves change colour, a bilingual theatre journey, and how Uber could help cities cut carbon emissions

A more sustainable production of industrial chemicals
Two renewable resources – cellulose from wood pulp and chitin from the shells of crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans – are known to industrial chemists for their potential for creating highly versatile nanocrystals, useful for making pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, industrial additives and much more.

Hats off: McGill University celebrates graduates and honorary doctorate recipients at Fall Convocation
On October 26, 2022, 1,800 graduating students will cross the stage at McGill University’s Fall 2022 convocation ceremonies. They will celebrate with family and friends at Place des Arts, 175 St. Catherine Street West.
As part of the ceremonies, McGill will continue its tradition of conferring honorary degrees to highly talented and engaged individuals who serve as an inspiration for its community of students, professors, researchers, and staff.

The surprising Swiss-Army-knife-like functions of a powerful enzyme
Blue-green algae (AKA cyanobacteria) have a superpower which likely helps them be highly successful as invaders of waterways. They have an extraordinary ability to store energy and nitrogen in their cells for times of need. But how exactly they do so remains only partly understood.

Predicting the next volcanic eruption
Volcanic eruptions can be tricky to predict. Magma stored below volcanoes contains dissolved gases, including carbon dioxide, which escape to the surface and can be sampled at different times (before, after or during) an eruption to provide clues about the next one.

CFI invests $3.9 M in McGill research
Announced today by the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, 15 McGill researchers received a total of $3.9 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (CFI JELF). The Quebec government will provide matching funds for these awards.

A new understanding of the neurobiology of impulsivity
While not all impulsive behaviour speaks of mental illness, a wide range of mental health disorders which often emerge in adolescence, including depression and substance abuse, have been linked to impulsivity. So, finding a way to identify and treat those who may be particularly vulnerable to impulsivity early in life is especially important.

Sea level rise: rapid and unstoppable unless Paris Agreement targets met
Image Caption: The Mackenzie River Delta on the Beaufort Sea, a low-lying region in the Canadian Arctic that is vulnerable to rising seas in a warming climate. CREDIT: Nadia and Harold Gomez

Exercise may be key to developing treatments for rare movement disorder
Spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6) is an inherited neurological condition which has a debilitating impact on motor coordination. Affecting around 1 in 100,000 people, the rarity of SCA6 has seen it attract only limited attention from medical researchers. To date, there is no known cure and only limited treatment options exist.

Three McGill Professors Receive Royal Society of Canada Medals
Three McGill researchers have been honoured with prestigious medals from the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). Associate Professor Daryl Haggard of the Department of Physics was awarded the Rutherford Memorial Medal in Physics—named after one of McGill's most famous radiation physicists—for her pioneering studies of neutron stars and black holes.
Muscle discovery, aging and memory, plus other stories
Muscle discovery may lead to better drugsThe smallest constituents of muscles, myosin and actin, may be targeted to contribute to more effective treatment methods against heart and muscle diseases, say a group of international researchers at McGill University and Linnaeus University.

Ten students at McGill University receive Canada’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scholarship
Ten students have been named McGill University’s recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships, Canada’s premier Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scholarships.
Created by McGill alumnus Seymour Schulich, BSc’61, MBA’65, DLitt’04, the Schulich Leader Scholarships are awarded to entrepreneurial-minded students who’ve demonstrated academic excellence and display leadership, charisma and creativity.

Fifteen McGill researchers and scholars honoured by the Royal Society of Canada
Today, The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) announced 102 new Fellows and 54 new Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Among the 2022 cohort are fifteen McGill researchers and scholars, including eleven RSC Fellows and four new Members, who will be inducted at the RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement on November 25, 2022, in Calgary, Alberta.

Spiders caught in a web of Internet lies
It’s no secret that the internet and social media fuel rampant spread of misinformation in many areas of life. A collective of researchers, including Catherine Scott, Postdoctoral Fellow in McGill University’s Lyman Lab, have explored this phenomenon as it applies to news about spiders. The verdict?

McGill launches Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute to advance world-leading research into sports science and human performance
A $29-million gift from Quebec-born entrepreneur Sylvan Adams will launch an exciting venture for McGill’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in the Faculty of Education, ushering in a new era of world-leading research and discovery in sports science, with the long-term goal of improving elite human performance, and promoting healthier living across the human lifespan.