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.
Study yields new insights into the link between global warming and rising sea levels
A McGill-led study suggests that Earth's natural forces could substantially reduce Antarctica’s impact on rising sea levels, but only if carbon emissions are swiftly reduced in the coming decades. By the same token, if emissions continue on the current trajectory, Antarctic ice loss could lead to more future sea level rise than previously thought.
Six athletes among plethora of McGillians headed for Paris Olympic Games
By Earl Zukerman, Sports Information Officer, McGill Athletics and Recreation
Listening to the voices of those most affected by climate change
Researchers at McGill University recently supported the hosting of a major international conference on climate change to create space for the under-represented voices – and knowledge – of those most affected.
The global conversation on climate has been dominated by Western scientists. While international meetings such as those in the COP series are important venues for the exchange of knowledge that can be put into action, greater equity is essential, the researchers believe.
Study sheds light on origins of schizophrenia in the brain, offering hope for targeted treatments and better diagnosis
A group of scientists are hopeful their research findings about how schizophrenia originates and develops over time in the brain will pave the way for targeted treatments and better diagnosis of the serious mental health condition.
Systemic sclerosis is on the rise in Quebec, especially in children, study finds
The number of new cases of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is on the rise in Quebec, particularly among children, a new study has found.
The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, should serve as a call to action for health-care providers, policy-makers and researchers, suggests Elena Netchiporouk, corresponding author and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University.
A treatment for anorexia nervosa?
A McGill University-led research team working in collaboration with a French team (CNRS, INSERM and Sorbonne university) believes it has identified both the neurological mechanism underlying anorexia nervosa as well as a possible cure.
Cutting-edge technology detects nanoplastics in water – instantly
A McGill-led research team has developed the first real-time, on-site technology capable of detecting and deciphering nanoplastics from all other particles in water, a capacity akin to being able to find a needle in a haystack within milliseconds.