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Links or readings for each Mini-Science 2013 talk
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Some of the readings below are articles in scholarly journals. You may enjoy reading just the abstract, or other portions of the article such as the conclusion or discussion, if you find the whole article too long or technical.
A few copies of these readings will be available on the evening of the lecture, but we are trying to "green" the Mini-Science series and minimize paper use.
Please note change of schedule: Prof. Barbara Sherwin will now give her talk on April 4 (instead of April 11), and Prof. Andrew Hendry will give his on April 11 (instead of April 4).
March 14, "Chemistry, Love and Gender" by Joe Schwarcz
- "Want to cuddle? Personality is likely to get you further than oxytocin." By Joe Schwarcz.
- More about the Science of Pheromones
March 21, "A Gene Underlying Sexual Conflict in Insects" by Ehab Abouheif
- Book: Sexual Conflict. G. Arnqvist & L. Rowe, 2005. Recommended by Dr. Abouheif, this book is "an unprecedented wealth of valuable information", and "an essential reading".
- Article about sexual conflict in Water striders: "Function, Developmental Genetics, and Fitness Consequences of a Sexually Antagonistic Trait." By Abderrahman Khila, Ehab Abouheif, and Locke Rowe. Science, Vol. 3354, May 2012. (Alternative link for this article)
- Read how the media was attracted to this research.
March 28, "'(S)he's Being Mean to Me': How Should Boys and Girls Respond to Aggression by Peers?" by Melanie Dirks
- "Social Competence." Melanie A. Dirks, Teresa A. Treat, V. Robin Weersing. Chapter in Encyclopedia of Adolescence, ed. Roger J.R. Levesque.
- Article about peer pressure: "The Judge Specificity of Evaluations of Youth Social Behavior: The Case of Peer Provocation." Dirks, M. A., Treat, T. A. and Weersing, V. R. (2010), Social Development, 19: 736-757.
April 4, "Hormones and Memory in Older Women and Men" by Barbara Sherwin
- Restoring remembering: Hormones and memory. McGill Reporter article about Barbara Sherwin's research and findings.
- "Estrogen and Cognitive Functioning in Women: Lessons We Have Learned." Barbara Sherwin. Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol 126(1), Feb 2012, 123-127. (Alternative link for this article.)
- "Stress hormones and human memory function across the lifespan." Sonia J. Lupien, Alexandra Fiocco, Nathalie Wan, Francoise Maheu, Catherine Lord, Tania Schramek, Mai Thanh Tu, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 30, Issue 3, April 2005, pp. 225-242, ISSN 0306-4530.
April 11, "Sexual and Natural Selection - The Fist-fight in Nature" by Andrew Hendry
- "Natural Selection on Color Patterns in Poecilia reticulate." John A. Endler. Evolution, Vol. 34, No. 1. (Jan., 1980), pp. 76-91.
- Article about the work and research of evolutionary biologists including Andrew Hendry: "Evolution in Action." Weiner, J. In Natural History: 47-51, November, 2005.
- Selection of publications by Andrew Hendry and his lab team
- Eco-evolutionary dynamics: blog by Andrew Hendry and his research group
General links
Here are some links to websites and electronic resources for Mini-Science participants.
- McGill Faculty of Science homepage and blog
- The McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS) disseminates up-to-date information in the areas of food, food issues, medications, cosmetics and health topics in general. This information is specifically directed towards the public, educators and students.
- "Strengthening Canada’s Research Capacity: The Gender Dimension." Council of Canadian Academies 2012 Report on Gender in Higher Education.
- Alumnilife, the McGill Alumni Online Community
- Science Outreach at McGill broadcasts our scientific expertise to a wider community through programs and activities such as talks, lab visits, family workshops, classroom presentations, and documentary films.
Library links
The Libraries homepage includes links to all library resources at McGill.
Branch libraries of particular interest to Mini-Science include: