The ten strategic questions set out in this report are based on a dialogue among a group of Canadian international policy experts co-chaired by Max Bell School Professor Jennifer Welsh. Their "dialogue was aimed not at recommending a single course of action for Canada, but rather at identifying a range of key strategic choices Canadian governments will need to make in order to advance the security and prosperity of Canadians and to contribute to shaping the world around us in the years ahead."
August 17, 2020 | Since the start of this year, there have been increasing calls for the Canadian government to impose a national moratorium on facial recognition technology. This demand arises from the possibility that law enforcement will use facial recognition to discriminate against certain demographics and worsen discrimination in the justice system. A moratorium would provide legislators time to develop a comprehensive and effective policy regulating FR technology and the data it collects, uses, and shares.
A new report released by the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy — set to launch this September — outlines an infrastructural approach to social media platforms, and has much to add to the policy space around platform governance of harmful content online. Written by Mike Ananny, Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the report outlines how companies employ specific infrastructural concepts in their models.
Study identifies rapidly dividing cancer stem cells that can respond to new therapies
Brain cancers have long been thought of as being resistant to treatments because of the presence of multiple types of cancer cells within each tumor. A new study uncovers a cancer cell hierarchy that originates from a single cancer cell type, which can be targeted to slow cancer growth.
Dr Stella Daskalopoulou and her PLAKK team were finalists in the competition for the M14 Innovation Prize!
C. L. de Carvalho-Heineken Prize recognizes his seminal work in the cognition of music
Cognitive neuroscientist Robert Zatorre has been awarded the C.L. de Carvalho-Heineken Prize in Cognitive Sciences.
The Heineken Prize–given every two years to five different researchers–is considered the most prestigious international science prize in The Netherlands and includes a monetary reward of US$200,000. Previous winners include Nancy Kanwisher of MIT, and Stanislas Dehaene of the Collège de France.
New research from McGill University has found that nearly half of psychotherapies promoted in workshops approved by l’Ordre des Psychologues du Québec are not supported by scientific research, raising questions with regards to accreditation and legitimacy.
To ensure that psychologists and psychotherapists maintain and develop their professional skills, the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (OPQ) requires that accredited therapists follow 90 hours of continuing education activities over the course of a five-year period.
Award recognizes his collaborative work in neuroscience and neuroinformatics
Neuroscientist Alan Evans has been awarded the Killam Prize, one of Canada’s highest honours, for his numerous contributions to the understanding of the human brain.
Evans is an internationally recognized researcher at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), James McGill Professor in Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Victor Dahdaleh Chair in Neurosciences.
April 16, 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic has placed nearly unprecedented pressure on policymakers and citizens alike. Effectively containing the pandemic requires a societal consensus. However, a long line of research in political science has told us that polarization tends to occur on highly salient topics because partisans “follow the leader.” Elite consensus is thus essential to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
A new study by McGill University and the University of Alberta (UofA) paleontologists shows that one type of ancient reptiles evolved a special type of tooth enamel, similar to that of mammals, with high resistance to wear and tear. The study is the first to report this kind of enamel in a fossil reptile.
Indigenous Peoples around the world are suffering disproportionately from the impacts of pollution. After surveying close to 700 articles covering different disciplines and regions of the world, a research team led by Helsinki University and involving McGill has highlighted key factors that contribute to this situation.
The McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative has just funded six new projects through the 2020 Innovation Fund. These one-year projects from Law, Science and Engineering were selected for their potential-for-impact on sustainability challenges. The recipients of this year’s funding, our third Innovation Fund to date, are below. You can see projects funded through previous calls here.
Congratulations to the Sharif Lab for the recent publication of their paper, TACAN Is an Ion Channel Involved in Sensing Mechanical Pain, in the prestigious journal Cell. Their identification of a mechanical pain sensor lays the groundwork for designing new drugs to treat pain. Great job!
Photo (left to right): Marine Christin, co-first author and Reza Sharif-Naeini, senior author.
Study suggests humans have developed complementary neural systems in each hemisphere for auditory stimuli
Speech and music are two fundamentally human activities that are decoded in different brain hemispheres. A new study used a unique approach to reveal why this specialization exists.
Earlier today, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) announced the results of the competition for the Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative, and three McGill teams were among the selected projects. The initiative supports the development of collaborations in AI projects between researchers in Canada and in the UK. Each winning project will receive up to $173,333 per year up to three years, for a total of $520,000 CAD per project.