Canadian astronomers determine Earth’s fingerprint in hopes of finding habitable planets beyond the Solar System
Two McGill University astronomers have assembled a “fingerprint” for Earth, which could be used to identify a planet beyond our Solar System capable of supporting life.
Glitch in Neutron Star Reveals Its Hidden Secrets
If parts of the neutron star interior start to move outwards, the star spins faster. This is called a “glitch,” and it’s providing astronomers with a brief insight into what lies within these mysterious objects.
Puzzling shapes: unlocking the mysteries of plant cell morphology
The discovery of the mechanics and molecular mechanism that dictate cell shape formation in plants by a team of McGill researchers offers new clues about the fundamental processes governing tissue formation in multicellular organisms.
Plants are made of cells that come in a wide array of shapes and sizes, each of which is closely related and essential to the function of a specific tissue.
Newly discovered Labrador fossils give clues about ancient climate
The discovery of fossilized plants in Labrador, Canada, by a team of McGill directed paleontologists provides the first quantitative estimate of the area’s climate during the Cretaceous period, a time when the earth was dominated by dinosaurs. The specimens were found in the Redmond no.1 mine, in a remote area of Labrador near Schefferville, in August 2018.
Government of Canada Promotes Equity and Invests in Discovery Research at McGill
In conjunction with a $35 million research funding announcement to support 128 researchers through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Discovery Grants program, Canada’s Minister of Science and Sport, Kirsty Duncan, was on campus today to sign the
McGill University’s Centre of Genomics and Policy Receives Funding to Create Ethics and Governance Resources for the Human Cell Atlas Initiative
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the Klarman Family Foundation today announced $468,860 in collaborative funding to support ethical biomedical research and responsible data sharing for the Human Cell Atlas (HCA), an international effort to map all cells in the human body.
Detecting bacteria in space
Scientists at the University of Montreal and McGill University have pioneered and tested a new genomic methodology which reveals a complex bacterial ecosystem at work on the International Space Station.
Widespread permafrost degradation seen in high Arctic terrain
Rapid changes in terrain are taking place in Canada’s high Arctic polar deserts due to increases in summer air temperatures.
Children in Quebec are not diagnosed early enough with type 1 diabetes
Elwyn was a healthy 13 month-old toddler when she started drinking water from the bathtub. Over time, she became increasingly thirsty and demanded more and more breast milk. For her parents, this seemed like typical behaviour related to a growth spurt. One day, however, they noticed that she was abnormally weak and rushed her to the emergency department.
A Governor General’s Innovation Award for AI Pioneer Joelle Pineau
By Meaghan Thurston
NSERC awards $3.7M to McGill-led research projects
On May 3, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) announced the recent recipients of the NSERC Strategic Partnership Grants program. Six McGill-led projects in the Faculty of Engineering and one in the Faculty of Medicine are receiving more than $3.7 million to conduct research in collaboration with a supporting organization.
Astronomers Capture First Image of a Black Hole
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. Today, in coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers reveal that they have succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow.
Evolution, illustrated
What do you get when you put together several tons of steel plates, hundreds of mice, a few evolutionary and molecular biologists and a tiny Nebraska town near the South Dakota border?
Would you believe one of the most complete pictures ever of vertebrate evolution?
COMMENTARY: ‘CRISPR babies’: What does this mean for science and Canada?
In the wake of the announcement in China last November of the first ‘CRISPR babies’, Prof. Bartha Knoppers and researcher Erika Kleiderman from McGill’s Centre of Genomics and Policy (CGP) have published a commentary article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on the use of CRISPR gene-editing techniques.