Most rivers run dry - now and then
A new study led by researchers from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and INRAE found that between 51-60% of the 64 million kilometres of rivers and streams on Earth that they investigated stop flowing periodically, or run dry for part of the year. It is the first-ever empirically grounded effort to quantify the global distribution of non-perennial rivers and streams.
Training the next generation of leaders in the responsible use of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world in powerful ways, from improving medical care and changing the retail landscape to enabling convenient features on our smartphones. But as AI increasingly underpins our daily lives, important questions about its application – and potential misuse – will continue to arise.
Mountain fires burning higher at unprecedented rates
Forest fires have crept higher up mountains over the past few decades, scorching areas previously too wet to burn, according to researchers from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. As wildfires advance uphill, a staggering 11% of all Western U.S. forests are now at risk.
Six New Canada Research Chairs, and Three Renewals for McGill
Today, at l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced investments of more than $635 million for science, research, and engineering in Canada.
Partnership agreement between Ï㽶ÊÓƵ’s Gault Nature Reserve and the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki
Sharing a common interest in the protection of the natural and cultural resources of the Gault Nature Reserve, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki (W8banaki) are pleased to announce a partnership agreement welcoming the Nation’s members to the site to practice their cultural activities.
New mothers negatively impacted by COVID-19 pandemic policies
Giving birth can be a joyous, yet stressful experience in the best of times – but what happens when a global public health crisis is thrown into the mix? Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and the University of Toronto researchers examined the effects certain pandemic policies have had on the mental health of Canadian women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McGill Engineering youth outreach program awarded NSERC PromoScience grant
Education that changes outcomes for whole communities—that’s the aim of the project, Engineering Engagement in School Curricula: Multi-year Design-thinking Projects for Indigenous and Marginalized Youth, led by Professor and Chair of the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, Richard Chromik, Faye Siluk, and Robert Pozeg of the Faculty of Engineering’s E-IDEA initiative (Engineering Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity Advancement), which today received funding from the Natural Sciences
Over 500 new FRBs detected in single year due to CHIME telescope
Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, blaze for a few milliseconds before vanishing without a trace. Their origins are unknown, and their appearance is unpredictable. In the decade following their discovery in 2007, only 140 FRBs had been seen. Now, thanks to the launch of a large stationary telescope in the interior of British Columbia in 2018, the number of new FRBs detected has almost quadrupled – for a total of 535.
The digestive system of cows influences human’s vitamin B12 intake
Milk is the main source of vitamin B12 consumption for Canadians. A glass of cow’s milk contains about 46% of the daily-recommended dietary intake of vitamin B12 for adults. But what factors influences the concentration of B12 in a glass of milk? Turns out, what cows eat and how they digest it can impact human’s B12 intake.
Vitamin D may not protect against COVID-19, as previously suggested
While previous research early in the pandemic suggested that vitamin D cuts the risk of contracting COVID-19, a new study from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ finds there is no genetic evidence that the vitamin works as a protective measure against the coronavirus.
Early bird or night owl? Study links shift worker sleep to ‘chronotype’
Getting enough sleep can be a real challenge for shift workers affecting their overall health. But what role does being an early bird or night owl play in getting good rest? Researchers from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ find a link between chronotype and amount of sleep shift workers can get with their irregular schedules.
Hidden magma pools pose eruption risks that we can’t yet detect
Scientists’ ability to estimate eruption risks is largely reliant on knowing where pools of magma are stored, deep in the Earth’s crust. But what happens if the magma can’t be spotted?
The secret lives of Canada lynx
Using a Fitbit and a spy mic, scientists have discovered new insight into the behaviour of the elusive Canada lynx. A new study by researchers from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, University of Alberta, and Trent University provides a first look at how miniaturized technology can open the door to remote wildlife monitoring.
Zero-carbon energy from sea water a step closer
Researchers at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ have demonstrated a technique that could enable the production of robust, high-performance membranes to harness an abundant source of renewable energy.
Blue energy, also known as osmotic energy, capitalizes on the energy naturally released when two solutions of different salinities mix – conditions that occur in countless locations around the world where fresh and salt water meet.
Preventing the spread of plant pandemics
Plant diseases don’t stop at national borders and miles of oceans don’t prevent their spread, either. That’s why plant disease surveillance, improved detection systems, and global predictive disease modeling are necessary to mitigate future disease outbreaks and protect the global food supply, according to a team of researchers in a new commentary published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.