Human song is universal
Music, including songs with words, appears to be a universal phenomenon according to a paper published this week in Science. An international team of researchers involving musicians, data scientists, psychologists, political scientists and linguists, including one from 香蕉视频, reached this conclusion after five years of collaboration, bringing together a broad range of skills and tools to the question of whether music is universal.
An ancient snake's cheekbone sheds light on evolution of modern snake skulls
New research from a collaboration between Argentinian and University of Alberta and 香蕉视频 palaeontologists adds a new piece to the puzzle of snake evolution.
The researchers examined a strikingly well-preserved fossil of the rear-limbed snake Najash rionegrina, found in Argentina. The study shows that nearly 100 million years ago, these legged snakes still had a cheekbone鈥攁lso known as a jugal bone鈥攖hat has all but disappeared in their modern descendants.
Pollution from Athabasca oil sands affects weather processes
Scientists have been looking at pollution affecting the air, land and water around the Athabasca Oil Sands for some time. After looking at contaminants in snow taken from up-to 25 km away from the oil sands, a McGill-led scientific team now suggests that oil sand pollution is also affecting the weather patterns in the surrounding regions.
Julia Lovell wins 2019 Cundill History Prize
Julia Lovell, China expert and translator of Chinese literature has been named the winner of the 2019 Cundill History Prize for Maoism: A Global History, published by The Bodley Head (UK) and Knopf (US).聽At a time when tensions between China and the west are on the rise, Lovell鈥檚 sweeping work of history provides a re-evaluation of Maoism as a force that played out around the world 鈥� and continues to shape political practice in China today.
Air pollution nanoparticles linked to brain cancer
New research from 香蕉视频 links air pollution nanoparticles to brain cancer.
Promising discovery could lead to a better, cheaper solar cell
香蕉视频 researchers have gained tantalizing new insights into the properties of perovskites, one of the world鈥檚 most promising materials in the quest to produce a more efficient, robust and cheaper solar cell.
Abrupt shifts in Arctic climate projected
Researchers from 香蕉视频 project that as the permafrost continues to degrade, the climate in various regions of the Arctic could potentially change abruptly, in the relatively near future.
Scientists identify key knowledge gaps in sustainability research
The loss of biodiversity continues at an alarming rate despite decades of research and international policies setting out clear goals in the area. In an article published this week in Nature Sustainability, an international team of scientists including researchers from McGill identified seven key areas for future research in order to tackle, effectively, the root causes of the problem.
Greater local earthworm diversity in temperate regions than in the tropics
Surprisingly, in any single location, there are typically more earthworms and more earthworm species found in temperate regions than in the tropics, according to a study published this week in Science. Global climate change could lead to significant shifts in earthworm communities worldwide, threatening the many functions they provide.
Mapping international drug use by looking at wastewater
Wastewater-based epidemiology is a rapidly developing scientific discipline with the potential for monitoring close to real-time, population-level trends in illicit drug use. By sampling a known source of wastewater, such as a sewage influent to a wastewater treatment plant, scientists can estimate the quantity of drugs used in a community from the measured levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites excreted in urine.
Are humans changing animal genetic diversity worldwide?
Human population density and land use is causing changes in animal genetic diversity, according to researchers at 香蕉视频.
The findings reported in the journal Ecology Letters, show that environmental changes caused by humans are leading to changes in genetic variation in thousands of species of birds, fish, insects, and mammals. The evidence for human impacts was most clear for insects and fish species.
Mapping global biodiversity change
A new study, published in Science, which focuses on mapping biodiversity change in marine and land ecosystems shows that loss of biodiversity is most prevalent in the tropic, with changes in marine ecosystems outpacing those on land. The research, led by scientists from the University of St Andrews, in collaboration with leading universities across Europe, the USA and Canada, including McGill, aimed at reaching a consensus about variation in biodiversity change.
Interactive map shows nature鈥檚 contributions to people
Nature supports people in critical ways, often at a highly local level. A wild bee buzzes through a farm, pollinating vegetables as it goes. Nearby, wetlands remove chemicals from the farm鈥檚 runoff, protecting a community drinking water source. In communities all around the world, nature鈥檚 contributions are constantly flowing to people.
UNAIDS likely not to meet its HIV targets among gay men in Africa
Despite improvements in HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Africa, they are missing out on HIV treatment.
This is the finding of research, published in The Lancet HIV,聽led by Imperial College London, which analysed data from 75 independent studies involving 44,993 MSM across 28 African countries, between 2004 and 2018.
Big data reveals extraordinary unity underlying life鈥檚 diversity
The diversity of life is staggering. From microscopic algae to elephants, life has devised countless ways to thrive in every environment on the planet. But while biologists have tended to focus on the many varied forms that species have evolved, the age of 鈥榖ig data鈥� offers an unprecedented view of some surprisingly common features shared by all creatures, great and small.
