/newsroom/taxonomy/term/9207/all en /newsroom/channels/news/using-sunlight-turn-two-greenhouse-gases-valuable-chemicals-359632 <p>Ď㽶ĘÓƵ researchers have harnessed the power of sunlight to transform two of the most harmful greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals. The discovery could help combat climate change and provide a more sustainable way to produce certain industrial products.</p> Fri, 13 Sep 2024 18:45:43 +0000 keila.depape@mcgill.ca 314626 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/cutting-edge-technology-detects-nanoplastics-water-instantly-357890 <p>A McGill-led research team has developed the first real-time, on-site technology capable of detecting and deciphering nanoplastics from all other particles in water, a capacity akin to being able to find a needle in a haystack within milliseconds.</p> <p>Microplastic pieces are between 1 micrometre and 5 millimetres, roughly equivalent to a grain of rice. Nanoplastics are far tinier - a single nanometre is just 0.000001 millimetres. For comparison, a human hair is approximately 80,000–100,000 nanometers wide.</p> Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:50:18 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 310812 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/how-mussels-make-powerful-underwater-glue-333875 <p><i>The mussels’ beards (which cooks remove before preparing them) are made up of byssal threads and are used to help keep the mussels tethered in place. At the end of each thread is a disc-shaped plaque that acts as an underwater glue. The unusual qualities of the glue and the byssal threads have interested people since </i><i>ancient times, when the threads of certain species were </i><i>woven into luxurious berets, purses, gloves, and stockings. </i><i>M</i><i>ore recently, scientists have developed underwater adhesives and surgical glues inspired by byssal thread chemistry.</i></p> Mon, 04 Oct 2021 14:12:22 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 278006 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/five-mcgill-teams-awarded-funding-new-genomic-integration-program-331618 <p>Today Genome Quebec announced the results of its Genomic Integration Program, Human Health Stream competition. Five McGill teams from a diverse array of fields were awarded funds, totaling nearly $1 million. One of the defining features of this program is the requirement that institutional applicants must also have an external non-academic partner, thus supporting program goals of stimulating the Quebec economy and encouraging the use of genomic technologies in the Quebec healthcare system.</p> Mon, 21 Jun 2021 17:23:59 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 269886 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/its-snowing-plastic-329666 <p>The snow may be melting, but it is leaving pollution behind in the form of micro- and nano-plastics according to a McGill study that was recently published in <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749121002773">Environmental Pollution</a></em>. The pollution is largely due to the relatively soluble plastics found in antifreeze products (polyethylene glycols) that can become airborne and picked up by the snow.</p> Wed, 17 Mar 2021 12:29:26 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 256716 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/promising-discovery-could-lead-better-cheaper-solar-cell-302125 <p>Ď㽶ĘÓƵ researchers have gained tantalizing new insights into the properties of perovskites, one of the world’s most promising materials in the quest to produce a more efficient, robust and cheaper solar cell.<br /> <br /></p> Thu, 31 Oct 2019 14:15:04 +0000 amelia.souffrant@mail.mcgill.ca 188126 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/science-mag-ultraviolet-light-could-provide-powerful-new-source-green-fuel-294895 <p>Methanol—a colourless liquid that can be made from agricultural waste—has long been touted as a green alternative to fossil fuels. But it’s toxic and only has half the energy as the same volume of gasoline. Now, <a href="/chemistry/faculty/cj-li">Chao-Jun Li</a> and colleagues report they’ve created a potentially cheap way to use sunlight to convert methanol to ethanol, a more popular alternative fuel that’s less harmful and carries more energy.<br /></p> Thu, 21 Feb 2019 20:01:02 +0000 laurie.devine@mcgill.ca 145784 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/creating-attraction-between-molecules-deep-periodic-table-293643 <p>Imagine a waterproof computer. It’s not going to happen tomorrow, but it may no longer be a pipedream since a McGill-led international research team has shown for the first time that it is possible to form strong, stable attractions between some of the heavier elements in the periodic table.</p> Tue, 22 Jan 2019 15:08:15 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 134668 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/hanadi-sleiman-cj-li-awarded-killam-research-fellowships-287069 <hr /> <div>McGill chemistry professors <a href="/chemistry/faculty/hanadi-sleiman"><strong>Hanadi Sleiman</strong></a> and <a href="/chemistry/faculty/cj-li"><strong>Chao-Jun Li</strong></a> are among the six recipients of this year’s Killam Research Fellowships. The two-year fellowships, awarded to exceptional researchers working on groundbreaking projects of broad significance, are valued at $70,000 a year.</div> <div> </div> Mon, 07 May 2018 23:08:15 +0000 laurie.devine@mcgill.ca 39501 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/safety-concerns-over-tungsten-286631 <p> Mon, 16 Apr 2018 20:00:34 +0000 laurie.devine@mcgill.ca 37449 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/melting-snow-contains-toxic-cocktail-pollutants-267489 <p>With spring finally here and warmer temperatures just around the corner, snow will slowly melt away, releasing us from the clutches of winter. However, that’s not the only thing that the melting snow will release. Researchers from Ď㽶ĘÓƵ and École de technologie supĂ©rieure in Montreal have found that urban snow accumulates a toxic cocktail from car emissions - pollutants that are in turn unleashed into the environment as the weather warms up.</p> Tue, 04 Apr 2017 15:30:16 +0000 justin.dupuis@mcgill.ca 26841 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/access-cutting-edge-research-equipment-laboratories-and-tools-266641 <p><span>At the University of New Brunswick this morning, The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, announced $51,968,051 for 223 projects at 39 universities across the country, including over $4.5 million across 14 projects at McGill, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI)<strong> John R. Evans Leaders Fund</strong>. The Fund was established to help universities like McGill innovate, as well as to attract and retain top research talent, by giving them access to cutting-edge research equipment, laboratories and tools.</span></p> Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:18:08 +0000 laurie.devine@mcgill.ca 26740 at /newsroom