news 2023

  Searching for signs of alien life in our own solar system    Scientists have long been captivated by the possibility of discovering evidence for extraterrestrial life in the universe. While many of the world's largest telescopes are pointed toward distant galaxies and star systems, some think there's a strong possibility that life could be detected much closer to home.

Researchers from Western say it's rare for someone to go on a first date and experience intimate partner violence immediately. It takes time and during that time, people become more committed to their partner. As the relationship progresses, tangible and intangible elements of a relationship like moving in together, getting married or falling in love can make it more difficult to leave.

The Northern Québec caribou is the longest migrating land mammal in North America. The wolf is literally right behind it. If Santa's reindeer share the misfortune of migrating caribou in northern Quebec, there's a good chance they'll have a pack of wolves on their heels during their December 25 jaunt.

Systematic testing of OpenAI's GPT-3 reveals that question format can influence models to agree with misinformation New research into large language models shows that they repeat conspiracy theories, harmful stereotypes, and other forms of misinformation. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Waterloo systematically tested an early version of ChatGPT's understanding of statements in six categories: facts, conspiracies, controversies, misconceptions, stereotypes, and fiction.

An intervention developed at the CHU de Québec - Université Laval helps children cope with the stress preceding surgery People undergoing surgery under general anaesthetic often experience considerable stress in the minutes leading up to the operation. This situation is even more problematic in young children, because they are less well equipped to understand what is happening, and because they are separated from their parents when they enter the operating room.

McGill study links bacterial infection with moderate but significant increase in the risk of Alzheimer's disease in older adults A common stomach bacteria found in two thirds of the world population may be linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association , investigated whether a clinically apparent Helicobacter pylori (H.

New findings underscore the urgency of addressing adverse childhood experiences, taking steps to mitigate their long-term impact on people's health  Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect, either alone or combined with other types of childhood trauma, increases the risk of chronic pain and related disability in adulthood, according to new research.

A new study from Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute published in the journal Microbiome has found changes in the microbiome in multiple locations in the body are linked to the formation of kidney stones. The human microbiome comprises trillions of microorganisms, including healthy bacteria.

Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg's killer whales. A study published today in Scientific Reports is the first to find polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in orcas off the coast of B.C., as well as in utero transfer of the chemicals from mother to fetus.

Researchers show that it's hard for young men who have been in prison to give up crime The younger an offender is when released from prison, the greater the likelihood that he or she will return to prison, according to a recent study. The criminal justice system treats everyone equally from the age of 18, yet "age matters" in the process of social reintegration, show researchers from Laval University and the International Centre for Comparative Criminology.

An intervention developed at Laval University makes it possible to offer the right type of delivery, to the right patient, at the right time. Women who have already had a caesarean section can now benefit from an intervention that makes it easier to decide whether to have a vaginal birth or a caesarean section in a subsequent pregnancy.

We put ChatGPT 4 to the test, asking it to read two scholarly studies produced at the university and summarize them in a pair of newsy articles for UdeM Nouvelles. The results were.. mixed. Credit: Miriam Beauchamp (Marc Antoine Charlebois) and Laurence Perreault-Levasseur (Mila Quebec) How good is ChatGPT at reading and synthesizing science, specifically the highly detailed science published as peer-reviewed studies in scholarly journals? To find out, we put the chatbot to the test, twice.

Trust in Government Measure also aims to help inform better public health policies. People are less likely to adopt new health policies if they don't have faith in their government, and a new tool from University of Waterloo researchers aims to fix that. The tool - designed by a team based in Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences - aids lawmakers in how trustworthy they may appear to the public and could help improve the uptake of public health policies by informing their design and communication.

New research explores pain management strategies including the use of prescription medications and alcohol From exercise and over-the-counter medications to alcohol use and prescription drugs, North Americans report using a number of different strategies to manage and prevent day-to-day pain. Some of these strategies are useful to mitigate pain, and others, like alcohol, are actually counterproductive and can make pain worse.

International scientists including UdeM professor Kevin Wilkinson address the worrisome problem of millions of tonnes of plastic being used on farms around the world. Every year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, some 12.5 million tonnes of plastic are used in agricultural production worldwide.

Declining fertility in dairy cows could be mitigated by taking into account the epigenetic profile of the "fathers" . Around the world, dairy cows are finding it increasingly difficult to "get pregnant". Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain this drop in fertility, but a team from Laval University has just identified a factor that has passed under the radar of most researchers until now.

1st-ever prey found inside fossilized juvenile tyrannosaur leads to deeper understanding about feeding habits of these iconic predators The difference between a juvenile and adult tyrannosaur is massive - both figuratively and literally. While adults weighed around 3,000 kilograms, the weight of a pick-up truck, juveniles were much leaner.

There is an urgent need for mental health supports and interventions for youth in British Columbia, according to the results of a new report led by Simon Fraser University. The recently released report , which surveyed nearly 15,000 youth in the province, found half of 15- to 17-year-olds indicated that their mental health was fair or poor and nearly 40 per cent screened positive for depression (38 per cent) and generalized anxiety (39 per cent).

Popular virtual assistant technology reinforces stereotyped and sexist expectations of gendered labour, according to a new study University of Waterloo professor and Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change Dr. Lai-Tze Fan analyzed hundreds of Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa's voice-driven skills.

A new multidisciplinary study reconstructs the genomic history of the Balkan Peninsula during the first millennium of the common era, a time and place of profound demographic, cultural and linguistic change. The Balkan Peninsula is broadly defined as the region surrounded by the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Seas.