According to the Standard Model of Cosmology, the expansion of our universe is driven by the simplest possible version of dark energy: an unchanging 'cosmological constant' called lambda.  "It's the start of a new era," says Will Percival, professor and director of the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Waterloo, and associate faculty at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

A large-scale study in which UdeM cardiologist Rafik Tadros took part focuses on the origins of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. Affecting one in 500 people, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the walls of the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, become abnormally thick.

The knock-on effects of cumulative threats to salmonids has Simon Fraser researchers pushing for more effective strategies to protect British Columbia's most important fish populations. Salmonids - which include salmon, trout, charr and grayling- are vital to communities and ecosystems such as those of the West Coast, yet little is known about how these species will respond as the stressors they face compound - an increasingly likely scenario under climate change.

McGill researchers want to harness a natural process that enables slime's transformation from liquid to fibre and back again A new discovery about the slime ejected by velvet worms could revolutionize sustainable material design, according to a study by McGill researchers. Their findings outline how a naturally occurring protein structure, conserved across species from Australia, Singapore and Barbados over nearly 400 million years of evolution, enables the slime's transformation from liquid to fibre and back again.

When a person's hearing and vision are uncompromised and function at a relatively high level, the human brain is able to take in various sights and sounds from any environment and seamlessly allow said person to perceive what's happening around them. But how does it work? Spoiler alert: There's more than meets the eye.

As climate change reshapes food web, McGill-led study introduces a new method for assessing impacts on marine mammals such as killer whales and polar bears that could help inform conservation management practices   A new method of tracking the dietary habits and contaminant exposure of animals in Arctic marine ecosystems is providing critical insights as climate change reshapes the region's food web.

A new study led by Western researchers is the first to identify a factor that could influence how fast the pocket where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) hides dormant inside of cells shrinks when treated. HIV is difficult to cure, partly due to the virus' ability to create a "latent reservoir" - where it hides dormant inside of cells, safe from detection.

In Quebec, most first-time food bank users don't have to keep going back, but 40 per cent still rely on the service two years later, an UdeM study shows.

New research shows artificial intelligence can accelerate species discovery, improve ecosystem tracking and help meet global conservation targets  A new study from McGill researchers suggests the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly analyze vast amounts of biodiversity data could revolutionize conservation efforts by enabling scientists and policymakers to make better-informed decisions.

For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates. Idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) causes people to physically act out their dreams while sleeping. The disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson's disease and a related condition called Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

A new way to measure male fertility has been discovered by researchers at the University of Waterloo, opening the door to the development of simple, inexpensive tests for clinical and at-home use. The research team combined expertise in sperm cell behaviour and interface science to determine that the movement of healthy sperm within semen reduces the force with which droplets stick to a water-repellent surface.

The prevalence of the four main types of this virus is less than 1% in young Quebecers aged 16 to 20 who have not received the vaccine. Less than 20 years after its introduction in Quebec, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program is so effective that even unvaccinated young people are benefiting from a form of immunity.

McGill team discovers a surprising electrical effect that remains stable despite dramatic changes in temperature Electronic devices rely on materials whose electrical properties change with temperature, making them less stable in extreme conditions. A discovery by McGill researchers that challenges conventional wisdom in physics suggests that bismuth, a metal, could serve as the foundation for highly stable electronic components.

Young female chimpanzees make their nests earlier and more often than young male chimps, demonstrating their independence right from the start, a new UdeM study finds. When do you make your bed? In the morning when you get up? Well, if you were a chimpanzee - our closest genetic relative, with about 99 per cent of our DNA - you'd more likely make it at dusk, just before you go to sleep for the night.

One-third of older Canadians at nutritional risk, study finds. One-third of Canadian adults aged 55 or older are nutritionally at risk, potentially leading to increased hospital stays, more emergency visits and physician consultations for possible infections, a new study found. The University of Waterloo researchers assessed data from more than 22,000 community-dwelling adults aged 55 and over from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Researchers at the UdeM-affiliated Saint-Justine Hospital and the ETS come up with a better way to compare magnetic resonance images taken at different institutions. From left to right: Dr Gregory A. Lodygensky, Jose Dolz, Farzad Beizaee and Christian Desrosiers Credit: CHU Sainte-Justine Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential tool for medical clinicians, providing detailed views of the interior of the human body as well as valuable information on pathologies.

This protein plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the barrier that controls exchanges between the blood and the brain When faced with chronic stress, some people develop anxiety and depressive symptoms, while others show great resilience. How can such differences be explained? It could be attributable, at least in part, to a protein that acts as a cannabinoid receptor and is present in the structure that controls exchanges between the bloodstream and the brain, suggests a study just published in Nature Neuroscience .

A new mathematical model developed at the University of Waterloo can determine a baby's overall drug exposure when their mother is taking medication. This is the first study to include drug transfer from the umbilical cord and through breastfeeding in determining the baby's total drug levels. The research team from the School of Pharmacy at Waterloo looked specifically at Levetiracetam.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers led by UdeM graduate student Louis-Philippe Coulombe investigate the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of LTT 9779 b. The exotic atmosphere of LTT 9779 b, a rare "ultra-hot Neptune," is coming to light thanks to observations via the James Webb Space Telescope led by Louis-Philippe Coulombe, a graduate student at Université de Montréal's Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx).

For the first time, a CRCHUM team has shown that, in mouse embryos, sister cells can communicate with each other through a bridge that allows them to die in a coordinated way.