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McGill researchers develop practical new tool for detecting nanoplastics and microplastics in the environment A team of McGill researchers has developed a cost-effective, high-throughput technology for detecting nanoplastics and microplastics in the environment. These particles are pervasive, posing health and environmental risks, yet detecting them at the nanoscale has been difficult.

Researchers use moss in new method capable of restoring peatlands damaged by oil and gas exploration   In what could represent a milestone in ecological restoration, researchers have implemented a method capable of restoring peatlands at tens of thousands of oil and gas exploration sites in western Canada.

An international study co-authored by McGill psychologist Caroline Palmer suggests our brains and bodies don't just understand music, they physically resonate with it. These discoveries, based on findings in neuroscience, music, and psychology, support Neural Resonance Theory (NRT). NRT maintains that rather than relying on learned expectations or prediction, musical experiences arise from the brain's natural oscillations that sync with rhythm, melody and harmony.

A study carried out at UdeM by Craig Turner and his doctoral supervisor Felipe Verdugo shows how pianists' "expressive intentions" may heighten their risk of long-term injury. Playing the piano involves much more than striking the keyboard. The pianist's entire body is in movement, from the torso to the fingers.

The unexpected discovery on Mexican islands in the Caribbean makes it crucial to conserve the animals' habitats, Professor Hans Larsson says McGill researchers, in collaboration with Mexican scientists, have discovered two previously unknown species of crocodiles, one living on the island of Cozumel and the other on the atoll of Banco Chinchorro, both off the Yucatán Peninsula.

McGill researchers have demonstrated something long assumed: that glances can transmit information about one's mental state to others without a single word being exchanged. They speculate that this primal ability may have played a role in assuring survival of human society at times when making a sound could have attracted predators.

Although autism can be diagnosed very early, it remains difficult to plot a child's developmental trajectory. Now a team of UdeM-affiliated researchers is working to remedy this, via AI and genomics. Will a child who's evaluated for autism later develop an intellectual disability? Can this be accurately predicted? Early-childhood experts in Quebec say they've have come up with a way to better find out.

In a preclinical study led by McGill researchers, two drugs targeting "zombie cells" have been shown to treat the underlying cause of chronic low back pain. The condition affects millions of people worldwide. Current treatments manage symptoms through painkillers or surgery, without addressing the root cause.

Local authorities must do more to prepare communities in British Columbia for the dangers of extreme heat, according to a new research paper from Simon Fraser University. Four years after the infamous 2021 heat dome, which killed more than 600 people in B.C. alone, the ground-breaking study found significant differences in how municipalities within the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regional districts are preparing for heat events.

UCalgary researchers investigate transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat aphasia caused by stroke Lucy Mulloor woke up one morning and realized something was terribly wrong. The 45-year-old single-mom could hear her two daughters in the kitchen but couldn't call out to them. She'd lost the ability to talk and to move the right side of her body.

UCalgary scientist Ben Tutolo lead author in groundbreaking study published in the journal Science It wasn't long after Ben Tutolo started as a participating scientist on NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover team that he started to understand just how much information was being collected on the red planet.

Waterloo researchers are at the forefront of responding to the climate crisis with purpose-driven research and technology, including an interdisciplinary team who are in the field measuring methane emissions to support Canada's net-zero gas emissions goals. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas - approximately 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20-year period.

A new study examines the symbiotic relationship between mycorrhizal fungi in plant roots and bacterial communities in the soil. Since time immemorial, plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have coexisted in a mutually beneficial relationship. The fungi colonize plant roots and help them absorb nutrients.

Research led by Dr. Li-Fang (Jack) Chu at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is uncovering how species-specific developmental timing shapes early development, using pig stem-cells. Understanding how cells grow and change can unlock new therapies for regenerative medicine and Chu's team is showing encouraging results by creating retinal tissues similar to that found in human eyes.

New research from the University of Waterloo suggests increasing the ratio of dietary potassium to sodium intake may be more effective for lowering blood pressure than simply reducing sodium intake. High blood pressure affects over 30 per cent of adults globally. It's the leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke and may also lead to other afflictions like chronic kidney disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and dementia.

A team of researchers successfully created more effective immune cells that can fight cancer without damaging healthy tissue. "This story goes back nearly 20 years," says Prof. Paul François, by way of introduction. This biophysicist and bio-informaticist from UdeM's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine is interested in automatic learning, a field at the crossroads of various disciplines.

Wearable technology aided by artificial intelligence can warn and prevent falls for patients recovering from stroke and spinal injuries. Simon Fraser researchers are using cutting edge technology, in combination with artificial intelligence and machine learning, to support safer rehabilitation for patients.

McGill researchers' discovery opens the way to a clearer understanding of ancient biodiversity shifts A new study from McGill University is reshaping how scientists date dinosaur fossils in Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP). Using advanced drone-assisted 3D mapping, researchers have uncovered significant variations in a key geological marker, challenging long-standing methods of determining the ages of dinosaur fossils.

Researchers led by the University of Waterloo have discovered how to turn common bacteria into high-efficiency factories capable of producing tiny, powerful particles for drug delivery, cancer therapy, vaccine development and other biomedical uses. Led by Yilan Liu , a Waterloo chemical engineering professor, the international research team altered bacteria found in the human gut, or gastrointestinal tract, to dramatically increase the number of bubble-shaped nanoparticles they secrete.

Researchers from London, Ont. discover regular use linked to signs of increased dopamine in the brain, a key factor in psychosis Although it's been six years since cannabis was legalized in Canada, further research is needed to fully understand its health effects. A new study published April 9 in JAMA Psychiatry sheds light on how cannabis use disorder is linked to changes in the brain that are associated with psychosis.