news 2023

Scientists at the UdeM-affiliated IRCM identify a new mechanism and role for LDL in type 2 diabetes that could someday help prevent the disease. Canadian scientists have established for the first time a new mechanism and role for LDL in the development of type 2 diabetes, beyond its traditional role in the development of cardiovascular disease in humans.

UdeM chemists have developed a new tool for detecting interactions between sugars and lectins, a discovery that could help in the fight against diseases like cancer. Scientists at Université de Montréal's Department of Chemistry have developed a new fluorogenic probe that can be used to detect and study interactions between two families of biomolecules essential to life: sugars and proteins.

UdeM professor Sandra Binning and her colleagues have developed a predictive model of parasitic infection-related migratory behaviour in different animal species. Migration is a survival mechanism for many species. Animals travel to find food, reproduce, reduce competition, escape predators or escape winter.

Western research shows prenatal exposure to cannabis may increase diabetes risk in offspring Study finds exposure to CBD impacts glucose intolerance in male rats Cannabis consumption is prevalent among pregnant women in North America, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 24 years, previous research has shown.

UdeM professors Nancy Beauregard and Véronique Dupéré are investigating the impact of balancing studies, work and personal life on students' mental health. Working many hours per week can be detrimental to young people's academic performance and well-being, but studies that explore the positive impacts of work on mental health are few and far between.

When speaking to one another, much of the communication occurs nonverbally - through body posture, hand gestures, and the eyes. Our eye gaze during conversations therefore reveals a wealth of information about our attention, intention, or psychological states.

Science, Health & Technology Lou Corpuz-Bosshart Local adaptation may protect songbirds against climate change Scientists have unlocked the genetic basis underlying the remarkable variation in body size observed in song sparrows, one of North America's most familiar and beloved songbirds. This discovery also provides insights into this species' capacity to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

When animals 'sing' sitting on the ground- such as when crickets chirp- their volume and reach increase dramatically, by as much as ten-fold. This result from a study by Western researchers, published today in the high impact journal PNAS , contradicts long-held beliefs in the field of animal communication, which presume the ground is a hindrance to sound transmission.

ESA's Euclid space mission unveils stunning full-colour images of the cosmos, setting a new standard for astronomical imaging precision By Jordan Flemming University Relations Today, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid space mission reveals five of its first full-color images of the cosmos. For the first time, Euclid has harnessed the power to capture razor-sharp astronomical images across a vast expanse of the sky, delving deep into the distant universe.

Groundbreaking research is being carried out in several Université de Montréal departments and research institutes to link artificial intelligence and the functions of the brain. The disciplines of neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI) are intricately linked. The structure of the brain inspired the artificial neural networks of AI systems, and the machine learning techniques of AI, in particular deep learning, are modelled on the functioning of the mind.

Simon Fraser researchers studying the evolutionary history of flu viruses have found that a new quantitative analysis of how they evolved may help predict future strains. The research draws on a field known as phylogenetics, which focuses on how groups of organisms are evolutionarily related, and is published in the journal Science Advances.

University of Waterloo scientists capture carbon and turn it into sustainable, clean fuel Scientists at the University of Waterloo have achieved a historic breakthrough in transforming the carbon dioxide emissions driving climate change into clean fuels. The process, which has been refined over a two-year period, could play a significant role to help decarbonize industrial emissions and boost both the environment and national economies.

Social policies aimed at reducing poverty are associated with a decreased risk of dementia in people whose brains exhibit the pathological changes typical of Alzheimer's. Could reducing poverty go hand-in-hand with reducing the risk of developing dementia, the kind in which an elderly person shows signs of Alzheimer's disease but is cognitively healthy and autonomous?

Family members felt sadness, grief at seeing decline in health of older adults due to social distancing Restrictions on social access had a direct impact not only on the well-being of older adults in long-term care (LTC) but also their family members during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Western researchers.

Unexpected research findings shed a new light on the connection between fathers' mental health and children's behavioural and cognitive development Many parents experience stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms throughout their lives, particularly during times of transition, such as pregnancy and children's entry into school.

Researchers led by UdeM neuroscientist Tomas Paus uncover an important thinning mechanism that affects how the brain matures in adolescence. What determines how a teenager's brain is structured and how it evolves? In a scientific first, researchers led by Université de Montréal neuroscientist Tomas Paus and postdoctoral fellow Zhijie Liao have established a close link between brain activity and a maturation process called cortical thinning.

Simon Fraser researchers are learning more about how the scenarios for head impacts in hockey-from player clashes to contact with the boards or glass-affect impact severity. Their findings, reported in the journal Scientific Reports , should help to inform improvements in injury prevention. In a follow-up to their previous study on how hockey head impacts occur, researchers returned to a Burnaby rink to follow 43 university men's hockey players over another three seasons (2016-2019).

DNA of extremophiles living in comparably harsh conditions are similar despite being biologically unrelated The signature written in genomic DNA has long been linked to ancestry, not to geographic location. But a recent study using AI from Western University, published in the high impact journal Scientific Reports , provides evidence that living in extreme temperature environments leaves a discernible imprint on the genomes of microbial extremophiles.

A Canadian-led team of scientists finds triple the number of galaxies visible in the James Webb Space Telescope's "First Deep Field" image whose distances from Earth can be measured. On July 11, 2022, the very first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was released to the general public.

Fibers produced from the slime exhibit a strength akin to nylon, yet they can dissolve in water and be reconstituted into new fibers from the solution In the tropical, temperate forests it calls home, the velvet worm uses a projectile "slime" to capture its prey. When it's ejected from the worm, the slime transforms into a gel before solidifying into stiff fibers upon exposure to air.