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An UdeM research team has found that the rare earths used in high-tech products compete with each other in aquatic organisms, mitigating their biological effects. In an increasingly connected world, rare earth metals with odd names such as lanthanum, cerium and yttrium have become strategic assets. They are used in everything from mobile phones to wind turbines to electric vehicles.

Error loading page resources Please try to reload the page to display it correctly. McGill-led study shows that environmental history and microbiome stability shape how corals withstand extreme heat, offering insights for reef conservation in a warming world A new study led by researchers at McGill University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama reveals why some corals resist bleaching while others don't: the answer lies in a complex partnership between corals and their microbial allies, shaped by the history of the waters they inhabit.

Error loading page resources Please try to reload the page to display it correctly. Breakthrough could help oat farmers boost yields, reducing reliance on chemicals used to speed up harvests For the first time, scientists have successfully edited oat DNA, a breakthrough that could accelerate the development of oats with more fibre, higher yields, and greater resilience to climate change.

An interdisciplinary study draws on interviews with Dominicans displaced by Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Erika to explore the risks associated with climate change in the Caribbean. A container was blown away by the force of the winds (Hurricane Maria) and is blocking the entrance to the Hospital in Portsmouth (North of Dominica) Credit: Patrick Cloos In September 2017, Hurricane Maria ripped through the Caribbean, devastating the small island nation of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, between Guadeloupe and Martinique.

The growing threat of wildfires in British Columbia and associated health risks are laid bare in two studies from experts at Simon Fraser University. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in both the number and intensity of wildfires, inflicting unprecedented ecological, social and economic damage, as well as posing severe risks to public health.

Western and LHSCRI researchers hope to inform environmental, health policy in high-pollution areas A new study reveals air pollution may contribute to the development of epilepsy, a brain condition that causes seizures. Published in Epilepsia, researchers at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) and Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry found an association between long-term exposure to air pollution with new cases of epilepsy in adults in Ontario.

Researchers estimated about 8,500 tonnes of antibiotics end up in river systems each year after passing through the human body and wastewater systems Millions of kilometres of rivers around the world are carrying antibiotic pollution at levels high enough to promote drug resistance and harm aquatic life, a McGill University-led study warns.

Western researchers uncover a ancient polar ecosystem - and surprising birthplace for familiar fish Most people picture the time of dinosaurs as a steamy, tropical world. But during the Late Cretaceous period, northern Alaska was a different kind of wild. Located far above the Arctic Circle, it endured months of winter darkness and freezing temperatures - even as much of the planet remained warm.

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.

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.

Researchers express concern the animals' strategy may not be able to keep pace with rapidly changing conditions A new study led by McGill researchers indicates that humpback whales in the southeastern Pacific combine real-time environmental cues with their memories of conditions in their Antarctic feeding grounds to determine when to embark on their annual 10,000-kilometre journey.

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.

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.

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.

Climate change limits progress on cleaning up the River Thames: study. A study led by a University of Waterloo researcher has learned that climate change is increasing the potential for algal blooms in the United Kingdom's River Thames despite a four-decade-long decline in phosphorus loads. The study completed a detailed analysis of the river's 150-year water quality record to learn this information.

Proactively exposing ecosystems to mild environmental stressors appears to offer protection, study finds McGill researchers say their work could have important implications for managing biodiversity in the face of increasing anthropogenic stressors, such as climate change and pollution Mild, proactive exposure to environmental stress can help biological communities resist severe disturbances and maintain genetic diversity, a recent study from McGill University has found.

"Out of science fiction": First 3D observations of an exoplanet's atmosphere reveal a unique climate The first three-dimensional observations of the atmosphere of the exoplanet Tylos, in which astronomers from IREx participated, have revealed its unique climate. Joost Wardenier and Romain Allart, both IREx postdoctoral reseachers who contributed to the study.

Biologist Jérémy De Bonville has analyzed the ability of four fish species to acclimate to temperature variations in their marine habitats. When exposed to an increase in the water temperature of their habitat, zebrafish, three-spined stickleback and flounder adapt more quickly than goldsinny wrasse, which dwells in deeper waters.