A new study finds that mutations in two very different genes can have similar effects on developing brain cells, shedding light on the origins of autism. Researchers looked at neuronal stem cells with mutations in one of two genes; in humans, each of these mutations leads to a different neurodevelopmental disorder, although both disorders are […]
‘X-treme’ neutron stars
Researchers have discovered that a bright, pulsing neutron star is the source of ultra-bright X-rays coming from near the centre of the nearby galaxy Messier 82. Researchers have previously thought that only a black hole could emit so brightly in the X-ray region, but the team found that the source was pulsing, which black holes […]
Rock art of ages – cave paintings from Indonesia
Cave paintings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi date back nearly 40,000 years, on par with the oldest known human artwork from caves in Europe. The paintings include stencils of hands that date back as far as 39,900 years ago, making them the oldest known hand stencils. The paintings also include representations of a babirusa, […]
Need a stress-buster? Try exercise
Exercise has a proven track record for relieving stress, yet less than half of Canadians use it this way, according to a recent study. A survey of 40,000 Canadians 15 or older found that exercise ranked 8th out of 13 coping strategies, below “talking to others”, “looking on the bright side”, “ignoring stress” and even […]
Redefining the ‘big one’ for sports fishing
Every angler wants to catch the ‘big one’, but the heaviest fish are often more fertile and those needed most to continue the species. Researchers have analysed the approximately 1,200 species for which records are held by the International Game Fish Association and found that 85 of them are listed as ‘threatened’ by the International […]
Invasion of the shell-crushing crabs
As Antarctic waters begin to warm, they could become home to species of shell-crushing crabs that could devastate local organisms. Researchers found an adult female rocky crab – Halicarcinus planatus, normally found further north in New Zealand or South America – off the coast of Deception Island, a volcanic outcrop near the West Antarctic Peninsula. […]
Project FeederWatch
This citizen science project is a joint program of Bird Studies Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For a $35 fee, participants receive a handbook and other materials that help them identify bird species. They enter this data into a central website, thereby helping scientists track changes in bird numbers and movements across North […]
Vibration is key to wind pollination
If you’re a plant, and the animals or insects that pollinate you are disappearing or gone, your next best option might be wind pollination, and a new study sheds light on what adaptations are needed to make this transition. Researchers looked at flowers of English plantain, which like most wind-pollinated plants evolved from an animal-pollinated […]
McGill Alumnus wins Nobel Prize
McGill graduate John O’Keefe won the 2014 Nobel prize in medicine for his discovery in 1974 of brain cells that makes it possible for us to orient ourselves, acting like inner-GPS. Professor O’Keefe earned his phD at McGill in 1967 in physiological psychology. In 1971 O’Keefe was part of a team that discovered a type of […]
Who is spending time in emergency departments?
Patients who need admission to hospitals but don’t require an operating room or critical care bed spend the most time in the emergency departments (ED) according to a new report. The study analysed 10 million emergency-room visits from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS). Some of the findings include: 90 per cent of ED […]
Est-ce que les vêtements antimicrobiens fonctionnent réellement?
Une nouvelle étude suggère que les vêtements antimicrobiens ne fonctionneraient pas aussi bien dans la vie de tous les jours qu’en laboratoire. Des chercheurs ont scellé trois tissus avec des agents antimicrobiens pour voir s’ils réduisent la quantité de microbes en comparaison aux tissus ordinaires. Bien que deux des trois tissus ont bien moins de […]
Prendre le pouls du stress
Des chercheurs ont découvert que, malgré la croyance répandue, les personnes avec un pouls plus constant que la moyenne sont plus à risque d’être stressées. Ils ont enregistré la variabilité du pouls chez 76 étudiants participants pendant une séance de relaxation et au moment où ceux-ci pensaient à des sujets qui les inquiétaient. Ils ont […]
Une nouvelle maladie génétique découverte avec une origine qui remonte à la Nouvelle-France
Des chercheurs québécois ont découvert une nouvelle maladie génétique rare dont les origines remontent au début de la colonie de la Nouvelle-France. Ils ont identifié 16 Québécois d’origine canadienne-française comme étant porteurs de « dysrythmie intestinale et auriculaire chronique » (DIAC), une combinaison d’arythmie cardiaque et d’obstruction des intestins. Les auteurs de l’étude ont trouvé […]
New rare genetic disorder traced to early Quebec settlers
A rare genetic disorder can be traced to early settlers in Quebec and their European ancestors according to a new study. Researchers have identified 16 people from Eastern Quebec of French descent who have Chronic Atrial and Intestinal Dysrhythmia. The disorder, also called CAID syndrome, is a combination of heart arrhythmia and intestinal obstruction. Researchers […]
Is ‘antimicrobial clothing’ for real?
Plenty of clothing products purport to kill bacteria that cause disease or damage fabric, but a new study suggests that what works in the lab doesn’t always work in practice. Researchers sealed fabric treated with one of three different antimicrobial agents against the skin of volunteers to see if they would reduce the amount of […]
Taking the pulse of stress
Researchers have discovered that, contrary to what you might think, a less variable heartbeat might be associated with a higher susceptibility to stress. The team recorded heart rate variability in 76 student participants while they were relaxing and while they were thinking about things they tend to worry about most. They also tracked participants’ moods […]