my51�Թ��- 51�Թ��News Releases

Researchers find link between psychosocial stress and early signs of heart inflammation in women

51�Թ�� — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:26:24 +0000

Women who report high levels of psychosocial stress, such as from caregiving and lack of emotional support, show signs of early heart tissue changes associated with cardiovascular disease – an association not observed in men, a new study reveals.

The results support the notion that there are sex-specific ways in which stress affects cardiovascular health and that risk-assessment processes should take psychosocial factors and mental wellness into account, the researchers said.

Group therapy helps cancer survivors reclaim life after treatment

51�Թ�� — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:06:00 +0000

A program developed by a 51�Թ��researcher to help cancer survivors cope with the fear their cancer will return is expanding across Canada.

The Fear of Recurrence Therapy (FORT) program offers evidence-based support to address what co-founder Christine Maheu calls one of the most overlooked aspects of recovery.

Navigating the dating world? It’s important to know what you want, researchers say

51�Թ�� — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 14:38:47 +0000

Single people who date without a clear understanding of what they are looking for in a relationship experience more loneliness and decreased life satisfaction, 51�Թ��researchers have found.

Exoplanet is observed shedding its atmosphere in real time

51�Թ�� — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:36:10 +0000

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team led by 51�Թ��researcher Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy has observed a giant cloud of helium gas evaporating from a distant giant exoplanet called WASP-107b.

Scientists decode the full range of oat genomes, opening the door to more nutritious, climate-smart crops

51�Թ�� — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:16:51 +0000

Researchers have cracked one of agriculture’s most complicated genomes, revealing long-hidden DNA rearrangements that could help scientists breed oats that are more resilient, nutritious and sustainable.

The study, by an international consortium that included researchers from 51�Թ�� and published in Nature, presents the first-ever “pangenome” and “pantranscriptome” of oats. These map all known oat genes and track how they behave across 33 varieties that grow around the world.

51�Թ��researchers develop stretchable, biodegradable battery using eco-friendly acids

51�Թ�� — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 15:55:08 +0000

Researchers with McGill’s Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design have developed a stretchable, eco-friendly battery suitable for use in wearable and implantable devices. The battery, which uses citric or lactic acid and gelatin to achieve flexibility and performance without relying on toxic materials, stands to reduce electronic waste.

Bringing environmental policymakers together to focus on the future sparks empathy for nature and later generations, 51�Թ��study finds

51�Թ�� — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:19:04 +0000

When environmental policymakers are invited to imagine the future together, they don’t just think differently, they feel differently, too.

New therapeutic strategies show promise against a hard-to-treat prostate cancer

51�Թ�� — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:05:40 +0000

A new study has uncovered promising therapeutic strategies against one of the deadliest forms of prostate cancer.

51�Թ�� researchers at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) identified a mechanism driving neuroendocrine prostate cancer, a rare and highly aggressive subtype for which there currently are no effective treatment options.

What the history of the printing press can teach us about AI regulation

51�Թ�� — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:55:01 +0000

A study on the legal history of printing press regulation in early modern England yields insights relevant to contemporary debates on the regulation of emerging technologies like AI and virtual reality, a 51�Թ��researcher says.

COP 30: Quebec universities more united than ever for the climate

51�Թ�� — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:36:14 +0000

As the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is currently being held in Belém, Brazil, eighteen Quebec universities are reaffirming the climate emergency and the need to combine their efforts and expertise to meet this global challenge. This mobilization is part of a movement of enhanced cooperation, where higher education institutions play a central role in the transition to a resilient, equitable and low-carbon society.

Heavy cannabis use during pregnancy linked to disruption in brain growth

51�Թ�� — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:47:39 +0000

51�Թ�� researchers at the Douglas Research Centre have found evidence that heavy cannabis use during pregnancy can cause delays in brain development in the fetus that persist into adulthood.

Using advanced MRI techniques, the team tracked the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure in mice across key developmental stages.

51�Թ��study shows low-grade heat from renewable sources could be used to desalinate water

51�Թ�� — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:56:35 +0000

A 51�Թ��-led research team has demonstrated the feasibility of a sustainable and cost-effective way to desalinate seawater. The method – thermally driven reverse osmosis (TDRO) – uses a piston-based system powered by low-grade heat from solar thermal, geothermal heat and other sources of renewable energy to produce fresh water.

Lesser-known eating disorder just as severe as anorexia and bulimia, study finds

51�Թ�� — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:56:20 +0000

A diagnosis often viewed as less serious than anorexia and bulimia – and the most common eating disorder worldwide – can cause just as much harm, a new study has found.

51�Թ��researchers track boulders’ influence on snow melt, watersheds using unique combination of methods

51�Թ�� — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:30:56 +0000

Thanks to their use of a unique methodology, a McGill-led research team has obtained new insights into how boulders affect snow melt in mountainous northern environments, with implications for local water resources.

The team found that snow near boulders melts faster, not only because rocks radiate heat, but also due to subtle processes that reshape the snow’s surface. This information will help researchers understand how small-scale processes affect downstream water resources.

McGill-led team maps ‘weather’ on a nearby brown dwarf in unprecedented detail

51�Թ�� — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 13:55:13 +0000

Researchers at 51�Թ�� and collaborating institutions have mapped the atmospheric features of a planetary-mass brown dwarf, a type of space object that is neither a star nor a planet, existing in a category in-between. This particular brown dwarf’s mass, however, is just at the threshold between being a Jupiter-like planet and a brown dwarf. It has thus also been called a free-floating, or rogue, planet, not bound to a star.

Climate change could result in contaminant spread in the High Arctic, 51�Թ��study finds

51�Թ�� — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:51:59 +0000

Warming temperatures and increased precipitation in the Canadian High Arctic are mobilizing new pathways for subsurface contaminants to spread from more than 2,500 contaminated sites associated with industrial and military sites across the region.

McGill’s handwritten copies of In Flanders Fields honoured as documentary heritage of outstanding value

51�Թ�� — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 16:07:53 +0000

Four handwritten copies of John McCrae's immortal poem In Flanders Fields, held at 51�Թ��’s Osler Library of the History of Medicine, were inscribed this month on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s (CCUNESCO) Canada Memory of the World Register. The program, launched by UNESCO in 1992, recognizes documentary heritage of outstanding universal value and promotes its preservation and accessibility.

Ancient mammoth tooth offers clues about Ice Age life in northeastern Canada

51�Թ�� — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:54:09 +0000

A worn-down mammoth tooth discovered nearly 150 years ago on an island in Nunavut offers new insights into where and how the Ice Age giants lived and died.

Nerve injuries can affect the entire immune system, study finds

51�Թ�� — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 17:06:47 +0000

Nerve injuries can have long-lasting effects on the immune system that appear to differ between males and females, according to preclinical research from 51�Թ��.

51�Թ��study reveals knowledge gap about psychedelic therapies in adolescents

51�Թ�� — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:24:17 +0000

There is a growing interest within the medical community in the use of psychedelic therapies to treat conditions ranging from depression and PTSD to anxiety and eating disorders. New research led by 51�Թ�� and published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health has found that while adolescents under 18 might also benefit from these types of treatments, they have been excluded from current clinical research in the field due to ethical, legal and regulatory concerns.

51�Թ��researchers identify bacteria that could provide an early warning of blue-green algae toxicity

51�Թ�� — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 16:25:34 +0000

Researchers at 51�Թ�� have identified bacteria that can indicate whether a blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom is likely to be toxic, offering a potential water-safety early warning system. Blooms are becoming more frequent due to climate change, according to previous 51�Թ��research. They can produce various contaminants, known as cyanotoxins, that pose serious health risks to humans, pets and wildlife.

Study links early cannabis use and health problems

51�Թ�� — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:11:22 +0000

Adolescents who start using cannabis early and often are more likely to need health care for both mental and physical problems as they enter adulthood, according to a new study led by 51�Թ�� researchers.

Montreal homelessness services for 2SLGBTQ+ adults are inadequate, researchers find

51�Թ�� — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:16:15 +0000

Homelessness services in Montreal are not well suited to the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ adults in Montreal, a study by 51�Թ��researchers has found.

“Homelessness services are very binary, and often those who are non-binary are completely excluded,” said Jayne Malenfant, Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education.

Bilingual teenagers in Montreal exhibit writing skills on par with their French unilingual peers’, new research shows

51�Թ�� — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:01:05 +0000

51�Թ��researchers who examined the writing skills of teenagers in Montreal found that the performance in French of English-French bilinguals was similar to that of near-monolingual francophones. Bilinguals were defined as teens raised in anglophone or bilingual (English-French) households and who had had significant exposure to French through attending French-language school. Further, the English writing skills of the bilingual participants were found to be on par with their French writing skills.

51�Թ��team pinpoints where a type of cell death begins

51�Թ�� — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:41:12 +0000

A team at 51�Թ�� studying ferroptosis, a form of cell death, have discovered that the process begins deep inside the cell, a finding that could lead to new treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Using antioxidant probes that light up as they are consumed, the team tracked ferroptosis in real time and identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as the key cellular structure where the process first takes hold. Protecting the ER and the lysosome, they found, can halt ferroptosis entirely.

Smoking both cannabis and tobacco may alter brain’s ‘bliss molecule,’ study finds

51�Թ�� — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:02:41 +0000

People who use both cannabis and tobacco show distinct brain changes compared to those who use cannabis alone, according to a new study led by 51�Թ�� researchers at the Douglas Research Centre.

The finding may help explain why people who use both cannabis and tobacco often report increased depression and anxiety, and why quitting cannabis is harder for them than for people only using cannabis

51�Թ��research flags Montreal snow dump, inactive landfills as major methane polluters

51�Թ�� — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:33:00 +0000

Montreal’s methane emissions are unevenly distributed across the island, with the highest concentrations in the city’s east end, 51�Թ��researchers have found. The worst polluters include the city’s largest snow dump, which emits methane at levels comparable to the city's current and former landfills, and natural gas leaks.

Researchers at The Neuro show a brain exercise yields benefits

51�Թ�� — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:01:17 +0000

A 51�Թ��-led clinical trial is the first in humans to show online brain training exercises can improve brain networks affecting learning and memory.

The study found 10 weeks’ use of the game-like app BrainHQ by older adults enhanced cholinergic function, a chemical system in the brain that typically declines with age and influences attention, memory and decision-making.

New injectable gel shows promise as voice loss treatment

51�Թ�� — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:03:59 +0000

51�Թ�� researchers have engineered a new hydrogel that shows early promise as a treatment for people with vocal cord injuries.

Voice loss is often permanent when scarring forms on the vocal cords. Current injectable treatments break down quickly, which can force patients to get repeated procedures that can further damage the delicate tissue.

What makes a great coach?

51�Թ�� — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:20:21 +0000

Successful sports coaches have some things in common, researchers from 51�Թ�� and the University of Queensland in Australia found. Notably, they engage in post-season introspection, focus on creating a good team culture and include their athletes in finding solutions to problems.

The researchers looked at the experiences of Canadian university-level head coaches of sports teams who had been at that level for at least 15 years and had records of success, including having won championships, but who then experienced a poor season.

51�Թ��researchers launch intersex health communication guide

51�Թ�� — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:56:18 +0000

Researchers at McGill’s Centre of Genomics and Policy (CGP) have launched a first-of-its-kind guide to help Canadian health-care providers offer more inclusive, respectful and affirming care to intersex adults.

Millions of buildings at risk from sea level rise, McGill-led study finds

51�Թ�� — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:49:34 +0000

Sea level rise could put more than 100 million buildings across the Global South at risk of regular flooding if fossil fuel emissions are not curbed quickly, according to a new McGill-led study published in npj Urban Sustainability.

51�Թ��collaborates with Concordia, École Polytechnique and Aéro Montréal to establish new aerospace innovation centre

51�Թ�� — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:12:15 +0000

The Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec today announced an investment of $2 million to fund a technical plan for the functioning of the Centre de collaboration et d’innovation en aérospatiale et mobilité (CCIAM). Led by the Aéro Montréal cluster within the Espace Aéro innovation zone – created by the Government of Quebec in 2024 – the CCIAM is a flagship research and innovation infrastructure project.

51�Թ��physicists manoeuvre DNA molecules using electrical fields

51�Թ�� — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:01:46 +0000

Researchers in McGill’s Department of Physics have developed a new device that can trap and study DNA molecules without touching or damaging them. The device, which uses carefully tuned electric fields, offers scientists unprecedented control over how DNA behaves in real time, creating the opportunity for faster, more precise molecular analysis that could improve diagnostics, genome mapping and the study of disease-related molecules.

New AI tool detects hidden warning signs of disease

51�Թ�� — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:28:43 +0000

51�Թ�� researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can detect previously invisible disease markers inside single cells.

In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers demonstrate how the tool, called DOLPHIN, could one day be used by doctors to catch diseases earlier and guide treatment options.

Childhood overeating can be a harbinger of later mental health struggles in girls, study finds

51�Թ�� — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:39:42 +0000

Girls who overeat regularly in the preschool years are more likely to experience anxiety, impulsivity and hyperactivity in adolescence, according to a new study led by researchers at 51�Թ�� and the Douglas Research Centre.

Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient’s chance of dying at home

51�Թ�� — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:20:18 +0000

Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient’s probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51�Թ��-led study.

Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.

Trauma and resilience: 51�Թ��study explores the enduring effects of sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi

51�Թ�� — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:27:40 +0000

A study led by 51�Թ�� researchers offers insights into intergenerational memory and the experiences of children born of conflict-related sexual violence and their mothers in post-genocide Rwanda.

Researchers delve into how gaslighting works

51�Թ�� — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:58:17 +0000

Gaslighting could happen to anyone who trusts the wrong person, a 51�Թ�� researcher says.

Willis Klein, a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology, was part of a team from 51�Թ��and the University of Toronto that developed a new theoretical model with which to understand how manipulators are able to make their targets question their sense of reality over a period of time.

Six students at 51�Թ�� receive Canada’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship

51�Թ�� — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 13:20:15 +0000

Six incoming 51�Թ�� students are recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship.

The undergraduate entrance scholarship is the most generous student award in Canada for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) studies.

Biases hinder access to sexual assault evidence kits, study finds

51�Թ�� — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:49:53 +0000

Survivors of sexual assault in largely rural and remote Northwestern Ontario face systemic barriers when seeking forensic care, according to a new study led by 51�Թ�� researchers.

Students with overprotective parents are more vulnerable to anxiety during their transition to university, researchers find

51�Թ�� — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:16:27 +0000

First-year undergraduates who grew up with overly cautious or controlling parents tend to experience increased anxiety when faced with stresses associated with the transition to university, researchers from 51�Թ�� and the University of California (Los Angeles) have found.

New technique replicates microplastics in the lab with greater precision

51�Թ�� — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:04:00 +0000

51�Թ�� researchers have developed a novel method to replicate four types of microplastics commonly found in the environment, providing researchers with a standardized approach to study their toxic effects.

Earth’s deep time isn’t just layered — it’s fractal, study finds

51�Թ�� — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:16:19 +0000

Geological time, usually seen as a complex system of eras, periods, and epochs considered through layers of rock, may actually follow a simple, unifying pattern. A new study, led by 51�Թ�� physicist Shaun Lovejoy, shows that the boundaries dividing the Earth’s most important historical events, such as mass extinctions and major climate shifts, follow a fractal pattern: self-similar and statistically consistent across scales of millions to hundreds of millions of years.

Study linking depression to specific altered brain cells opens door to new treatments

51�Թ�� — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:03:05 +0000

Researchers at 51�Թ�� and the Douglas Institute have identified two specific types of brain cells that are altered in people with depression.

The study, published in Nature Genetics, opens the door to developing new treatments that target these cells and deepens our understanding of depression, a leading cause of disability worldwide that affects more than 264 million people.

CHORD will be a huge leap forward for Canadian radio astronomy

51�Թ�� — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:05:09 +0000

Construction is underway of CHORD, the most ambitious radio telescope project ever built on Canadian soil. Short for the Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector, CHORD will give astronomers an unprecedented opportunity to explore some of the most exciting and mysterious questions in astrophysics and cosmology, from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and dark energy to the measurements of fundamental particles, and beyond.

Study raises red flags about BPA replacements

51�Թ�� — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:46:31 +0000

Chemicals used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging can trigger potentially harmful effects in human ovarian cells, according to 51�Թ�� researchers.

A new study examined several chemicals commonly used in price stickers on packaged meat, fish, cheese and produce found early signs of potential toxicity.

51�Թ��researchers develop safe, scalable vibration technique to improve lab-grown tissues

51�Թ�� — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:45:52 +0000

Researchers in McGill’s Department of Mechanical Engineering have discovered a safe and low-cost method of engineering living materials such as tissues, organs and blood clots. By simply vibrating these materials as they form, scientists can dramatically influence how strong or, weak they become.

The findings, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, could have a range of innovative applications, including in organ transplants, wound healing and regenerative medicine.

Even post-#MeToo, news reporting on sexual violence remains problematic, 51�Թ��researchers say

51�Թ�� — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 13:10:41 +0000

Even in the post-#MeToo era, news reporting on sexual violence remains problematic and causes harms, 51�Թ��researchers have found.

The researchers conducted a thematic review of academic literature, analyzing 41 relevant articles published between 2013 and 2023 in the Global North to assess whether news coverage of sexual violence has evolved since the #MeToo movement of 2017 had increased awareness.

Brightest fast radio burst seen so far allows researchers to zoom in on the location of origin

51�Թ�� — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 18:00:36 +0000

A team of international astronomers, including 51�Թ��researchers, have pinpointed one of the brightest fast radio bursts (FRBs) ever detected to a location in a nearby galaxy. The finding and the location surprised the team and offered new insight into FRBs, which are one of astrophysics’ biggest mysteries.

Tinnitus severity linked to mood, sleep and personality traits

51�Թ�� — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:15:46 +0000

How severely a person experiences tinnitus is shaped by their mood, sleep quality and even personality traits, a new study has found.

Tinnitus is a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears that affects roughly 14 per cent of adults worldwide. It is known to be linked to hearing loss and to affect people differently.

In order to gain a better understanding of impacts on individuals, 51�Թ�� researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, developed a predictive model.

High-salt diet inflames the brain and raises blood pressure, study finds

51�Թ�� — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:20:36 +0000

A new study finds that a high-salt diet triggers brain inflammation that drives up blood pressure.

Study finds Montreal cycling infrastructure doesn’t match demand

51�Թ�� — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:02:46 +0000

Bike lanes, BIXI stations and other micromobility infrastructure make up just two per cent of Montreal’s street space – even in neighbourhoods where cycling demand would justify more – according to a new study by 51�Թ�� researchers. They think that the measure they developed to arrive at their findings can also help assess the situation in other cities.

my51�Թ���- 51�Թ���News Releases