29 Current news from canada
rssUsers of game designed by McGill researchers contributing to analysis of DNA sequences
12-08-2011
Thousands of video game players have helped significantly advance our understanding of the genetic basis of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer over the past year. They are the users of a web-based video game developed by Dr. Jérôme Waldispuhl of the McGill School of Computer ...
Abnormal levels of caffeine in water indicate human contamination
11-24-2011
Researchers led by Prof. Sébastien Sauvé of the University of Montreal’s Department of Chemistry have discovered that traces of caffeine are a useful indicator of the contamination of our water by sewers. “E coli bacteria is commonly used to evaluate and regulate the levels of fecal pollution ...
New floating microscopic device will allow researchers to study a wide range of cellular processes
09-22-2011
It’s a bit of a challenge. But, imagine a microscopic jet vacuum cleaner, the size of a pen nib that hovers over cell surfaces without ever touching them. Then imagine that the soap in the cleaning solution is replaced with various molecules that can be selectively delivered to the cells. ...
Prof. Rikard Blunck receives the Society of General Physiologists’ Cranefield Award for his breakthrough
09-13-2011
Toxin proteins are genetically engineered into our food because they kill insects by perforating body cell walls, and Professor Rikard Blunck of the University of Montreal’s Group for the study of membrane proteins (GÉPROM) has detected the molecular mechanism involved. In recognition of his ...
02-23-2011
T-cell receptor diversity in blood samples from healthy individuals has been extensively cataloged for the first time in a study published in Genome Research, setting the stage for a better understanding of infectious disease, cancer, and immune system disorders. Adaptive immunity is mediated ...
11-03-2010
University of Toronto researchers have developed a new “high definition” computer program to analyze human DNA and more accurately detect genetic variants that affect individual traits like disease susceptibility and varying drug responses. A multi-disciplinary team combining computer ...
11-02-2010
The ability to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere to help prevent climate change is a global issue. The challenge is to use materials that can capture the CO2 and easily release it for permanent storage. Researchers at the University of Calgary and University of Ottawa have provided deeper ...
New technique may help restorers identify decades-old pigments
09-06-2010
A team of McGill chemists have discovered that a technique known as photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy could be used to identify the composition of pigments used in art work that is decades or even centuries old. Pigments give artist’s materials colour, and they emit sounds when light is ...
Breakthrough discovery enables nanoscale manipulation of the piezoelectric effect
08-25-2010
The generation of an electric field by the compression and expansion of solid materials is known as the piezoelectric effect, and it has a wide range of applications ranging from everyday items such as watches, motion sensors and precise positioning systems. Researchers at McGill University’s ...
08-18-2010
The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada supports the results of Health Canada's Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Biomonitoring studies such as this are useful tools for obtaining exposure information, which can be combined with other scientific approaches to advance ...
