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Better education can mitigate post-harvest food losses, increase global food security

admin — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:54:54 +0000

Better educating farmers and food processors about how to avoid post-harvest food losses – which amount to one-third of global food production, worth US$1 trillion annually – would reduce global food insecurity, according to researchers at ɬ�﷬.

ɬ�﷬ researchers reveal how life-saving molecules are created

admin — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:11:01 +0000

ɬ�﷬ researchers have discovered how certain microbes create potent drugs like antibiotics and anti-cancer therapies.

Their surprising findings could change the way scientists approach drug discovery and pave the way to the designing of next-generation medications, explained Martin Schmeing, principal investigator and professor in ɬ�﷬’s Department of Biochemistry and Centre for Structural Biology.

What drives mood swings in bipolar disorder? Study points to a second brain clock

admin — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:08:29 +0000

A brain rhythm working in tandem with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle may explain why bipolar patients alternate between mania and depression, according to new research.

The ɬ�﷬-led study published in Science Advances marks a breakthrough in understanding what drives shifts between the two states, something that, according to lead author Kai-Florian Storch, is considered the “holy grail” of bipolar-disorder research.

Retailers boost profits while improving eating habits of clientele

admin — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:56:02 +0000

Convenience stores can help customers improve their eating habits while at the same time boosting both their own sales and profits. It’s as simple as offering customers the choice between healthy snacks and pastries as a low-cost add-on to their cup of coffee, according to a new study out of ɬ�﷬.

Clouds have a surprising effect on surface warming, ɬ�﷬ climate researchers find

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:07:07 +0000

ɬ�﷬ researchers have discovered that changes in clouds are slightly mitigating global warming.

New discovery could help protect against influenza

admin — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:23:27 +0000

A component found in all fungi may provide a shield against flu-related lung damage, according to a new study.

A team of scientists led by Maziar Divangahi, a Professor in ɬ�﷬’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the ɬ�﷬ Health Centre, demonstrated that beta-glucan, administered to mice before their exposure to influenza, can reduce lung damage, improve lung function and lower the risk of illness and death.

ɬ�﷬-linked AXIS mission is one of two finalists in NASA selection process

admin — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 14:15:15 +0000

NASA has selected the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) mission, co-investigated by ɬ�﷬ Professor Daryl Haggard, to advance to the next stage of its $1 billion space probe competition.

Researchers link mysterious cosmic signals to collapsed stars

admin — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:05:40 +0000

An international team of scientists led by ɬ�﷬ researchers has provided the clearest evidence yet that some fast radio bursts (FRBs) — enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio waves from space — originate from neutron stars, the ultra-dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded in a supernova. This finding, based on an analysis of the radio signal of a single FRB, advances our understanding of one of the universe’s most perplexing phenomena.

Communication between body muscle and the brain influences fertility, study finds

admin — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:53:33 +0000

A newly discovered line of communication between body muscle and the pituitary gland may play an unexpected role in female fertility, according to a new study.

ɬ�﷬ researchers found that a protein produced in the muscles helps manage the release of a hormone made in the pea-sized gland attached to the base of the brain.

The findings, published in Science, could lead to new treatment options for infertility, the researchers said.

Time in nature benefits children with mental health difficulties: study

admin — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:30:59 +0000

A team of researchers from ɬ�﷬ and Université de Montréal’s Observatoire pour l’éducation et la santé des enfants (OPES, or observatory on children’s health and eduation), led by Sylvana Côté, spending two hours a week of class time in a natural environment can reduce emotional distress among 10- to 12-year-olds who had the most significant mental health problems before the program began.

ɬ�﷬ researchers help uncover rare gamma-ray flare from a distant black hole

admin — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:12:12 +0000

A high-energy gamma-ray flare from the super-massive black hole in the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy was observed in 2018 for the first time in nearly a decade, thanks to an international effort involving ɬ�﷬ researchers. This discovery has yielded important insights into the physics of black hole jets, which are among the most efficient engines for distributing energy from the inside of a galaxy to the expanse of the Universe.

‘Last Ice Area’ in the Arctic could disappear much sooner than previously thought

admin — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 21:17:23 +0000

The Arctic’s “Last Ice Area” (LIA) — a vital habitat for ice-dependent species — might disappear within a decade after the central Arctic Ocean becomes ice-free in summer, which is expected to occur sometime around mid-century, a new study by ɬ�﷬ researchers using a high-resolution model has found.

ɬ�﷬, the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), and the U.S. State Department Commemorate 70 Years of ɬ�﷬’s Bellairs Research Institute in Barbados with a Full Day of STEAM Programming

admin — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:05:39 +0000

ɬ�﷬, the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), and the U.S. State Department today teamed up to host a full day of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) activities and presentations to honour the 70th anniversary of ɬ�﷬’s acclaimed Bellairs Research Institute in Barbados and promote STEAM education to students in Barbados.

Child undernutrition may be contributing to global measles outbreaks, researchers find

admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:54:05 +0000

Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be exacerbating outbreaks in areas suffering from food insecurity.

A study involving over 600 fully vaccinated children in South Africa found those who were undernourished had substantially lower levels of antibodies against measles.

Lab-grown brain cells help uncover new targets for Parkinson’s treatments

admin — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 14:09:57 +0000

Scientists have uncovered a new link between the immune system and the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) at ɬ�﷬ have discovered that an immune response plays a key role in how toxic protein clumps, known as Lewy bodies, form in brain cells and contribute to disease.

This suggests factors that trigger the immune system, such as chronic inflammation, exposure to toxins, or prolonged stress may not only correlate with Parkinson’s, as previous research has found, but drive its development.