91ɬ�� News - News releases

Historic plant collections offer a window into genetic change

webfull — Thu, 21 May 2026 14:10:22 +0000

Pressed plant specimens collected centuries ago and stored in herbaria around the world could play a key role in facilitating the tracking of genetic change and extinction risk in plants, a 91ɬ��-led study indicates.

Published: 21 May 2026

Novel origami pattern turns flat sheets into load-bearing 3D technology

webfull — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:58:09 +0000

91ɬ�� researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material’s final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. The result, a “doubly curved lens box,” could advance the technology of such objects as temporary emergency tents, morphing robots and smart fabrics, the researchers said.

Published: 21 May 2026

Study finds early complex life lived in oxygenated seas, challenging long‑held views of evolution

webfull — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:53 +0000

The earliest known eukaryotes, the ancestors of all complex life on Earth, lived in oxygenated, shallow marine environments nearly 1.7 billion years ago, according to a new study led by researchers at 91ɬ�� and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The findings cast doubt on the long-held belief that early complex life emerged in oxygen-poor environments or floated freely in the open ocean.

Published: 20 May 2026

Teaching children to be better, more critical internet users

webfull — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:40:21 +0000

A digital literacy program for elementary school students designed by researchers at 91ɬ�� was successful in improving students’ ability to evaluate websites and their content.

Skills targeted included how to search for information, how to identify credible websites, how to evaluate the quality of information sources and how to address conflicting information.

Students’ global performance increased across all skill categories, in most cases by significant margins.

Published: 20 May 2026

‘Jumping gene’ helps explain elevated pancreatic cancer risk in French-Canadians

webfull — Tue, 19 May 2026 14:13:42 +0000

Researchers at 91ɬ�� have discovered a centuries-old genetic mutation that helps to explain why some French‑Canadians in Quebec are at an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer. Until quite recently, standard genetic tests have not been able to identify this “jumping gene” cause.

The findings, published in the Journal of Medical Genetics, suggest better-targeted genetic testing could help identify people at higher cancer risk who were previously missed.

Published: 19 May 2026

91ɬ�� researchers help secure Canadian access to the world’s largest telescope

webfull — Thu, 14 May 2026 18:19:47 +0000

A team led by the Université de Montréal, the Observatoire du Mont‑Mégantic (OMM) and the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx), in partnership with the University of British Columbia and 91ɬ��, has been awarded nearly $11.3 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support Canada’s contribution to ANDES, a flagship scientific instrument for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) under construction in Chile.

Published: 14 May 2026

Icing injuries may slow recovery and prolong pain, study finds

webfull — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:42:56 +0000

Icing a sprained ankle or sore muscle, long used to reduce pain and swelling, may in the longer run delay recovery and prolong pain, new research suggests.

In a preclinical study published in Anesthesiology, 91ɬ�� researchers found that even though cryotherapy (icing) eased pain in the short term, recovery time was more than doubled in some cases.

Published: 13 May 2026

Discovery of fat-burning ‘switch’ could lead to advances in bone disease treatments

webfull — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:38:51 +0000

Scientists’ discovery of a molecular “switch” that activates an energy‑burning pathway in mice has the potential to lead to new treatments for bone disease.

The study, published in Nature, sheds new light on brown fat. Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat cells burn calories, producing heat as a byproduct. For years, it was believed this process relied on a single pathway. More recently, researchers discovered a parallel pathway, but how it became activated remained a mystery.

Published: 12 May 2026

91ɬ�� researchers’ sustainable construction method aims to improve earthquake safety

webfull — Mon, 11 May 2026 14:49:54 +0000

Researchers at 91ɬ�� are carrying out large‑scale tests of a new timber-steel structural system designed to help buildings better withstand earthquakes. Early results suggest the system performs well under simulated earthquake forces, offering a potential path toward safer, more sustainable construction in Quebec and beyond.

Published: 11 May 2026

A promising new way to transplant cells could lead to a better treatment for Type 1 diabetes

webfull — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:04:12 +0000

Researchers at 91ɬ�� and the Research Institute of the 91ɬ�� Health Center (RI-MUHC) have developed a novel device to transplant insulin-producing cells that integrates directly with existing blood vessels in the body. The technology, which showed promising results in preclinical trials, aims to overcome key challenges of emerging long-term cell-based treatments for Type 1 diabetes. As well as serving as an artificial pancreas, it potentially could be used to replace or support the function of other organs.

Published: 7 May 2026