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Historic plant collections offer a window into genetic change

admin — 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.

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

admin — 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.

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

admin — 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.

Teaching children to be better, more critical internet users

admin — 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.

Expert: Ebola outbreak

admin — Tue, 19 May 2026 19:18:45 +0000

Over 100 deaths and more than 500 suspected cases have been reported in the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Director-General of the World Health Organization has expressed deep concern about the “scale and speed of the epidemic.”

A 91ɬ�� expert is available to comment:

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

admin — 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.

Expert: Canada aims to double electricity capacity by 2050

admin — Fri, 15 May 2026 16:41:32 +0000

A new national strategy aims to double the capacity of the country’s electricity grid by 2050, Prime Minister Mark Carney said as he announced the plan Thursday.

François Bouffard is an Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He can discuss grid reliability, electricity demand growth, and the technical challenges of operating and stabilizing a significantly expanded national grid.

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

admin — 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.

91ɬ��’s Bravo Gala shines a spotlight on research excellence

admin — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:18:30 +0000

At event honouring 116 winners of major awards, keynote speaker and SSHRC Gold Medal recipient Myriam Denov emphasized the importance of listening.

91ɬ�� celebrated more than 100 researchers at the 21st edition of Bravo, a gala event May 7 honouring the winners of major provincial, national and international research prizes and awards in 2025.

$1.25 million for 91ɬ�� research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund

admin — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:34:01 +0000

Federal fund will support transformative high risk, high reward research across engineering, science, and medicine at 91ɬ��.

91ɬ�� awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs

admin — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:51:34 +0000

From fundamental physics to child well-being, 91ɬ�� researchers advance discovery across disciplines

91ɬ�� has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed.

Icing injuries may slow recovery and prolong pain, study finds

admin — 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.

Experts: Trump’s visit to China

admin — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:34:34 +0000

U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. It is expected that talk about trade and the Iran war will dominate their May 13-15 discussions.

These 91ɬ�� experts are available to comment:

Special Seminar — AES Honorary Degree Recipient, Spring 2026 Convocation — The Multifaceted Roles of Oxidative Stress: Eustress and Distress

admin — Tue, 12 May 2026 17:43:23 +0000

Special Seminar — AES Honorary Degree Recipient, Spring 2026 Convocation

Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, 91ɬ��

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

admin — 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.