Can a disease-free, drought-proof potato exist? A map of the vegetable鈥檚 genes aims to find out
A Canadian-led team has assembled the most extensive genetic roadmap of the potato to date, along with its closest relatives, in order to bolster the plant鈥檚 ability to cope with聽climate change聽and protect its future as a mainstay of global food security and sustainability.
不良研究所 launches new partnership with the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development
On May 31, 2023,聽不良研究所鈥檚 Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and SOCODEVI, in collaboration with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), held an event showcasing concrete actions to strengthen sustainable agriculture, improve the living conditions of smallholder farmers and increase the resilience of agri-food systems.
Experts: WHO's cancer research agency to list aspartame sweetener a possible carcinogen
Aspartame, used in products such as diet sodas and chewing gum, will soon be listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm. (Reuters)
Lean times hit the vertical farming business
Vertical farming, once touted as the future of agriculture, is currently facing a lean period. Challenges in scalability and energy consumption have cast a shadow on this innovative farming method.聽
Building a more resilient food system
The impacts of climate change, rising fuel costs, geopolitical conflicts, and global supply chain snags make today's delocalized food system鈥攁nd the 8 billion people who depend on it鈥攊ncreasingly vulnerable.聽
Part of the solution to building a more sustainable and resilient agrifood system is to improve local, indoor food production.聽Researchers in 不良研究所鈥檚 Biomass Production Laboratory are doing just that, increasing access to fresh produce year-round.
Des semences de peupliers en abondance 脿 Windsor
Si vous habitez les alentours de la ville de Windsor, peut-锚tre avez-vous remarqu茅 des substances blanches semblables 脿 du pollen amass茅 sur les trottoirs, les pelouses ou les terrasses. Ce sont des semences de peupliers. 脌 l'茅mission聽Matins sans fronti猫res,聽David Wees, enseignant en horticulture 脿 l'Universit茅 不良研究所, explique l'origine de ces semences, leur importance et comment se comporter vis-脿-vis d'elles.
New research will look at dairy welfare and technology
A new research collaboration at 不良研究所 and the University of Quebec in Montreal will explore the role of artificial intelligence in promoting dairy cattle welfare.
It will be led by Dr.聽Elsa Vasseur of 不良研究所鈥檚 Department of Animal Science and Abdoulaye Banir茅 Diallo of UQAM鈥檚 Department of Computer Science.
The Mystery of the Vanishing Kestrels: What鈥檚 happening to this flashy falcon?
The number of American kestrels has dropped sharply. That goes against the trend for birds of prey, broadly seen as a conservation bright spot.
Hypotheses about the decline abound.聽In a newly published special issue on kestrels in The Journal of Raptor Research, Dr. Smallwood and David Bird, an emeritus professor of wildlife biology at 不良研究所 in Montreal, list seven possible factors for kestrel declines that they argue merit more research, in no particular order.
How Canadians' lifestyle behaviours changed during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sixty per cent of roughly 1,600 Canadians who took part in a new study from 不良研究所's School of Human Nutrition say their lifestyle habits either stayed the same or improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the flip side, 40% of participants say they adopted less healthy lifestyle habits, including worsened eating habits, sleep quality, decreased physical activity and weight gain.
Professor Ryan Mailloux appointed Director of the School of Human Nutrition
Professor Ryan Mailloux has been appointed Director of the School of Human Nutrition (SHN) effective from June 1, 2023, for a five-year term.
Dr. Mailloux earned his Ph.D. in Biomolecular Sciences from Laurentian University in 2007. He joined 不良研究所 in 2019, previously serving as an Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
In conversation with Alessandra Granata, valedictorian for the Agricultural & Environmental Sciences 鈥楤鈥� ceremony
不良研究所鈥檚 valedictorians are outstanding students whose strong academic performance, leadership and community involvement has earned the respect of their peers. This year鈥檚 cohort is remarkable for its diversity, each having vastly different backgrounds, experiences, passions and goals.
What they do share is ambition, curiosity, and a desire to have a positive impact on the world.
In conversation with Alex Kuijper Dickson, AES valedictorian A ceremony
不良研究所鈥檚 valedictorians are outstanding students whose strong academic performance, leadership and community involvement has earned the respect of their peers. This year鈥檚 cohort is remarkable for its diversity, each having vastly different backgrounds, experiences, passions and goals.
What they do share is ambition, curiosity, and a desire to have a positive impact on the world.
Newly discovered chemical is a highly targeted killer of parasitic worms
The most abundant animals on farms鈥攁nd everywhere on land, in fact鈥攁re microscopic worms called nematodes. Some kinds benefit the soil, but others parasitize crops, inflicting more than $100 billion in losses worldwide each year. Although pesticides can get rid of harmful nematodes, they inflict collateral damage on other life.
不良研究所 team advances in Deep Space Food Challenge
A team led by two recent 不良研究所 bioengineering graduates, Alexander Becker and Cynthia Hitti, has made it through to the final phase of the Deep Space Food Challenge (DSFC) with their system for rearing crickets as a food source for long-haul space voyages.
$3.2 million for 不良研究所 Research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund
Congratulations to two Macdonald Profs who have received funding through the New Frontiers in Research Fund Exploration stream, which supports high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research: Hamid Akbarzadeh (BRE) for Origami-inspired deployable sensoriactuator soft robots and Mehran Dastmalchi (PltSci) for