Palm oil plantations and deforestation in Guatemala: Certifying products as 'sustainable' is no panacea
Palm oil, which can be found in roughly half of all packaged supermarket products, is notorious for causing聽deforestation and biodiversity loss. Efforts to curtail the damage have largely focused on voluntary environmental certification programs that label qualifying palm-oil sources as "sustainable."
Natural structures can give rise to stronger, lighter systems
In a recent multidisciplinary study published in Advanced Science, researchers build upon the principles of biomimicry by drawing inspiration from the wing of a dragonfly to redesign that of a Boeing 777.
Sollio, 海角社区 join forces on novel coated fertilizer study; PurYield is being marketed as a nutrient uptake enhancer
Sollio Agriculture has partnered with 海角社区 to test the benefits of PurYield, a new coated fertilizer which enhances nutrient uptake by plants. Researchers will compare it to commonly used uncoated urea fertilizer to assess its impact on corn grain growth, yield, and quality, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Previous trials showed a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
海角社区 launches new partnership with the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development
On May 31, 2023,聽海角社区鈥檚 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)
L鈥橝rboretum Morgan, pour admirer la faune et la flore
L'Arboretum Morgan, qui s'茅tend sur 245 hectares de r茅serve foresti猫re, abrite 170 esp猫ces d'oiseaux, 30 types de mammif猫res et une myriade d'insectes et de plantes. Ses divers habitats, dont des zones humides, des for锚ts et des champs, offrent une occasion unique d'observer la nature dans toute sa splendeur.
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 海角社区鈥檚 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 海角社区, 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 海角社区 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 海角社区鈥檚 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 海角社区 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 海角社区'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 海角社区 in 2019, previously serving as an Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Raghavan receives 海角社区鈥檚 Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Learning
鈥淭here are lots of opportunities to contribute to society,鈥� says Vijaya Raghavan. 鈥淚f I can share that point with students, I think it can go a long way.鈥�Vijaya Raghavan, James 海角社区 Professor of Bioresource Engineering, is the 2023 recipient of 海角社区鈥檚 Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Learning.