Science

Enlever la blouse blanche

Par / / Opinion, Science / , ,

[Cet article est en anglais] Early one January morning, I hurried out of bed and dashed to the front curb, worried that I would be late to take out my garbage and recycling in time for the collectors. Still in my pajamas with unbrushed teeth and hair, I hadn’t noticed a woman nearby rummaging through my neighbours’ recycling bags to collect bottles for consignment. She approached me to ask for any refundable bottles from my bag. Suppressing my discomfort at the idea of a stranger examining my waste, I opened my bag to allow her to investigate. She sparked a conversation about her distrust of the COVID-19 vaccine and warned me to avoid it at all costs. When I asked her why, she replied that the government had implanted a tracking device in the vaccine so that they could monitor us at all times. She told me that since we had never needed this vaccine before, it is suspicious for the government to insist on it now. I was so completely dumbfounded that I hardly knew how to respond.

Est-ce qu'un ordinateur peut nous faire pleurer? Question revisitée avec l'uncanny valley

Par / / Recherche, Science / , , ,

Les jeux vidéo sont plus populaires et son industrie est plus rentable que jamais auparavant. Ce mode de divertissement a beaucoup changé depuis l’époque des arcades marquées par des jeux tels que Pong et Pac-Man. Les jeux vidéo modernes comportent souvent des graphiques en 3D photoréalistiques renversant en plus de présenter des scénarios complexes et engageants qui ont aidé ce divertissement à dépasser l’industrie du cinéma en termes de profits et de parts du marché. Les joueurs de jeux vidéo deviennent eux-même une partie du narratif en incarnant virtuellement des personnages à travers des jeux ayant des durée de vie dépassant fréquemment les 20 heures de jeu. C’est une expérience fort différente qu’observer une histoire de l’extérieur lors de la projection d’un film de 1 à 2 heures. Cela implique que les jeux vidéo peuvent provoquer des réponses émotionnelles bien plus fortes que les films, ce qui permet à certains jeux de devenir de véritables cultes avec des amateurs dévoués attendant avec impatience la sortie du prochain jeu d’envergure.

L'art de l'imagerie: la science rencontre la beauté

Par / / Art, Initiatives, Science / , , , ,

[Cet article est en anglais] While art and science are often presented as opposing forces in today’s world, the aim of the two disciplines has always been fundamentally the same: to provide a representation of the real world. This intricate link between art and science becomes more obvious as we look to past discoveries that were made before the invention of modern scientific technologies that help us capture reality, in a time when it was in many ways necessary for scientists to be artists as well.

Votre cerveau et la COVID: la pandémie change-t-elle la nature humaine?

Par / / Science / , ,

[Cet article est en anglais] With the COVID-19 pandemic persisting for close to a year now, our daily routines and habits have changed dramatically. Those of us working from home have only a short commute from our beds to our desks, which may be convenient, but also reduces our exposure to different environments and blurs boundaries between work and leisure. Those who have lost their jobs or are shouldering childcare responsibilities on top of their work are facing numerous other challenges and changes to their lives, all of which may have lasting consequences. Most obviously, the change in routine due to public health restrictions has resulted in the visible dwindling of our social interactions. Could it be that the pandemic-related shift in our normal routines is also fundamentally changing the way we think and behave as human beings? It might be too early to tell but it’s definitely an interesting question to speculate about.

Combattre la solitude avec les échanges de sagesse intergénérationnels

Par / / Initiatives, Science / ,

[Cet article est en anglais] Although physical distancing does not necessarily mean social distancing, as it was first referenced in the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are often one and the same. Being social usually means spending time with others in a shared physical space, which is undeniably different than the virtual interactions that have become the accepted norm. Seeing our friends and family from behind a monitor is especially dissatisfying when we are only kilometers apart, and while having hundreds of social media “friends” means that we are in many ways more connected than ever, greater use of social media has actually been linked to increased loneliness.

Science ouverte à l'époque de frontières fermées: comment la COVID-19 démontre qu'une science ouverte est à la fois possible et nécessaire

Par / / Dossier, Opinion, Science / ,

[Cet article est en anglais] There is a growing movement in the scientific community known as open science that aims to make scientific research fully transparent, reproducible, collaborative, and accessible to all people at all levels of society. In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of open science is clearer than ever, and its feasibility is undeniable.

Le bon côté de l'annulation des conférences

Par / / Dossier, Science / , ,

[Cet article est en anglais] COVID-19 has shaken our whole world upside down. Our minds are racing with stress and anxiety as we read the news, worry about our loved ones, and feel pressure to stay productive during this unusual time. Coping with this new situation is extremely taxing and resource-consuming, especially for early-career researchers, as we face increasingly unpredictable futures.

Les femmes et les hommes utilisent-ils différentes régions du cerveau lors de tâches de mémoire?

Par / / Recherche, Science / , ,

La perte de mémoire en lien avec des événements personnels et les détails contextuels de ces événements (ce qui constitue la mémoire épisodique) est commune en vieillissant. La mémoire épisodique est le type de mémoire qui nous permet par exemple de se souvenir où nous avons stationné la voiture au centre d’achats, ou encore de se rappeler si nous avons pris nos médicaments ce matin. Elle est étroitement liée au développement de notre identité personnelle, en plus de nous permettre d’apprendre de nos expériences du passé et de planifier le futur.

Qu'est-ce que la bio-imagerie?

Par / / Dossier, Science / ,

[Cet article est en anglais] Bio-imaging is a term used to describe any scientific technique that can be used to look at (or inside!) biological tissue and organisms. This explainer will teach you about some of the many different bio-imaging methods used by researchers across Quebec from the microscopic to the macroscopic levels.

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