This is your brain on COVID: Is the pandemic changing human nature?

By / 2021-02-15 / Science / , , / 9 minutes of reading

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.

Fighting loneliness with intergenerational Wisdom Exchange

By / 2021-02-08 / Initiatives, Science / , / 5 minutes of reading

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.

Open Science in a time of closed borders: How COVID-19 shows that open science is both necessary and possible

By / 2021-06-22 / Explainer, Opinion, Science / , / 9 minutes of reading

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.

QBIN Annual Scientific Day 2020

By / 2021-02-08 / Events / / 4 minutes of reading

Despite a raging snowstorm characteristic of Montreal winters on February 7th, attendance at this year’s annual QBIN Scientific Day was higher than ever, with almost all of the 220 registered participants from across the province braving the weather to attend the event. Some attendees even made their way over from Toronto and Marseilles, and although weather-related flight cancellations prevented one of our keynote speakers from attending, the bad weather did not stop the day from being a big success!

The silver linings of cancelled conferences

By / 2021-02-08 / Explainer, Science / , , / 8 minutes of reading

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.

BrainHack School

By / 2021-02-08 / Events / , , / 6 minutes of reading

Learning how to work openly and collaboratively are becoming increasingly important [not to say necessary] aspects in research. Furthermore, analyzing complex bioimaging data requires knowledge in biology, statistical modeling and computational tools, and adopting good research practices early on is key for success. The Montreal BrainHack School was founded based on these premises by neuro-enthusiasts.

Gender differences in memory: Does brain function tell a different story?

By / 2021-02-08 / Research, Science / , , / 4 minutes of reading

Aging is often associated with memory loss for personal events and their rich contextual detail (known as episodic memory). Episodic memory is the type of memory that allows you to remember where you parked your car in a mall parking lot, or whether or not you took your medication earlier in the day. It is also intricately involved with your personal identity, enables you to learn from past experiences, and helps you plan for your future.

What is Bio-Imaging?

By / 2021-02-18 / Explainer, Science / , / 8 minutes of reading

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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