The Gutsy Side of Mental Disorders Probiotics may indirectly enhance mental health
By: Jennifer La Grassa The term probiotic may only seem familiar because of its persistent appearance on every brand of yogurt, cheese, and milk but the bacteria and yeast within probiotics supposedly enhance the gut microbiome’s well-being, which not only improves gastrointestinal disorders but may be consumed to indirectly enhance mental health. The gut microbiome refers to the thousands of bacterial species that live in the gut and...
McMaster’s latest endowment: A look at how Mac is using their research funds McMaster University secures $1.37 million in research funding to support innovative projects
As yet another convincing testament for the institution’s prowess in research, seven McMaster investigators have been awarded a total of $1.37 million in funding from the Canada Foundation For Innovation. The $1.37 million was supplied from the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, a fund designed as a critical strategic investment tool to help institutions elevate promising researchers. The awards were announced in late February by the...
The impact of education on declining birth rates Your undergraduate degree might significantly reduce the size of your future family, according to a recent McMaster study
By: Jennifer Le Grassa Between 1969 and 2010, developed countries have shown a significant decline in birth rates and an increase in female educational attainment. These trends have researchers speculating if higher levels of education are directly reducing female fertility rates. Phillip DeCicca, a health economist professor at McMaster, and Harry Krashinsky, an economics professor at The University of Toronto, have further...
Mac grads make surgery safer Local start-up company uses their McMaster education to innovate surgery for the better
One start-up, with help from McMaster community, is making surgery a little bit safer. Mariner Endosurgery, previously known as Virtual Possibilities, won the $20,000 cash prize at last year’s Forge@Mac start-up competition, and received entry into one of The Forge’s incubator workspaces on James Street North. The start-up targets over 1,400 operating rooms in North America, with the goal of enhancing the patient safety profile of...
A new lease on Life Sciences Following deliberations with both students and faculty, the Honours Life Sciences program has created new specializations aimed to introduce students to new fields
New specializations are coming to life for the next academic year. With an enrollment of over 1,100 students in the Honours Life Sciences program, the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences has been working to devise new specializations for the benefit of this large cohort. The surprising twist? Students themselves are helping to spearhead the design of these specializations. Four Life Sciences students at the university currently serve...
Work out in no time McMaster's chair of kinesiology reveals new benefits to exercise
By: Jennifer La Grassa Public Health guidelines suggest 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week. McMaster’s chair of kinesiology, Dr. Martin Gibala, has revealed that it only takes one minute of intense exercise to achieve the same long-term health benefits as a 50 minute one. One of Dr. Gibala’s research interests is interval training, which involves alternating periods of high-intensity activity...
