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Are your genes your destiny? (Not if your mom has anything to say about it.)

Posted by Hannah

McGill scientists are playing a leading role in explaining how the nature vs. nurture debate is even more complicated than we thought. This article originally appeared in the Spring-Summer 2011 issue of the McGill News What if your ability to pay the rent, to buy groceries or the nature of your relationships set up your children for cardiovascular problems, diabetes or even mental health issues? Although it’s not a far-fetched idea, researchers struggled for years to find biological explanations that linked socioeconomic status or trauma to health. And then, beginning in 2004, scientists at McGill began to untangle some of those … Read more…

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The painted brain: how our lives colour our minds

Posted by Hannah

The brain arrives shortly after lunch. It rests on the lab bench, in a Styrofoam box plastered with “Urgent Delivery” and “Fragile” stickers, while two research assistants prepare the dissection laboratory. One has tuned a small radio to a classical station. The sounds of bassoons and strings waft into the room. The opus is an allegro – upbeat and quick. The technicians glide around the room with practised coordination. They are cloaked in knee-length blue plastic aprons, sleeves tucked into latex gloves. They tape absorbent mats to the bench tops and lay out scalpels and forceps. Josée Prud’homme adjusts her … Read more…