From Our Own Borealis Blog

Harnessing our immune system to fight Alzheimer’s disease

By Lauryn Doherty, guest contributor Canadians are living longer. In 1950, our average life expectancy was about 68 years; in 2023, it has risen to 83 years. Unfortunately, the human body becomes more susceptible to disease as it ages. Alzheimer’s disease is a particular concern because approximately 76,000 new cases are diagnosed in Canada every […]

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Good ingredients for assistive technology

By Naeema Bhyat, Technology & Engineering editor Christian Bagg was looking to get back into mountain biking years after a snowboarding injury to his spinal cord prevented him from using a conventional bike. He developed a rugged, stable, three-wheeled, hand-powered bike. In the process, he founded Bowhead, a Calgary-based company that makes adaptive mountain bikes. […]

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More sour than sweet: the truth behind citrus waste

By Zahra Nasser, Chemistry editor It’s a fact that’s likely to turn some heads: composting certain kinds of food waste is not as good for the environment as we think. That’s because some food waste contains chemical compounds that are detrimental to local soil and water quality. It is important to understand the biochemical composition […]

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COVID-19 wastewater surveillance in Canada

By Qiaochu Liang, Biology & Life Sciences co-editor Although COVID-related restrictions have eased and the social activities of Canadians have resumed, the pandemic persists, especially with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. As information gathered from individual testing has decreased, Canadian health authorities have adopted a more effective approach for keeping track of the presence and […]

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