News
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New research reenvisions Earth’s mantle as a relatively uniform reservoir
September 19, 2024
Lavas from hotspots—whether erupting in Hawaii, Samoa or Iceland—likely originate from a worldwide, uniform reservoir in Earth’s mantle, according to an evaluation of volcanic hotspots published today in Nature Geoscience.The findings indicate Earth’s mantle is far more chemically homogenous than… read more
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Bake, melt or ignite: Study reveals profound impact of synthesis method on disordered materials
September 17, 2024
A new study has revealed for the first time how different synthesis methods can profoundly impact the structural and functional properties of high entropy oxides, a class of materials with applications in everyday electronic devices. The study was published this week in the Journal of the American… read more
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Mathematicians model a puzzling breakdown in cooperative behaviour
September 3, 2024
Darwin was puzzled by cooperation in nature—it ran directly against natural selection and the notion of survival of the fittest. But over the past decades, evolutionary mathematicians have used game theory to better understand why mutual cooperation persists when evolution should favour self… read more
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Four UBC Science researchers join Royal Society of Canada
September 3, 2024
Four new elections to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) showcase UBC Science’s strength in the computational sciences, Indigenous fisheries research, and the study of evolution and spread of disease-causing microorganisms.Joining more than 60 UBC Science researchers recognized by the RSC since 2000… read more
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Don’t say math is hard: how parents can help children succeed at math
August 29, 2024
Students are heading back to school and university next week but many may be feeling nervous about tackling mathematics, thanks to its fearsome reputation. Parents can help by not vocally dreading the subject and instead helping their kids have fun with math, according to Dr. Melania Alvarez … read more
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What exactly is a planet? Scientists propose improved definition
July 11, 2024
The proposal refines current definitions that require planets to be round bodies which orbit our sun and have ‘cleared’ their neighbourhoodsPlanetary scientists are proposing a new definition for what we can call a planet. If accepted, it would replace the current definition from 2006 that caused… read more
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Chemists synthesize an improved building block for medicines
July 2, 2024
Chemists have overcome a major hurdle in synthesizing a more stable form of heterocycle—a family of organic compounds that are a common component of most modern pharmaceuticals.The research, which could expand the toolkit available to drug developers in improving the safety profiles of medications… read more
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The mystery of the missing butterflies in Vancouver
June 25, 2024
A wet, cool spring and spraying for invasive insects may be the reasons behind a drop in butterfly sightings this year. iNaturalist, an online service where anyone can upload their pictures or observations of plants and animals, records about 400 observations of 22 species of butterflies in… read more
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UBC Chemistry, EOAS welcome new leadership
June 24, 2024
Two of UBC’s largest science units will welcome new heads this summer, with Professor Laurel Schafer and Dr. Erik Eberhardt taking on the leadership of the departments of Chemistry and Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, respectively. Both appointments begin July 1, 2024. Professor Schafer,… read more
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UBC expands first-year, small-class experience to all BSc students
June 17, 2024
A renewed and expanded first-year seminar will give all incoming UBC Science students a crucial small class experience—one that will challenge them to think critically about what it means to be part of the scientific community.“SCIE 113 is unlike any other first-year experience available at UBC,”… read more