News
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Something from nothing: Physicists model vacuum tunnelling in a 2D superfluid
September 1, 2025
In 1951, physicist Julian Schwinger theorized that by applying a uniform electrical field to a vacuum, electron-positron pairs would be spontaneously created out of nothing, through a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling. The problem with turning the matter-out-of-nowhere theory into… read more
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Dr. Kayla King awarded Royal Society’s Francis Crick Medal
August 27, 2025
Evolutionary biologist Dr. Kayla King has been awarded the 2025 Francis Crick Medal and Lecture by the Royal Society of London for contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology and genetics of infectious disease. The prize is awarded to scientists who have received their PhD in the biological… read more
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UBC astronomers help unveil 128 new gravitational wave signal candidates
August 26, 2025
UBC astrophysicists are part of an international collaboration that has just unveiled 128 new significant gravitational wave signal candidates. read more
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This scientist’s side hustle is creating crosswords for the New York Times
August 25, 2025
If you’re feeling unaccomplished, stop reading. It’s only going to get worse.In his day-to-day life, Dr. Mark MacLachlan is a professor of chemistry researching something called ‘supramolecular materials’ (don’t ask) and dean of science at the University of British Columbia. His days are filled… read more
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New tracer could enable surgeons to see and hear prostate cancer
August 21, 2025
A preclinical evaluation of a new ’dual-mode’ tracer could help surgeons plan prostate cancer procedures, and provide more targeted guidance during surgery. read more
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Researchers use electrochemistry to boost nuclear fusion rates
August 20, 2025
Using a small bench-top reactor, researchers at the UBC have demonstrated that electrochemically loading a solid metal target can boost nuclear fusion rates. read more
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Common food thickeners – long thought to pass right through us – are actually digested
August 12, 2025
It turns out those cellulose-based thickening agents found in common foods can be digested.Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown that our gut bacteria can feed on these large molecules – something thought to not be possible – thanks to enzymes that normally help us break down… read more
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Why these hairy caterpillars swarm every decade – then vanish without a trace
August 11, 2025
Western tent caterpillars might not be on your mind every year, but during their peak outbreaks, they’re impossible to ignore—hairy larvae wriggling across roads and swarms of caterpillars climbing houses to form yellow silken cocoons.They’re certainly on the mind of Dr. Judith Myers, professor… read more
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New mega RNA virus may hold the key to mass oyster die-offs
August 5, 2025
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus in farmed Pacific oysters during a mass die-off in B.C., Canada. The discovery serves as a reminder that growers should exercise caution when moving young oysters internationally and domestically, to prevent potential spread of pathogens,… read more
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‘Disease detectives’ discover cause of sea star wasting disease that wiped out billions of sea stars
August 4, 2025
Researchers have identified the cause of the wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars from Mexico to Alaska since 2013: a strain of the Vibrio pectenicida bacteria.The strain, named FHCF-3, is detailed in a new paper published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution by scientists… read more