News
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Indian, UBC astronomers celebrate first light at liquid-mirror telescope
June 8, 2022
Telescope locations are often remote, but Dr. Paul Hickson’s work on the newly commissioned International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) in the central Himalayas involved quite an impressive trek. “Going there was a bit of an adventure,” admits Dr. Hickson, a pioneer in liquid… read more
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Scientists urge WTO to ban subsidies that promote overfishing
June 6, 2022
Scientists are calling on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ban subsidies that can cause overfishing at its meeting next week. The organization’s topmost decision-making body is meeting next week, June 12 to 15, and almost 500 scientists have urged it take steps to protect fish stocks… read more
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Canada ranks third worldwide in permeable landscapes for wildlife
June 2, 2022
Researchers created the first global map of where mammals are most likely to move between protected areas, such as national parks and nature reserves. Lead author Dr. Angela Brennan, a research associate at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, says she hopes the data will… read more
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Professional ‘guilds’ of bacteria gave rise to the modern microbiome
May 26, 2022
Even the smallest marine invertebrates—some barely larger than single-celled protists—are home to distinct and diverse microbial communities, or microbiomes, according to new research from University of British Columbia (UBC) biologists. The study underscores that a vast diversity of… read more
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UBC opens $2.4-million geological field station in South Okanagan
May 18, 2022
Students, researchers and community groups now have access to an expanded and enriched earth sciences learning environment in the South Okanagan with the opening of the UBC-Teck Geological Field Station in Oliver, B.C.Funded by $2.4 million in contributions from UBC Science alumni, friends and Teck… read more
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The lonely fate of a robot on Mars
May 17, 2022
Covered in the red dust that sealed its fate, the NASA InSight lander is slowly shutting down, more than 250 million kilometres from home. With its solar panels now obscured by the red planet’s debris, the four-year-old robot is running out of power. One by one, its instruments are being… read more
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Dr. Catherine Johnson elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
May 3, 2022
Dr. Catherine Johnson, Planetary Scientist and Professor of Geophysics at EOAS, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. With this election, Dr. Johnson joins the company of notable members, including Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington,… read more
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UBC spin-off companies win $2 million in competition for carbon removal technology funded by the Musk Foundation
April 22, 2022
UBC spin-off Carbin Minerals will receive $1 million from XPRIZE and the Musk Foundation to remove thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The prize is part of the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, funded by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation… read more
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Five UBC Science instructors awarded Killam Teaching Prizes
April 12, 2022
The Killam scholarship and prize programmes were established in 1965 through the generous benefaction of Izaak Walton Killam and Dorothy Killam, with the aim to support advanced education and research at five Canadian universities and the Canada Council for the Arts. Thirty-three instructors were… read more
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CHIME Outrigger telescopes boost search for fast radio bursts
March 30, 2022
In the quest to identify the origins of one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries – fast radio bursts (FRBs) – Canada’s world-renowned telescope, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), is getting backup. Supported by approximately $10 million in grants from… read more