News
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Pokémon-like card game can help teach ecology: UBC research
July 17, 2019
Playing a Pokémon-like card game about ecology and biodiversity can result in broader knowledge of species and a better understanding of ecosystems than traditional teaching methods, like slideshows, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. An open… read more
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Spawn of the triffid? Tiny organisms give us glimpse into complex evolutionary tale
July 17, 2019
Two newly discovered organisms point to the existence of an ancient organism that resembled a tiny version of the lumbering, human-eating science fiction plants known as ‘triffids,’ according to research in Nature. The microscopic protists Rhodelphis limneticus and Rhodelphis marinus… read more
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DNA analysis reveals cryptic underwater ecosystem engineers
July 11, 2019
They look like smears of pink bubblegum on the rocks off British Columbia’s coast, indistinguishable from one another. But a new DNA analysis of coralline algae led by UBC and Hakai Institute researchers has revealed a wealth of different species – a diversity that could hold the key… read more
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Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and Microbiology and Immunology welcome new heads
June 25, 2019
Philippe Tortell and Michael Murphy have been appointed heads of the departments of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and Microbiology and Immunology, respectively. Their terms begin July 1, 2019. "Both Michael and Philippe have strong academic and administrative records and are held in high… read more
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Three new CRCs appointed at UBC Science, seven renewed or advanced
June 17, 2019
Research in statistical ecology, probability and fisheries economics at UBC Science received a boost with the appointment of three new Canada Research Chairs, along with seven renewed and advanced chairs, within the faculty. The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced… read more
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Overdose deaths would be at least twice as high without emergency harm reduction
June 4, 2019
The rapid expansion of harm reduction services in response to B.C.’s overdose crisis prevented more than 3,000 possible overdose deaths during a 20-month period, suggests new research led by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). The study estimates that without access to and rapid scale… read more
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Salmon get a major athletic boost via a single enzyme
June 4, 2019
Salmon species, known for undertaking arduous upstream migrations, appear to owe a good deal of their athletic ability to the presence of a single enzyme. New research indicates that plasma-accessible carbonic anhydrase (paCA)—an enzyme anchored to the walls of salmons' blood vessels&mdash… read more
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Snooping through someone's phone could end relationship - or not
May 30, 2019
For some people, the thought of their partner, friend or colleague snooping through their phone, reading their texts and emails, is an automatic deal breaker. However, some relationships can survive the snooping, a new study examining the motivations behind phone snooping has found. Researchers… read more
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Scientists revisit the cold case of cold fusion
May 27, 2019
Scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Maryland, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Google are conducting a multi-year investigation into cold fusion, a type of benign nuclear reaction hypothesized to occur… read more
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BC needs a dedicated species at risk law—one that focuses on recovery
May 22, 2019
British Columbia is home to the most biodiversity of any Canadian province or territory, with a vast array of species from the coast to the Rockies. Not only is B.C. home to the most species at risk in Canada, it also lacks dedicated species at risk legislation. On May 22, the International Day… read more