News
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Harvard computer scientist recruited to UBC through federal research program
December 13, 2017
A top computer scientist and entrepreneur from Harvard University will join UBC next September, thanks to the federal government’s Canada 150 Research Chairs Program. Harvard professor Margo Seltzer will join UBC as the Canada 150 Research Chair in Computer Systems and the Cheriton… read more
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UBC mathematician nabs prize for young scientists thanks to microbiology research
December 8, 2017
UBC postdoctoral researcher Stilianos Louca has won The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists for his research on the metabolism of microorganisms. Louca, who also won the 2017 Governor-General's Gold Medal as the UBC doctoral graduate with the most outstanding academic record,… read more
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Gary Hinshaw wins 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
December 4, 2017
UBC professor of physics & astronomy, Gary Hinshaw, is one of the recipients of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He and colleagues from NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) team, including UBC physics & astronomy colleague Mark Halpern, were awarded… read more
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Better policies could net more fish for Indigenous and coastal communities
November 30, 2017
Indigenous and coastal communities in Canada are increasingly finding that the ocean and marine resources are off limits, new research suggests. With more boat traffic, fewer fish, more conservation activities and commercial licenses going to corporations, it is becoming harder for Indigenous and… read more
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UBC researcher develops app to identify poisonous mushrooms
November 30, 2017
Foraging is a centuries-old practice, but many of the mushrooms in British Columbia are just now being identified through DNA sequencing and the enthusiasm of amateur collectors. Mary Berbee, a professor in the department of botany, is responding to the increased interest in foraging by… read more
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Long-haired microbes named after Canadian band Rush
November 27, 2017
Three new species of microbe found in the guts of termites have been named after members of the Canadian prog-rock band Rush, owing to the microbes’ long hair and rhythmic wriggling under the microscope. “A Spanish postdoc, Javier del Campo, asked me to recommend some good Canadian… read more
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Bowhead whales come to Cumberland Sound in Nunavut to exfoliate
November 22, 2017
Aerial drone footage of bowhead whales in Canada’s Arctic has revealed that the large mammals moult and use rocks to rub off dead skin. The footage provides one answer to the mystery of why whales return to Cumberland Sound, Nunavut, every summer, and helps explain some unusual behaviour… read more
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What your tweets say about your commute
November 22, 2017
Urban planners need data on how people move around the city in order to improve transit service. But rider surveys can be costly and inefficient. With a focus on Surrey, B.C. and downtown Vancouver, UBC postdoctoral researcher Saeid Allahdadian developed a method that uses social media data… read more
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New UBC project studying ‘fugitive gas’ leaks from LNG operations
November 20, 2017
Debate has renewed around British Columbia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) development, with groups calling for a public inquiry into the environmental impact of the province’s natural gas operations and particularly leakage of gas. But exactly how natural gas behaves when it leaks&mdash… read more
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Enigmatic marine microbes share resources to overcome energy stress in the oxygen-starved ocean
November 17, 2017
Canadian and US researchers have mapped the single-cell genomes of a diverse group of microbial dark matter known as Marinimicrobia identifying previously uncharted metabolic roles, including as a potential greenhouse gas sink. The genomes, presented in Nature Communications, provide the most… read more