News
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African lake provides new clues about ancient marine life
January 31, 2017
New research shows there may have been more nitrogen in the ocean between one and two billion years ago than previously thought, allowing marine organisms to proliferate at a time when multi-cellularity and eukaryotic life first emerged. UBC researchers travelled to Lake Kivu in the Democratic… read more
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UBC Science genomics research in natural resource, environmental and health sectors gets $18 million boost
January 24, 2017
UBC Science researchers are leading three large-scale genomics projects addressing key challenges in Canada’s natural resource, environmental and health sectors, Genome Canada announced today. Genome British Columbia will be the lead genome centre for the three projects, worth a total of … read more
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One in five adults secretly access their friends' Facebook accounts
January 19, 2017
Most people are concerned about the prospect of their social media accounts being hacked, but a new study finds that it’s actually people we know who frequently access our accounts without our permission. In a survey of 1,308 U.S. adult Facebook users, University of British Columbia… read more
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Tiny fruit flies use cold hard logic to select mates
January 17, 2017
Fruit flies – the tiny insects that swarm our kitchens over the summer months – exhibit rational decision making when selecting mates, according to research published today in Nature Communications. Researchers observed different combinations of fruit flies mate about 2,700 times, and… read more
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Hummingbirds see motion in an unexpected way
January 5, 2017
According to new research from UBC zoologists, a key area of a hummingbird's brain processes visual signals in a unique and unexpected way. “In all four-limbed vertebrates studied to date, most of the neurons in this [motion-detecting] brain area are tuned to detect motion coming from… read more
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Global climate target could net additional six million tons of fish annually
December 20, 2016
If countries abide by the Paris Agreement global warming target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, potential fish catches could increase by six million metric tons per year, according to a new study published in Science. The researchers also found that some oceans are more sensitive to changes in… read more
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ALPHA shines light on antimatter question
December 19, 2016
The ALPHA Collaboration, an international team of researchers from 15 institutions including UBC and TRIUMF, has released the first spectroscopic measurement of an atom of antimatter using lasers. This work represents a major step towards developing a very precise test of whether antimatter… read more
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Safe solution for dangerous mine waste puts UBC researcher in running for $20-million prize
December 14, 2016
UBC mineralogist Lee Groat wants to combine two common yet dangerous byproducts of mining — acidic drainage and carbon dioxide emissions — to make one stable byproduct that won’t hurt the environment. Groat is working with Terra CO2 Technologies Ltd. to make mining operations… read more
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High altitudes hamper hummingbirds' ability to manoeuvre: UBC research
December 8, 2016
Hummingbirds’ ability to accelerate and turn diminishes at high altitudes, but it isn’t a lack of oxygen to the body that limits the birds’ performance -- it’s physics. “It appears the mechanics of high-altitude flight slow down the birds well before their… read more
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Seafood consumption 15 times higher among Indigenous than non-Indigenous people
November 30, 2016
Coastal Indigenous people eat on average 15 times more seafood per person than non-Indigenous people in the same country, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. The findings highlight the need to consider food sovereignty and cultural identity as part of fisheries… read more