News
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Researchers map complete sunflower genome
May 23, 2017
Researchers published the complete sunflower genome in Nature today, a major step toward improving the crop’s genetic diversity and ability to withstand climate change. The $20 billion, healthy oilseed crop holds great promise for climate change adaptation. It can grow and flourish across a… read more
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Physicists offer new 'accordion' theory on the expansion of the universe
May 15, 2017
UBC physicists may have solved one of nature’s great puzzles: what causes the accelerating expansion of our universe? UBC researchers Qingdi Wang and Bill Unruh tackle the question in a new study that tries to resolve a major incompatibility between quantum mechanics and Einstein’s… read more
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Protecting life’s tangled ecological webs
May 9, 2017
Ecosystems are a complex web of interactions. These ecological networks are being reorganized by extinctions and colonization events caused by human impacts, such as climate change and habitat destruction. In a paper published this week in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers from UBC… read more
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Red light, green light invention stops work interruptions
May 5, 2017
A UBC computer scientist has invented a unique desk light that automatically switches from green to red when you are 'in the zone' and shouldn’t be disturbed by colleagues. “The light is like displaying your Skype status - it tells your colleagues whether you’re busy or open for… read more
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UBC mathematician joins UK Royal Society
May 5, 2017
UBC researcher Gordon Slade, known for his work on the mathematical study of critical phenomena and phase transitions, was elected as a fellow of the United Kingdom’s Royal Society today. He joins 11 other UBC Science fellows elected to the Society over the past decades. Slade’s… read more
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UBC visual effects spin-off puts some skin in the game
May 3, 2017
UBC computer scientists are examining exactly how skin folds, stretches, wrinkles and bounces, with the goal of creating a realistic computer model of the human body. “Human skin and other soft tissues are thin, elastic structures that deform a lot,” said Dinesh Pai, professor of… read more
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Researchers use CRISPR and stem cells to discover new chlamydia drug targets
May 2, 2017
University of British Columbia and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute researchers have used gene editing techniques on stem cells to identify novel drug targets for chlamydia, the most commonly reported bacterial STI in Canada. The team identified two immune system genes, IRF5 and IL-10RA, as key… read more
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UBC evolutionary biologist elected to US National Academy of Sciences
May 2, 2017
UBC biodiversity researcher Dolph Schluter, a leading expert in the evolution of ecological diversity, has been elected a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. Schluter is among 84 new members and 21 foreign associates elected today in recognition of their distinguished and… read more
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New coral bleaching database to help predict fate of global reefs
May 1, 2017
A UBC-led research team has developed a new global coral bleaching database that could help scientists predict future bleaching events. Until now, knowledge of the geographic extent of mass coral bleaching has been incomplete. “We know that mass coral bleaching is happening all over the… read more
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UBC, Max Planck joined by UTokyo in quantum materials collaboration
April 25, 2017
The University of Tokyo has formally joined the University of British Columbia and the Max Planck Society in an international partnership designed to advance quantum materials research and innovation. The new partnership will create the Max Planck – UBC – UTokyo Centre for Quantum… read more