News
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UBC exploration research in Yukon and Alaska expands with $1.25 million investment from NSERC, industry
August 17, 2016
UBC-led exploration and geological research at major sites in Yukon and Alaska has received $557,670 in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The investment, along with $700,000 in in-kind and direct contributions from industry partners,… read more
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Plant response to carbon dioxide emissions depends on their neighbours
August 11, 2016
Plant species that have evolved to withstand elevated levels of carbon dioxide grow poorly when moved to a plant community with a different make up, according to a new study in Nature Communications. "In an effort to save certain species, there has been an interest in the movement of plants or… read more
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Why your kids should play in the dirt
August 10, 2016
It’s been a mantra for generations: cleanliness is next to godliness. Kids are urged to wash up before dinner, and a bottle of hand sanitizer on the desk is de rigueur for elementary-school teachers. But could all this hygiene actually be harming children? In their new book, Let Them Eat… read more
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Spider sharing isn’t always caring: Colonies die when arachnids overshare food
August 4, 2016
Spiders living together in colonies of tens of thousands can go extinct from sharing food equitably, finds new UBC research. “It’s an unfortunate byproduct of what they have to do survive,” said lead author Ruth Sharpe, a PhD student in UBC’s department of zoology. &ldquo… read more
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Songbirds' epic migrations connected to a small cluster of genes
July 28, 2016
Scientists from the University of British Columbia have shown that there is a genetic basis to the migratory routes flown by songbirds, and have narrowed in on a relatively small cluster of genes that may govern the behaviour. “It’s amazing that the routes and timing of such complex… read more
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Hummingbird vision wired to avoid high-speed collisions
July 18, 2016
Hummingbirds are among nature’s most agile fliers. They can travel faster than 50 kilometres per hour and stop on a dime to navigate through dense vegetation. Now researchers have discovered that the tiny birds process visual information differently from other animals, perhaps to handle the… read more
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UBC researchers invent a synthetic ‘glue’ for blood clots
July 15, 2016
UBC Science graduate student Karen Chan and biochemical engineer Christian Kastrup have developed a synthetic version of fibrin, opening up new possibilities for shoring up blood clots and helping internal wounds heal. Kastrup and Chan have created a polymer – a large, star-shaped molecule… read more
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Astronomers discover new distant dwarf planet beyond Neptune
July 11, 2016
An international team of astronomers including researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered a new dwarf planet orbiting in the disk of small icy worlds beyond Neptune. The new object is about 700 km in diameter— roughly one-and-a-half times the size of Vancouver… read more
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Researchers find better way to ‘herd’ electrons in solar fuel devices
June 20, 2016
Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a new way to optimize electron transfer in semi-conductors used in solar fuel solutions. The finding, published today in Nature Chemistry, could have a big impact on devices that… read more
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Bright spots shine light on the future of coral reefs
June 15, 2016
Researchers have discovered a handful of ‘bright spots’ among the world’s embattled coral reefs, offering the promise of new approaches to conservation. In one of the largest global studies of its kind, researchers at James Cook University and UBC conducted over 6,000 reef… read more