News
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Mathematician, chemist receive UBC’s top research prizes
January 30, 2015
Joel Feldman, one of Canada’s best known mathematical physicists, has received UBC’s Jacob Biely Faculty Research Prize for his work in constructive quantum field theory and the mathematical theory of Fermi liquids. The prize recognizes the University’s top researcher. The… read more
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Superconductivity-suppressing charge instability detected across all forms of copper-based superconductors
January 15, 2015
University of British Columbia physicists have detected 'charge ordering' in electron-doped cuprate superconductors for the first time, according to research published today in Science. Charge ordering is a ripple-like instability at the electron level that competes with superconductivity and… read more
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How big data can improve healthcare
January 9, 2015
With the world swimming in data—from endless Twitter streams and Facebook updates, to genetic tests and medical records—it’s up to computer scientists like UBC Computer Science Professor Raymond Ng to help make sense of it all. Ng, Chief Informatics Officer for the PROOF … read more
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Astronomers use vanishing neutron star to measure space-time warp
January 8, 2015
In an interstellar race against time, astronomers have measured the space-time warp in the gravity of a binary star and determined the mass of a neutron star—just before it vanished from view. The international team, including University of British Columbia astronomer Ingrid Stairs,… read more
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Heart problems triggered by climate change could devastate Chinook salmon stocks
December 22, 2014
Wildlife biologists are trying to predict how animal populations all over the world will respond to climate change. There are many examples of how projected future temperatures will dramatically affect the performance of a wide range of animal species. Some species will acclimate to warmer… read more
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UBC astronomer confirms a new “Super-Earth” planet
December 18, 2014
A University of British Columbia astronomer is a key player in the discovery of a new exoplanet, out beyond our solar system. Jaymie Matthews, who doubles as a mission scientist with Canada’s first space telescope, put the technology to work to confirm the existence of a new planet 180… read more
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UBC chemist named top young Canadian scientist
December 15, 2014
UBC chemistry professor Mark MacLachlan has been awarded the 2014 Steacie Prize in the natural sciences, Canada’s top award for young scientists and engineers. The award recognizes MacLachlan’s outstanding research and scholarly contributions to the field of supramolecular inorganic… read more
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Hummingbird’s hover surprisingly easy to hack
December 8, 2014
Hummingbirds’ remarkable ability to hover in place is highly contingent on the tiny bird having a completely stationary visual field, according to University of British Columbia research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. UBC zoologists Benjamin Goller and… read more
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National biocatalysis network looks to replace petrochemicals with green alternatives
December 1, 2014
UBC chemists are part of a new research initiative aimed at upgrading the sustainability of Canada’s industrial sector by replacing its lifeblood — petrochemicals — with green alternatives. UBC, Concordia University and the University of Toronto make up the Industrial… read more
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Alan Turing: Beyond the code-breaker
November 19, 2014
The Imitation Game, a big-budget biopic of British mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing, hits Canadian theatres in December. The film profiles Turing’s work as a top-secret British code breaker during the Second World War, portraying the man who cracked Nazi Germany’s… read more