News
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Paul G Allen Family Foundation grants $2.6 million to improve data on world fisheries
August 20, 2014
The University of British Columbia has received $2.6 million (U.S.) from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to provide African and Asian countries with more accurate and comprehensive fisheries data to help them better analyze and support their ocean resources and local economies. “This… read more
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Fish study links brain size to parental duties
August 19, 2014
Male stickleback fish that protect their young have bigger brains than counterparts that don’t care for offspring, finds a new University of British Columbia study. Stickleback fish are well known in the animal kingdom for the fact that the male of the species, rather than the female, cares… read more
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Antibiotics in early life may alter immunity long-term
August 18, 2014
Receiving antibiotic treatments early in life can increase susceptibility to specific diseases later on, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. Most bacteria living in the gut play a positive role in promoting a healthy immune system, but antibiotic treatments often do… read more
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New software algorithm mimics human perception to turn sketches into 3D
August 13, 2014
A novel graphics system that can infer complex 3D shapes from single professional sketches will be unveiled by UBC computer scientists at SIGGRAPH 2014 in Vancouver this week. The solution has the potential to dramatically simplify how designers and artists develop new product ideas. Converting… read more
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Astronomers measure weight of galaxies, expansion of universe
July 30, 2014
Astronomers at the University of British Columbia have collaborated with international researchers to calculate the precise mass of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, dispelling the notion that the two galaxies have similar masses. While it was previously thought that the two galaxies weighed… read more
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UBC-based math research and training network awarded $6.25 million
July 23, 2014
The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) has received $6.25 million in renewed funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The investment will help PIMS fund its scientific, training and industrial activities throughout Western Canada,… read more
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Researchers chart the ecological impacts of microbial respiration in the oxygen-starved ocean
July 23, 2014
A sulfur-oxidizing bacterial group called SUP05 will play an increasingly important role in carbon and nutrient cycling in the world’s oceans as oxygen minimum zones expand, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. University of… read more
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Mixed genes mix up the migrations of hybrid birds
July 22, 2014
Mixed genes appear to drive hybrid birds to select more difficult routes than their parent species, according to new research from University of British Columbia zoologists. "Instead of taking well-trodden paths through fertile areas, these birds choose to scale mountains and cross deserts," says… read more
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Atlantic salmon show capacity to adapt to warmer waters
July 17, 2014
Populations of Atlantic salmon have a surprisingly good capacity to adjust to warmer temperatures resulting from climate change, according to scientists at UBC and the University of Oslo. The finding adds to recent UBC-supported research on heat tolerance of Pacific salmon. The new study, a… read more
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John Demco, Canadian Internet pioneer, to receive honorary alumnus award
July 16, 2014
John Demco, the "godfather" of the Canadian Internet, will receive a UBC honorary alumnus award this November for his volunteerism and foresight in conceiving the dot-ca domain. Twenty-seven years ago, Demco, then a Computing Facilities manager in UBC's Department of Computer Science, established… read more