News
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UBC Science nets two Vanier graduate scholarships
August 30, 2012
Two young UBC Science researchers, one studying the impact of climate change on coastal ecosystems, the other investigating the synthesis of a naturally occurring antibiotic, have been awarded Vanier scholarships.UBC zoologist Joanna Bernhardt's research will involve installing fully protected… read more
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New sustainability field course takes UBC Science students to Iceland
August 24, 2012
Iceland’s geothermal hotsprings and majestic glaciers are attracting a new type of adventure seeker to the small island nation.ISCI 361 – an intensive, three-week field course launched this May by UBC – takes science students to the nordic country and offers them a broad, in situ… read more
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UBC statistician picks apart popular algorithm used to screen chlamydia
August 23, 2012
The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has recognized UBC statistician Liangliang Wang for her research questioning the accuracy of a popular algorithm used in chlamydia screening tests.Wang and her co-authors used computer simulated scenarios to test the accuracy of the patient estimation… read more
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UBC researcher to help NASA peer deep into the centre of Mars
August 20, 2012
NASA has approved funding for the Mars InSight lander, a mission that will enable scientists, including UBC geophysicist Catherine Johnson, to gather the first seismic information from any planet other than Earth."We’ve all been captivated by the Mars Rover's stunning images of the surface… read more
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Global ocean health gets passing grade: UBC researchers
August 15, 2012
The health of the world’s oceans received a score of 60 out of 100 from a team of international scientists, including fisheries researchers at the University of British Columbia.The team undertook the first global quantitative assessment of ocean health and created the Ocean Health Index … read more
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Tiny airborne pollutants lead double life: UBC, Harvard research
July 30, 2012
University of British Columbia and Harvard researchers have provided visual evidence that atmospheric particles - which are ubiquitous in the atmosphere, especially above densely populated areas - separate into distinct chemical compositions during their life cycle.The observations could have… read more
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Single-cell parasites co-opt “ready-made” genes from host: UBC research
July 19, 2012
Two species of single-cell parasites have co-opted “ready-made” genes from their hosts that in turn help them exploit their hosts, according to a new study by University of British Columbia and University of Ottawa researchers.Part of a group of parasitic microbes called microsporidia,… read more
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Cutting Fleets Could Boost Global Fisheries' Value
July 16, 2012
Rebuilding global fisheries would make them five times more valuable while improving ecology, according to a new University of British Columbia study, published today in the online journal PLoS ONE.By reducing the size of the global fishing fleet, eliminating harmful government subsidies, and… read more
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Arctic Duck Diving Inspires Math Study on Dynamic Patterns
July 9, 2012
What do eider ducks hunting for sea urchins and bargain shoppers have in common? New research from UBC mathematician Leah Edelstein-Keshet and former post-doctoral fellows Nessy Tania, Ben Vanderlei and Joel Heath analyzes how social interactions can create evolving foraging patterns.The findings,… read more
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Seabirds study shows plastic pollution reaching surprising levels off coast of Pacific Northwest
July 4, 2012
Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.The study, published online in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, examined stomach contents… read more