News
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UBC Science Awarded $4.6M for Health Research
August 7, 2009
UBC Science has been awarded $4.6 million in research funding from the latest competition held by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Researchers within the departments of Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and Zoology received grants. In total, UBC received more than $26… read more
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'Wanderlust' Gene Dictates Physical and Behavioural Traits In Sticklebacks: UBC Zoologists
August 5, 2009
A gene previously associated with physical traits also dictates related behaviour in the tiny stickleback fish, according to a new University of British Columbia study. Measuring three to 10 centimetres, stickleback fish originated in the ocean but began populating freshwater lakes and streams… read more
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Invigorated Muscle Structure Allows Geese to Brave the Himalayas
July 28, 2009
A higher density of blood vessels and other unique physiological features in the flight muscles of bar-headed geese allow them to do what even the most elite of human athletes struggle to accomplish – exert energy at high altitudes, according to a new UBC study. Named for the dark stripes… read more
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UBC Researchers Help Push for Standard DNA Barcodes for Plants
July 27, 2009
Two University of British Columbia researchers are part of an international team recommending standards for the DNA barcoding of land plants, a step they hope will lead to a universal system for identifying species, and ultimately boost conservation efforts. Barcodes based on portions of DNA … read more
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UBC Life Sciences Institute Names New Director
July 7, 2009
Dr Christian Naus--a leading expert on the role that intercellular channels play in the developing brain and in disease processes--has been named director of UBC's Life Sciences Institute (LSI). Naus, previous head of the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, and… read more
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CS Student Improves Access to Transit Info, Wins Microsoft Competition
June 29, 2009
Navigating public transit schedules has always been a bit of a pet peeve for Carson Lam. "I live near Metrotown, so on my way home from UBC I could take the 99, 87, 41, 43 or 25 bus," says the second-year UBC Computer Science student. "I've always been annoyed that I couldn't easily figure out… read more
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Hot Summers, Calm Seas Are Tipping Point for Tatoosh Island's Red Alga
June 24, 2009
New research by a UBC zoologist underscores how seemingly gradual changes in climate, combined with more extreme conditions, can bring about dramatic ecological changes. Reviewing three decades of detailed data, UBC zoologist Christopher Harley found that neither gradual temperature increases nor… read more
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Desperate Times. When Should We Move Species to Save Them From Climate Change?
June 19, 2009
Managed relocation has become a much-discussed—and controversial—strategy to help species survive changes in their local habitat by moving them to new areas. That could involve moving animals threatened by human encroachment to new ranges, or moving fish trapped in dying lakes to new… read more
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Five UBC Science Projects Receive Research Infrastructure Boost
June 18, 2009
World class research into geochemical analysis, infectious disease, ultra-cold materials and the plant-environment interface at UBC Science have received $12 million in funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Twelve UBC research projects—five within the Faculty of Science… read more
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UBC Paleontologist Solves California's Sharktooth Hill Bonebed Mystery
June 8, 2009
A UBC researcher has turned up the first conclusive explanation for the origin of the Sharktooth Hill bonebed--a massive prehistoric marine mass grave in southern California. The Sharktooth Hill bonebed is exposed over approximately 100 square kilometres of land at the southern end of the Central… read more