The Media Coverage Summary is compiled from media clips Monday to Friday by UBC Public Affairs. Sign up for other Public Affairs e-mail services at http://news.ubc.ca/media-resources/digital-subscriptions/.
International/National
United Press International: New research suggests humans are speeding up evolution
Globe and Mail: Attention shoppers: Spending more on gifts won’t always wow the recipient
Op-Eds
Huffington Post: Why states have to learn from digital disruptors
Globe and Mail: The law should ensure Pickton never profits from his horrific crimes
Local News
Global News: Can your cup of coffee counteract liver damage caused by drinking booze?
Global News: UBC study finds social dominance surfaces in babies
Vancouver Magazine: The Van Mag Q&A: UBC’s Philip Steenkamp on divestment
Vancouver Sun: Vancouver-based nanomedicine startup targets genetic solution to diseases
CKNW: Wood pulp in Parmesan cheese?
UBC Alumni
Vancouver Sun: Spare Rides app brings carpooling into the 21st century
International/National
United Press International: New research suggests humans are speeding up evolution
New research suggests humans may be speeding up evolution by encouraging the disappearance of certain species. Researchers from UBC found that two fish species disappeared from a lake on Vancouver Island following the introduction of crayfish. Increased competition for food encouraged interbreeding and eventually the two species gave way to a single hybrid species. UPI, Digital Journal, Tech Times
Globe and Mail: Attention shoppers: Spending more on gifts won’t always wow the recipient
UBC marketing professor Darren Dahl says many people overspend on gifts because they tend to equate money with love. Even those who prefer to spend less on presents don’t want to look cheap, Dahl said. Globe and Mail
Op-Eds
Huffington Post: Why states have to learn from digital disruptors
The rise of social media and digital technology has broken the old system marked by “limited gatekeepers and captive audiences,” says UBC digital media and global affairs professor Taylor Owen. In a Huffington Post article, Owen said governments could engage online in positive ways, by ensuring network security and working with “disruptive digital actors, rather than seeking to shut them down.” Huffington Post
Globe and Mail: The law should ensure Pickton never profits from his horrific crimes
Analyzing the recent furor over a book written by convicted killer Robert Pickton, UBC law professor Benjamin Perrin agrees it’s wrong to profit from a crime that society has condemned. “Violent criminals [can] quickly become celebrities in our 24/7 media culture, providing them with ample opportunity for financial gain,” wrote Perrin. “They should never be able to profit from their horrific crimes. Our laws should guarantee it.” Globe and Mail
Local News
Global News: Can your cup of coffee counteract liver damage caused by drinking booze?
A U.K. study suggests that drinking four cups of coffee could reduce the risk of cirrhosis by 65 per cent. “For some reason, coffee seems to diminish risk of getting cirrhosis or getting liver cancer,” UBC professor Eric Yoshida, who has conducted a similar study, told Global News. “All the studies say the same thing but they don’t know what the mechanism is.” Global News
Global News: UBC study finds social dominance surfaces in babies
Concepts of social dominance form at a very early stage, according to a UBC study featured on Global News. Study author Anthea Pun set up an experiment which found that even very young children recognize that being part of a group has benefits. Global News
Vancouver Magazine: The Van Mag Q&A: UBC’s Philip Steenkamp on divestment
UBC vice president of external relations Philip Steenkamp discussed the university’s decision to keep its fossil fuel holdings in an interview with Vancouver magazine. Steenkamp touched on the consultation process and the creation of a sustainable future fund, among other aspects. Vancouver
Vancouver Sun: Vancouver-based nanomedicine startup targets genetic solution to diseases
Vancouver Sun highlighted a biotech firm, Precision NanoSystems, which has developed a way to produce “self-assembling” molecules that carry drugs directly into human cells. UBC researcher Pieter Cullis, a co-founder of the firm, noted that such “nanomedicines” started out as a way to deliver toxic molecules to the site of a disease, such as tumours. Vancouver Sun, Leader Post, Edmonton Journal
CKNW: Wood pulp in Parmesan cheese?
UBC food systems professor Christine Scaman commented on the U.S. crackdown of Parmesan cheese products that use wood pulp as fillers. According to Scaman, manufacturers actually use a very purified and harmless form of wood pulp–cellulose–but it’s the amounts of filler that is worrying. Manufacturers are allowed to add only about one or two per cent cellulose to grated Parmesan. CKNW
UBC Alumni
Vancouver Sun: Spare Rides app brings carpooling into the 21st century
An app developed by UBC students launched Monday with 400 people signed up. Spare Rides pairs drivers with riders along Broadway and, unlike Uber, is designed specifically for drivers looking to share the cost of their daily commute. Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Vancity Buzz
