Science, Health and Technology

UBC student becomes inventor to help brother with muscular dystrophy

Watching his older brother Daniel struggle with Duchenne muscular dystrophy—a disease that progressively weakens the muscles and eventually leaves the individual unable to walk—is one of the hardest things UBC student Michael Ko has ever had to do in his life.

Oct 11, 2019

Tuna for sale at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

How sustainable is tuna? New global catch database exposes dangerous fishing trends

Appearing in everything from sushi rolls to sandwiches, tuna are among the world’s favourite fish. But are our current tuna fishing habits sustainable?

Oct 1, 2019

UBC study highlights need to improve health care access in Vancouver, Portland and Seattle

UBC researchers have developed a data science method that analyzes how easily citizens can access hospitals and walk-in health clinics – and it’s a tool that could eventually help city planners and policymakers build smarter, more equitable cities.

Sep 30, 2019

UBC experts on impeachment, climate report

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Sep 25, 2019

Rapidly changing Arctic fisheries potential requires comprehensive management

The migration of fish due to unmitigated climate change could net fisheries in the Canadian Arctic 37 times more fish than current annual catch amounts by the end of the century, a new study from the University of British Columbia has found.

Sep 25, 2019

UBC experts on British Supreme Court ruling, climate report

Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament was illegal.

Sep 24, 2019

UBC experts on national pharmacare, Thomas Cook and coral bleaching

The Liberals are promising to take the next steps toward a national pharmacare program.

Sep 23, 2019

UBC experts on World Alzheimer’s Day

Sept. 21 marks World Alzheimer’s Day. UBC experts are available to comment on various aspects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sep 19, 2019

Mandatory water meters supported by most Metro Vancouver councillors

UBC researchers surveyed elected councillors and mayors in the region and found that 68 per cent are in favour of mandatory water metering.

Sep 19, 2019

What can we do to stop climate change? Experts share their views

Youth climate activists around the world are planning a Global Climate Strike during the week of Sept. 20-27 to demand action on the climate crisis. Ahead of the strike date, we asked several UBC experts who work in climate-related fields for their views on climate change action.

Sep 18, 2019

Researchers found that hands-on learning in kindergarten helped improve academic outcomes.

Emphasizing social play in kindergarten improves academics, reduces teacher burnout

Emphasizing more play, hands-on learning, and students helping one another in kindergarten improves academic outcomes, self-control and attention regulation, finds new UBC research.

Sep 17, 2019

Researchers from the Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia analyzed more than 50 studies related to the increase in vessels’ catching power.

New technology allows fleets to double fishing capacity — and deplete fish stocks faster

Technological advances are allowing commercial fishing fleets to double their fishing power every 35 years and put even more pressure on dwindling fish stocks, new research has found.

Sep 16, 2019

Toyota Mirai. © M 93 / Wikimedia Commons

UBC researchers design roadmap for hydrogen supply network across B.C.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a hydrogen supply chain model that can enable the adoption of zero-emission, hydrogen-powered cars—transforming them from a novelty into everyday transportation in just 30 years.

Sep 12, 2019

UBC experts on vaping concerns

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified more than 450 possible cases of lung disease associated with vaping, spanning 33 states.

Sep 11, 2019

Mahyar Etminan, lead author and associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences in the faculty of medicine at UBC.

Commonly used antibiotics may lead to heart problems

Scientists have shown for the first time a link between two types of heart problems and one of the most commonly prescribed classes of antibiotics.

Sep 9, 2019

UBC experts on B.C. PharmaCare announcement

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix will be making an announcement on B.C.’s PharmaCare program this afternoon.

Sep 5, 2019

Chinook salmon found dead at British Columbia spawning grounds. Credit: Kristi Miller-Saunders, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

New viruses discovered in endangered wild Pacific salmon populations

Three new viruses—including one from a group of viruses never before shown to infect fish—have been discovered in endangered Chinook and sockeye salmon populations.

Sep 4, 2019

Jessica Meir training a bar-headed goose to fly alongside her on a motor scooter. Credit: Milsom Lab/UBC

Slowed metabolism helps geese fly high

A few years before NASA astronaut Jessica Meir began learning to fly a spacecraft for her upcoming trip to the International Space Station, she was in flight-training of a different kind: teaching bar-headed geese how to fly in a wind tunnel at the University of British Columbia.

Sep 3, 2019

Teen birth control use linked to depression risk in adulthood

Women who used oral contraceptives during adolescence are more likely to develop depression as adults, suggests new research from the University of British Columbia.

Aug 28, 2019

UBC experts on opioid crisis lawsuits

A court in Oklahoma has found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the U.S. state’s opioid crisis and has ordered the company to pay $572 million. UBC experts are available to comment.

Aug 27, 2019