Science, Health and Technology

Staying fire-smart in the era of COVID-19

Nearly 100 wildfires are burning across B.C. following the recent wave of hot and dry weather. With the COVID-19 pandemic still upon us and primarily affecting people’s respiratory tracts, minimizing accidental wildfires is critical. We asked UBC faculty of forestry wildfire expert Lori Daniels what can be done.

Aug 11, 2020

Pop-up plaza at 200-block Carrall St. in Vancouver. Source: City of Vancouver

What will our cities look like after COVID-19?

The past few months have been a highly unusual time for cities as people sheltered in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. UBC planning experts Jordi Honey-Rosés and Erick Villagomez analyzed the implications of these changes on city planning and space design.

Aug 6, 2020

UBC researchers have concluded that early Martian landscape probably looked similar to this image of the Devon ice cap. Credit: Anna Grau Galofre.

Early Mars was covered in ice sheets, not flowing rivers

A large number of the valley networks scarring Mars’s surface were carved by water melting beneath glacial ice, not by free-flowing rivers as previously thought, according to new UBC research.

Aug 3, 2020

New UBC research suggests women who lack social ties have a greater likelihood of being obese. Photo by Matthew Bennett on Unsplash

Obesity linked to social ties in older women, more so than in men

Women who lack social ties have a greater likelihood of being obese. Men, on the other hand, were less likely to be obese if they lived alone and had a smaller social network.

Jul 30, 2020

Lead released in Notre-Dame Cathedral fire detected in Parisian honey

Elevated levels of lead have been found in samples of honey from hives downwind of the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire, collected three months after the April 2019 blaze.

Jul 29, 2020

Supportive communities and progressive politics can reduce suicide risk among LGBTQ girls

Many LGBTQ youth continue to experience stigma and discrimination despite Canada’s progress in protecting human rights.

Jul 28, 2020

Researchers found that all levels of physical activity declined between nine and 12.6 per cent shortly after physical distancing was introduced, and the trend was reversed only for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Canadians’ physical activity dwindles despite resumption of harder workouts

Canadians’ physical activity declined as expected following declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, but moderate-to-vigorous physical activity rebounded over the first six weeks of the pandemic. However, lighter and more incidental physical activity did not.

Jul 27, 2020

COVID-19 pandemic causes ‘quiet period’ for seismic noise

Seismometers are used to detect vibrations travelling through the ground after an earthquake, but they also pick up the background “buzz” of human activity at the surface.

Jul 23, 2020

Through the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), scientists across Canada are collaborating on genomics-based research to find solutions to COVID-19.

UBC scientists sequencing the genomes of Canadians with COVID-19

For years, genome sequencing has helped scientists better understand the factors that predispose humans to disease. Now, the tool is being used in the fight against COVID-19.

Jul 22, 2020

Popular seafood species in sharp decline around the world

Fish market favourites such as orange roughy, common octopus and pink conch are among the species of fish and invertebrates in rapid decline around the world, according to new research.

Jul 21, 2020

Michelle Tseng, assistant professor in the botany and zoology departments at UBC.

Researchers call for support for BIPOC in ecology and evolutionary biology

Recently, a group of researchers from five different institutions collaborated on a commentary piece in Nature Ecology & Evolution, outlining strategies and support for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Jul 20, 2020

UBC forestry professor Richard Hamelin inspects a gypsy moth trap

Portable DNA device can detect tree pests in under two hours

A new rapid DNA detection method developed at UBC can identify invasive pests in less than two hours, without complicated processes or chemicals – even in remote locations.

Jul 20, 2020

Sexual health and domestic violence during COVID-19

Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at UBC’s faculty of medicine, is leading a national survey to measure changes in sexual health and the prevalence of gender-based violence during COVID-19.

Jul 16, 2020

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope measures the oldest light in the universe, known as the cosmic microwave background. Using those measurements, scientists can calculate the universe’s age.
Credit: Debra Kellner

New insights into the origins of our universe

New data released today by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in Chile indicate our universe is around 13.8 billion years old.

Jul 15, 2020

The kits will be distributed at two medium-security federal prisons, five halfway houses and selected urban Indigenous community members in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Region starting this week. Art supplies from Rath Art Supplies (Vancouver), assembled by team member Nicole Mah. Graphic design for booklet by Aska Djikia @adjikia

Leaning on art to catch rays of light

Supporting people in prison to create something beautiful during a dark and difficult time is how UBC school of nursing professor Helen Brown and her team describe their new program to deliver “art and reciprocity kits” to people disproportionately impacted by the Canadian criminal justice system.

Jul 15, 2020

A new study has found that bacteria are shared and possibly transferred from a mother’s milk to her infant’s gut, and that breastfeeding directly at the breast best supports this process. Credit: Kevin Liang/Unsplash

Mom and baby share “good bacteria” through breast milk

A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Manitoba has found that bacteria are shared and possibly transferred from a mother’s milk to her infant’s gut, and that breastfeeding directly at the breast best supports this process.

Jul 10, 2020

Scientists in sites spread across Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, French Guiana and Puerto Rico performed identical experiments on bromeliads—large flowering tropical plants that trap water and provide a habitat for many aquatic insects and larvae.

Extreme rainfall events cause top-heavy aquatic food webs

An expansive, multi-site ecology study led by UBC has uncovered new insights into the effects of climate change on the delicate food webs of the neotropics.

Jul 9, 2020

UBC experts on long-term care home visits in B.C.

UBC experts are available to comment on long-term care home visits in B.C.

Jun 30, 2020

UBC receives $14 million in federal funding for COVID-19 research

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have received a combined total of $14.3 million in grants in the latest round of funding from the federal government in support of research aimed at addressing the health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jun 25, 2020

COVID-19 survey highlights growing suicide and mental health risks across various groups

COVID-19 has significantly increased the suicide risk for Canadians with preexisting mental health challenges and experiences of marginalization, reveals a new survey by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in partnership with researchers at the University of British Columbia.