Science, Health and Technology

High school students compete in 41st annual Physics Olympics

More than 600 high school students and teachers from across B.C. from Campbell River to Vancouver to West Kelowna and Invermere, will compete in the 41st annual UBC Physics Olympics on Saturday.

Mar 8, 2019

Optical probe for skin cancer screening developed at UBC. Credit: UBC

Low-cost ‘cancer probe’ could spot deadly melanoma early

Work is being done at UBC on a tool to help in the early detection of melanoma: a simple, compact laser probe that can distinguish between harmless moles and cancerous ones – in a matter of seconds.

Mar 6, 2019

Credit: drufisher/Flickr

Canadians’ consumption of fruit and vegetables drops 13 per cent in 11 years

Two surveys taken 11 years apart show a 13-per-cent decrease in the amount of fruit and vegetables being consumed by Canadians, new UBC research has found.

Feb 28, 2019

Fish market in Bagan, Myanmar.

Achieving Paris climate target could net additional billions in fisheries revenue

Achieving the Paris Agreement global warming target could protect millions of tonnes in annual worldwide fisheries catch, as well as billions of dollars of annual revenues for fishers, workers’ income and household seafood expenditures, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

Feb 27, 2019

Flickr

Bat flight model can inspire smarter, nimbler drones

Engineers at UBC have captured the full complexity of bat flight in a three-dimensional computer model for the first time, potentially inspiring the future design of better drones and other aerial vehicles.

Feb 27, 2019

Pink Shirt Day 2019

Pink Shirt Day: UBC experts on bullying

Today is Pink Shirt Day in Canada, an annual movement where people are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness about bullying. UBC experts are available to comment.

Feb 27, 2019

Sepsis or septicaemia.

New protein “switch” could be key to controlling blood-poisoning and preventing death

Scientists at the University of British Columbia have discovered a new protein “switch” that could stop the progression of blood-poisoning, or sepsis, and increase the chances of surviving the life-threatening disease.

Feb 25, 2019

Disability progression in multiple sclerosis linked to income, education

Disability progression in multiple sclerosis linked to income, education

Neighbourhood income and education level is associated with risk of disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis, suggests new research from the University of British Columbia.

Feb 22, 2019

UBC researchers discover how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation

UBC researchers discover how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation

Researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation—a finding that could lead to the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

Feb 21, 2019

Automated speed enforcement doesn’t just reduce collisions – it helps reduce crime

Automated speed enforcement doesn’t just reduce collisions – it helps reduce crime

It’s widely accepted that automated photo enforcement programs targeting speeding help reduce collisions and promote safe driving. Now a new University of British Columbia study suggests they can also significantly reduce crime in the neighbourhoods in which they are deployed.

Feb 21, 2019

Arctic ground squirrels were the major seed eaters in the Yukon Credit: Sandra Angers-Blondin, University of Edinburgh

Mega experiment shows species interact more towards tropics and lowlands

One of the largest field experiments ever conducted is providing the best evidence yet in support of a key Darwinian theory—that interactions between species are stronger toward the tropics and at lower elevations.

Feb 20, 2019

Convenience and control: Online sexually transmitted infection testing offers many benefits

Convenience and control: Online sexually transmitted infection testing offers many benefits

Online sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing removes some of the barriers that prevent people from getting tested while still providing key information about health and wellness, according to users.

Feb 20, 2019

Virtual reality spherical display. Credit: Clare Kiernan/UBC

Spherical display brings virtual collaboration closer to reality

Virtual reality can often make a user feel isolated from the world, with only computer-generated characters for company. But researchers at the University of British Columbia and University of Saskatchewan think they may have found a way to encourage a more sociable virtual reality.

Feb 19, 2019

World's Challenge Challenge participants Denby McDonnell, Narayan Gopinathan and Jordan Konyk (from left to right) will be pitching a program to minimize the ill effects of stove pollution.

Students pitch solutions to global issues in UBC World’s Challenge Challenge

Six three-person teams of UBC students will be facing off, Dragon’s Den-style, on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the UBC World’s Challenge Challenge—a competition in which students pitch their solutions to global problems.

Feb 7, 2019

The main study site at Kennedy Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (left) and a threespine stickleback fish (right). Credit: Seth Rudman

Fish chemical cocktail reveals how a single gene may alter an aquatic ecosystem

Variations in a single gene in tiny stickleback fish alter how they interact with their environment and potentially trigger changes across an ecosystem, a new study from the University of British Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania finds.

Feb 6, 2019

Integrating cultural practices improves health care for Indigenous women living with partner violence

Integrating cultural practices improves health care for Indigenous women living with partner violence

The health of Indigenous women recovering from the trauma of partner violence improves when the healing process integrates Elder-led circles and other cultural elements, finds new research from the University of British Columbia and Western University.

Jan 31, 2019

Many neurotechnology products are not regulated as medical devices.

More oversight needed for consumer brain stimulation devices

As smart watches and fitness trackers explode in popularity, so is a new type of health and wellness tech marketed as being able to monitor and manipulate brain functions. Direct-to-consumer “neurotechnology” is a rapidly growing industry, predicted to top $3 billion by 2020.

Jan 24, 2019

UBC students take on hyperloop concepts in rail challenge

UBC students take on hyperloop concepts in rail challenge

Second-year mechanical engineering students will race their autonomous engines around a track designed to simulate the challenges facing hyperloop design – a system of tubes through which a “pod” can travel free of air resistance or friction, transporting people or objects at high speed.

Jan 22, 2019

Some pregnant women don’t believe cannabis is harmful to their fetus

Some pregnant women don’t believe cannabis is harmful to their fetus

Up to one-third of pregnant women do not believe cannabis is harmful to their fetus, according to a new review by UBC researchers.

Jan 22, 2019

Knitted trees along a sidewalk in Phoenix

Study highlights lack of fair access to urban green spaces

People with higher incomes and more education tend to have greater access to urban green spaces than their less privileged neighbours, a new University of British Columbia study of parks and greenery in 10 major North American cities has found.

Jan 17, 2019