Science, Health and Technology

Stock market

Beyond the bottom line: Investors favour companies that give back

Savvy business leaders understand that when companies give back, they can attract better employees and win customers. But a new study shows they’re not only doing it to impress workers and consumers: they’re also doing it to boost their bottom line.

Jul 30, 2019

Mineralized atmospheric carbon in tailings, Clinton creek mine, Yukon. Credit: Greg Dipple

UBC-led project combats emissions by locking carbon dioxide in mine waste  

Two Canadian mines will pilot University of British Columbia-led research that combats greenhouse gas emissions by trapping carbon dioxide in mine tailings, the waste left over from ore mining.

Jul 23, 2019

Anxiety disorders during pregnancy and postpartum more prevalent than previously thought

Anxiety disorders during pregnancy and postpartum more prevalent than previously thought

Many mothers have likely heard about postpartum depression, but what about postpartum anxiety? According to UBC researcher Nichole Fairbrother, this type of anxiety is not well understood and deserves more attention.

Jul 23, 2019

Canada’s high school curricula not giving students full picture of climate change: UBC study

Canada’s high school curricula not giving students full picture of climate change: UBC study

Canada’s high school students may not be getting enough information on the negative impacts of climate change, scientific consensus behind human-caused warming or climate solutions, according to new research from the University of British Columbia and Lund University.

Jul 18, 2019

Harmful medication re-exposures could be avoided with new approaches

Harmful medication re-exposures could be avoided with new approaches

Adverse drug events could be avoided by sharing patients’ medication histories and previous harmful medication exposures among various health-care facilities. That’s one of the key findings of a study published today in CMAJ Open.

Jul 18, 2019

The game works similarly to Pokémon trading cards, but uses real organisms and natural events instead of imaginary characters.

Pokémon-like card game can help teach ecology: UBC research

Playing a Pokémon-like card game about ecology and biodiversity can result in broader knowledge of species and a better understanding of ecosystems than traditional teaching methods, like slideshows, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.  

Jul 17, 2019

The bat created by UBC researchers resembles top-rated bats in the market but can be made more economically using cheaper materials.

UBC researchers bat for gold with new cricket bat design

Young kids dreaming of becoming the next Steve Smith, Eoin Morgan or Virat Kohli rarely have access to cricket bats used by the stars of the game. Now a new bat designed at the University of British Columbia could put a high-performing bat into their hands and ultimately bring even more people into the sport.

Jul 11, 2019

Coralline algae on rocks. Credit: Jenn Burt

DNA analysis reveals cryptic underwater ecosystem engineers

They look like smears of pink bubblegum on the rocks off British Columbia’s coast, indistinguishable from one another.

Jul 11, 2019

Credit: TJ Watt

UBC scientists find high mutation rates generating genetic diversity within huge, old-growth trees

The towering, hundred-year-old Sitka spruce trees growing in the heart of Vancouver Island’s Carmanah Valley appear placid and unchanging.

Jul 8, 2019

Ballsy enough to get treatment for scrotal pain?

Ballsy enough to get treatment for scrotal pain?

A mention of scrotal pain may give some grownups the giggles, but for the men who experience it, it’s no laughing matter.

Jul 8, 2019

UBC scientists capture images of gene-editing enzymes in action

UBC scientists capture images of gene-editing enzymes in action

For the first time, scientists have captured high-resolution, three-dimensional images of an enzyme in the process of precisely cutting DNA strands.

Jul 8, 2019

Asthma is a long-term condition that inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. Credit: Ted Barrera/Flickr

Uncontrolled asthma could cost U.S. economy more than $963 billion in the next 20 years

The medical costs of uncontrolled asthma, combined with productivity losses due to sick days, could cost the U.S. economy more than $963 billion over the next 20 years, finds a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

Jun 28, 2019

The findings show that at an early age, infants are attending to and learning from their environment. Credit: Sav Nijeboer/Infant Studies Centre

Babies can learn link between language and ethnicity, study suggests

Eleven-month-old infants can learn to associate the language they hear with ethnicity, recent research from the University of British Columbia suggests.

Jun 25, 2019

The study is the first to explore the link between age and smartphone use. Credit: Paul H. Joseph/UBC

How you lock your smartphone can reveal your age: UBC study

Older smartphone users tend to rely more on their phones’ auto lock feature compared to younger users, a new UBC study has found. They also prefer using PINs over fingerprints to unlock their phones.

Jun 20, 2019

UBC experts on Trans Mountain pipeline expansion

UBC experts on Trans Mountain pipeline expansion

The federal cabinet’s decision on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is expected today.

Jun 18, 2019

UBC study holds promise for novel and safe treatment for Type 2 diabetes

UBC study holds promise for novel and safe treatment for Type 2 diabetes

Reducing a specific protein in the fat cells of mice not only prevents onset of Type 2 diabetes but also appears to reverse the disease in the animals, researchers at the University of British Columbia and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have found.

Jun 17, 2019

Low THC levels not linked to increased risk of car crashes

Low THC levels not linked to increased risk of car crashes

New research led by the University of British Columbia suggests that THC levels less than five nanograms/ml of blood do not lead to an increased risk of causing car crashes in most drivers.

Jun 13, 2019

Blockchain at UBC

UBC launches Canada’s first graduate blockchain training path

The University of British Columbia is launching Canada’s first blockchain and distributed ledger technology training path for graduate students.

Jun 11, 2019

Credit: UNICEF/Flickr

Mothers of colour experience high rates of mistreatment by providers during childbirth in the U.S.

Mothers of colour experience less respect and autonomy and more mistreatment than white women during childbirth, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

Jun 11, 2019

First trans solidarity rally and march, Washington, D.C. Credit: Ted Eytan/Flickr

Supportive families and schools help prevent substance use among transgender youth: UBC study

Strong family and school connections are helping prevent transgender youth from smoking cigarettes and using marijuana, even among those targeted by violence.

Jun 10, 2019