Q&As

The unique mental health and brain impacts of COVID-19

As COVID-19 infections spike around the globe, with no end in sight for months, questions are beginning to arise around the long-term effects of the pandemic on our mental health and brain health.

Nov 6, 2020

How the human right to a healthy environment can help protect us all

From the COVID-19 pandemic to the raging wildfires in Australia and the U.S., scientific evidence shows an increase in planetary environmental emergencies that pose a risk to Canadian and global communities.

Oct 27, 2020

Trick or treat? How to safely celebrate Halloween during a pandemic

Dr. Srinivas Murthy, an infectious disease expert and clinical associate professor in UBC faculty of medicine’s department of pediatrics, weighs in on how to safely celebrate Halloween during a pandemic, offering tips for parents and advice for those handing out candy from home.

Oct 26, 2020

On-scene care saves more lives than transporting cardiac arrest patients to hospital

If someone experiences cardiac arrest—a condition in which the heart suddenly stops beating—what’s the best way to keep that person alive?

Oct 14, 2020

Will we ever shake hands again?

Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, professor and head of the UBC department of psychiatry, explores the psychological toll of COVID-19 and offers his advice on combating stress and anxiety.

Oct 9, 2020

Ancient texts show Jesus had little in common with Republican Jesus

The Christian Right is a powerful political force in the U.S., and it’s no coincidence that its members believe in a Jesus who aligns with their political views. Right-wing influencers have weaponized the Bible as a political tool, according to a new book by UBC’s Tony Keddie.

Oct 6, 2020

Earlier testing and tracing could have prevented spread of COVID-19 in U.S. and Europe

Earlier testing and contact tracing might have prevented SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from becoming established in the United States and Europe, suggests a new study recently published in Science.

Sep 25, 2020

When people slept less than usual, they responded to these stressful events with a greater loss of positive emotions.

New research finds people react better to both negative and positive events with more sleep

New research from UBC finds that after a night of shorter sleep, people react more emotionally to stressful events the next day—and they don’t find as much joy in the good things.

Sep 15, 2020

Don’t be fooled by the corporation’s ‘makeover,’ documentary warns

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel premieres on Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s based on Professor Joel Bakan’s new book, The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations are Bad for Democracy.

Sep 10, 2020

Nigel Howard, an adjunct professor in the linguistics department and Language Sciences member, has attracted media attention (and a fan following) for his expressive interpretation of provincial health officer Bonnie Henry's COVID-19 updates.

Are you a fan of COVID-19 briefings interpreter Nigel Howard? You can take his ASL courses this fall at UBC

You’ve likely seen Nigel Howard interpreting at the provincial COVID-19 briefings. You might even have joined his Facebook fan club. And this week, students will be taking American Sign Language (ASL) as an official credit course with him at UBC.

Sep 8, 2020

Sockeye salmon in Salmon Arm, B.C Credit: Marco Tjokro /Unsplash

Q&A: Rebuilding depleted Canadian fish stocks is good business

Fish populations in Canada need to be urgently rebuilt, but short-term socio-economic concerns – such as the impacts of fisheries closures on local fishers – often slow down or even prevent the process of rebuilding stocks.

Aug 24, 2020

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

D'Arcy Island lies 18 kilometres from Victoria off the Saanich Peninsula.

How a tiny island off Victoria became part of B.C.’s racist history

British Columbians who spent the spring locked down due to COVID-19 are now making up for lost time by getting outdoors and enjoying B.C.’s parks.

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

One billion tweet dataset investigates impact of COVID-19 on human communication

Researchers from a number of disciplines can now use a billion-scale dataset of tweets from around the world to answer their research questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jul 23, 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

Social circles of visible-minority youth become less diverse as they get older

Even if they were born in Canada, visible-minority children of immigrants tend to stick more closely with their own ethnic groups as they get older.

Jun 26, 2020

DNA genotyping and sequencing. Courtesy National Cancer Institute via Unsplash.

DNA testing could help in COVID-19 patient care

UBC’s Dr. William Gibson discusses how human DNA testing could improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19.

Apr 23, 2020

Saving the planet in the midst of a pandemic

Greta Thunberg galvanized masses of people across the world into advocating for climate change. But just as climate action seemed to be hitting a new peak globally, the COVID-19 outbreak abruptly brought the physical manifestations of the movement to a halt.

Apr 21, 2020