Faculty of Science

Combing through someone’s phone could lead to end of relationship – or not

For some people, the thought of their partner, friend or colleague snooping through their phone, reading their texts and emails, is an automatic deal breaker. However, some relationships can survive the snooping, a new study examining the motivations behind phone snooping has found.

May 30, 2019

Invasive Jerusalem artichoke in Slovakia. Credit: Dan Bock

Genetics help make a weed a weed

New University of British Columbia research finds that the success of weedy and invasive plants like the Jerusalem artichoke lies in their genes.

May 7, 2018

What your tweets say about your commute

Urban planners need mobility data on how people move around the city, in order to improve transit service.

Nov 22, 2017

Red light, green light invention prevents work interruptions

A UBC computer scientist has invented a unique desk light that automatically switches from green to red when you are ‘in the zone’ and shouldn’t be disturbed by colleagues.

May 5, 2017

Computer scientists put some skin in the game of visual effects

UBC computer scientists are examining exactly how skin folds, stretches, wrinkles and bounces, with the goal of creating a realistic computer model of the human body.

May 3, 2017

Scotiabank funds $2-million cybersecurity and financial data initiative at UBC

UBC is poised to accelerate cybersecurity and financial risk research in Canada and beyond, thanks to a $2-million donation from Scotiabank.

Mar 13, 2017

Researchers capture first glimpse of important, abundant ocean microbe

A rare microbe that was once thought to be insignificant has turned out to be one of the most abundant single-celled hunters in the ocean, and a team of researchers led by UBC have captured the first glimpse of these elusive predators.

Nov 22, 2016

High seas fisheries management could recoup losses due to climate change

Closing the high seas to fishing could increase fish catches in coastal waters by 10 per cent, helping people cope with the expected losses of fish due to climate change.

Aug 30, 2016

Spider sharing isn’t always caring: Colonies die when arachnids overshare food

Spiders living together in colonies of tens of thousands can go extinct from sharing food equitably, finds new UBC research.

Aug 4, 2016

Songbirds’ epic migrations connected to a small cluster of genes

Scientists from the University of British Columbia have shown that there is a genetic basis to the migratory routes flown by songbirds, and have narrowed in on a relatively small cluster of genes that may govern the behaviour.

Jul 28, 2016

Hummingbird vision wired to avoid high-speed collisions

Hummingbirds are among nature’s most agile fliers. They can travel faster than 50 kilometres per hour and stop on a dime to navigate through dense vegetation.

Jul 18, 2016

UBC astronomy student discovers four new planets

Michelle Kunimoto’s bachelor degree in physics and astronomy sent her on a journey out of this world—and led to the discovery of four new worlds beyond our solar system.

May 30, 2016

Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute launched with $11-million gift

Vancouver-based diamond pioneer and philanthropist Stewart Blusson and his wife, Marilyn, have donated $11 million to quantum materials research at UBC

Mar 10, 2016

High school students compete in “Physics Olympics”

More than 400 high school students and teachers from across B.C. will compete in the 38th annual UBC Physics Olympics

Mar 4, 2016

Humans speeding up evolution by causing extinction of ‘younger’ species

Just three years after crayfish were introduced to a B.C. lake, two species of fish that had existed in the lake for thousands of years were suddenly extinct. But it’s what took their place that has scientists fascinated.

Feb 23, 2016

UBC expert on gravitational waves

A UBC professor is available to speak about today’s announcement that a team of scientists detected gravitational waves. The discovery supports some of the unproven parts of Einstein’s Theory of […]

Feb 11, 2016

UBC receives $27 million from federal government to support researchers

UBC received a $27.2-million boost today when 31 professors were appointed Canada Research Chairs.

Feb 9, 2016

Four gut bacteria decrease asthma risk in infants

New research finds that infants can be protected from getting asthma if they acquire four types of gut bacteria by three months of age.

Sep 30, 2015

Metal-eating microbes in African lake could solve mystery of the planet’s iron deposits

An isolated, iron-rich bay in the heart of East Africa is offering scientists a rare glimpse back into Earth’s primitive marine environment, and supports theories that tiny microbes created some of the world’s largest ore deposits billions of years ago.

Sep 9, 2015

Why we live on Earth and not Venus

Compared to its celestial neighbours Venus and Mars, Earth is a pretty habitable place. So how did we get so lucky? A new study sheds light on the improbable evolutionary path that enabled Earth to sustain life.

Jul 21, 2015