zoology

Slowed metabolism helps geese fly high

A few years before NASA astronaut Jessica Meir began learning to fly a spacecraft for her upcoming trip to the International Space Station, she was in flight-training of a different kind: teaching bar-headed geese how to fly in a wind tunnel at the University of British Columbia.

Sep 3, 2019

Backpack-toting birds help UBC researchers reveal migratory divide, conservation hotspots

By outfitting two British Columbia subspecies of Swainson’s thrushes with penny-sized, state-of-the-art geolocators, University of British Columbia researchers have been able to map their wildly divergent migration routes and pinpoint conservation hotspots.

Sep 25, 2012

Seabirds study shows plastic pollution reaching surprising levels off coast of Pacific Northwest

Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.

Jul 4, 2012

Picky females promote diversity: UBC-IIASA study

Picky females play a critical role in the survival and diversity of species, according to a Nature study by researchers from the University of British Columbia and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria.

Apr 1, 2012

More than 50-per-cent decline in elephants in eastern Congo due to human conflict: UBC research

Humans play a far greater role in the fate of African elephants than habitat loss, and human conflict in particular has a devastating impact on these largest terrestrial animals, according to a new University of British Columbia study published online in PLoS ONE this week.

Nov 10, 2011

UBC biologist wins MacArthur "genius" grant

Sarah Otto, a zoology professor and director of the Biodiversity Research Centre at the University of British Columbia, is one of 22 people to be picked for this year’s round of ”genius grants” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Sep 20, 2011

UBC graduate student discovers key to "bifocals" in mangrove fish species

A “four-eyed” fish that sees simultaneously above and below the water line has offered up a dramatic example of how gene expression allows organisms to adapt to their environment.

Jul 20, 2011

Some populations of Fraser River salmon more likely to survive climate change: UBC study

Populations of Fraser River sockeye salmon are so fine-tuned to their environment that any further environmental changes caused by climate change could lead to the disappearance of some populations, while others may be less affected, says a new study by University of British Columbia scientists.

Mar 31, 2011

Two UBC researchers receive Killam Research Fellowships

Two University of British Columbia researchers have been given Killam Research Fellowships. Among Canada’s most distinguished research awards, the fellowships provide $70,000 a year for two years to enable recipients to pursue independent research.

Mar 1, 2011

Tiny fish evolved to tolerate colder temperature in three years: UBC study

University of British Columbia researchers have observed one of the fastest evolutionary responses ever recorded in wild populations. In as little as three years, stickleback fish developed tolerance for water temperature 2.5 degrees Celsius lower than their ancestors.

Aug 4, 2010

Tropical birds waited for land crossing between North and South America: UBC study

Despite their ability to fly, tropical birds waited until the formation of the land bridge between North and South America to move northward, according to a University of British Columbia study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.

Dec 9, 2009