When I began thinking about this blog post, I initially intended to reveal and review a list of the science YouTube channels that I watch. I soon realized that it would be better if I were to tell you how I find what I want to watch so that you too could create your own personalized edutainment subscription list. I have a huge appreciation for the YouTubers who put out content for us on a…

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Canada’s plants are the middle child of species conservation in Canada, receiving far less attention than mammals and birds. Even though plants and lichens make up 37 per cent of Canada’s at-risk species, the federal funding they receive is less than a third of that number. Dr. Jenny McCune, (Pictured at left, image from U of L News Release) a University of Lethbridge professor in biological sciences and Board of Governors Research Chair in Plant…

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  Guest post by Patrick Wu a Life Science Marketing Consultant based in Alberta.   As we enter the fourth month of physical distancing in Alberta, I’m sure many of us are eagerly waiting for the day that the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. While researchers in Alberta are already working hard on a potential vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, many others are looking for antiviral drugs. Antivirals could help shorten hospitalization stays, increase our healthcare…

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  Guest post by Patrick Wu a Life Science Marketing Consultant based in Alberta.   As we enter the fourth month of physical distancing in Alberta, I’m sure many of us are eagerly waiting for the day that the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. While researchers in Alberta are already working hard on a potential vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, many others are looking for antiviral drugs. Antivirals could help shorten hospitalization stays, increase our healthcare…

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                              How old do you have to be to die of old age? Bill Bryson answers this question and many more in his newest book The Body: A Guide for Occupants. As a Biology teacher, I am always looking for books that help me weave stories into science concepts. I know that they add interest and help me to remember, I hope that they do the same for my students. After I read Bill Bryson’s…

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Bats have a bad reputation as disease carriers or as the alter ego for vampires in folklore. Karen Mossman and Arinjay Banerjee do not see them in the same way. The McMaster University researchers have been studying bats and how they are able to be carriers of certain viruses without contracting the disease. We talked with Karen Mossman in May when she received a CIHR grant to learn more about the relationship between humans, bats,…

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Researchers are looking for ways to leverage the human microbiome to make people more naturally resistant to disease, and to find genetic-based treatments and vaccines. One research team has succeeded in identifying a bacterium that can defeat cholera before the disease can activate. The implications are that there are many more to be found, each potentially capable of enhancing resistance to other diseases.   The microbiome is the collection of naturally occurring microbes (bacteria, bacteriophage,…

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  Developed by Genome Alberta, this document provides researchers with selected COVID-19 research initiatives, resources and databases being compiled on provincial, national and international levels, with a key-focus on their relation to genomics, and the CanCOGeN initiative. The CanCOGeN initiative, led by Genome Canada, is a collaborative project aimed at safe data sharing and analysis carried out at the national level. CanCOGeN’s goal is to coordinate and fund SARS-CoV-2 (v-CanCOGeN) and human host genome (h-CanCOGeN)…

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 This is a guest post from former Genome Alberta staffer Adam Kirkby. You can contact him by email anytime.   As part of last year’s annual BIO conference in Philadelphia,  Genome Alberta profiled some of the work being done by Pacylex who are developing a novel cancer drug following a discovery at the University of Alberta which identified a previously unknown cellular pathway. Pacylex was back at BIO this year but like the rest of…

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The pandemic has raised the profile of researchers and highlighted a need for research capacity that can be quickly put into action. What that will mean over the longer term however needs some consideration. COVID researchers are working day and night and facing burnout. Non-COVID researchers and their projects are in danger of falling behind in data collection or losing long term funding completely. What happens to crucial environmental research?   All this comes at…

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