The Galápagos penguin is the world’s rarest penguin, and the only one found north of the equator. Photo: iStock/Joanne WastchakPenguin guano from the Galápagos is helping UBC researchers track microplastic pollution from around the globeBy Geoff GilliardIn 1835, Charles Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands as part of the round the world voyage that spawned his seminal On...

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Salmon are keystone fish in British Columbia that return from the ocean where they mature to the river where they were born to spawn and die in an ongoing circle of life. Photo: iStock/OVasikTwo UBC researchers are exploring the problem of dwindling salmon runs from opposite ends of the knowledge continuum—cutting edge genomics, and empirical...

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University of British Columbia researchers have developed a process that could make blood types obsolete. Photo: iStock/Ca-ssisUniversity of British Columbia researchers have developed a process that could make blood types obsolete.By Geoff GilliardDr. Stephen Withers has learned a lot about the economics of blood over the past few years.Blood donations dried up during the COVID-19 pandemic. In...

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Thick smoke fills the air and nearly blocks out the sun in Seattle in September, 2020. Photo: iStock/Jingxuan JiBy Nealan Gerrebos and Dr. Allan Bertram, University of British ColumbiaWildfires are a major source of air pollution. They are also predicted to worsen as climate change progresses.Within the smoke particles produced by these fires is a wide...

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In order to ‘see’ better, drones need help from scientists such as UBC’s Dr. Kwang Moo Yi. Photo: istock.Computer vision and visual geometry are key to improving autonomous vehiclesBy Silvia Moreno-GarciaUBC computer scientist Dr. Kwang Moo Yi studies computer vision and visual geometry — hoping to enable computer systems to better understand their environment, which could lead to truly autonomous drones, vehicles and robots.Can you tell us about your research?Autonomous drones, vehicles and robots need to know where they…

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American goldfinch with Canada thistle and other plants, designed to bird-proof windows at UBC. Illustration: Derek Tan.How UBC community members are flocking together to bird-proof campus buildingsBy Silvia Moreno-GarciaVancouver’s shiny, tall, mirror-like buildings are an attractive and much-photographed sight. So too is the local wildlife, with Vancouver boasting one of the highest densities of wintering birds of any Canadian city.Unfortunately, the combination can turn those beautiful reflective glass windows into bird killers.A study conducted by four UBC alumni…

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Megaconstellations threaten to affect the quality of stargazing. Photo: iStockBut governments need to get serious about protecting itBy Dr. Aaron Boley, University of British Columbia, and Dr. Samantha Lawler, University of ReginaIn early 2021, just after the Perseverance Rover landed on Mars, a purported image of the Martian night sky went viral. In that image, above the sleek metal of a Mars rover, the clearly defined Milky Way cuts from horizon to horizon, crossing a sky filled…

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Close-up of a dead drone. Photo: Emily Huxter.Could insulated hives protect bees from next summer’s heat waves?By Silvia Moreno-GarciaIt was a macabre sight. Dozens of dead drone bees spread over the ground, looking as if they had literally exploded from the inside out.“When drones die from shock, they spontaneously ejaculate,” explains Dr. Alison McAfee, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories who has long studied bee health. “They have this elaborate endophallus that comes out and is…

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Photo: Beaty Biodiversity Museum.Looking for STEM activities for your family this summer? The University of British Columbia has online resources for you to explore, or check out some of our in-person programming 🎟️.UBC partnersThe Beaty Biodiversity Museum offers downloadable activities, online exhibitions and videos. Or visit the museum in person using an online timed-entry ticketing system 🎟️.Explore the UBC Botanical Garden online or in person. Book your tickets 🎟️ ahead of time.The Pacific Museum of the Earth…

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We celebrate Earth Day this April 22. Photo: istock.We should care about our environment all year long, but Earth Day is a good reminder to pause and consider the myriad issues affecting our planet and envision how we can create a cleaner, fairer, more sustainable world for all.This Earth Day, we look at some of the resources around UBC that explore the many ways humanity and our planet are interconnected.Earth 2020Last year, UBC oceanographer Dr. Philippe Tortell…

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