Browse the latest news and discoveries relating to animal research at UBC.
News
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November 4, 2019
Aerial drones offer new perspective on resident killer whale behaviour
Scientists at the University of British Columbia are getting a rare glimpse into the underwater behaviour of northern and southern resident killer whales off the B.C. coast with the help of aerial drones.
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September 4, 2019
New viruses discovered in endangered wild Pacific salmon populations
Three new viruses—including one from a group of viruses never before shown to infect fish—have been discovered in endangered Chinook and sockeye salmon populations. While the impact of the viruses on salmon health isn’t yet known, all three are related to viruses that cause serious disease in other species.
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September 3, 2019
Slowed metabolism helps geese fly high
New physiology study sheds light on how bar-headed geese migrate over the Himalayas 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 Unive
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August 1, 2019
High insulin production may contribute to pancreatic cancer
UBC scientists have demonstrated for the first time a causal link between high insulin levels and pancreatic cancer.
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July 31, 2019
Biodiversity highest on Indigenous-managed lands
UBC-led study highlights importance of collaborating with Indigenous communities to protect species More than one million plant and animal species worldwide are facing extinction, according to a recent United Nations report.
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July 11, 2019
DNA analysis reveals cryptic underwater ecosystem engineers
They look like smears of pink bubblegum on the rocks off British Columbia’s coast, indistinguishable from one another.
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June 17, 2019
UBC study holds promise for novel and safe treatment for Type 2 diabetes
Reducing a specific protein in the fat cells of mice not only prevents onset of Type 2 diabetes but also appears to reverse the disease in the animals, researchers at the University of British Columbia and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have found.
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May 7, 2019
Matchmaking for healthier bees
While poor hygiene may be a deal breaker in human relationships, in bee colonies it can be a matter of life and death. Which is why, for two weeks in May, a lab at UBC runs a high-tech matchmaking service for bees: swipe right for hygienic bees, swipe left if not.
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April 23, 2019
Good mousekeeping: en suite bathroom makes for happier mice
Mice have a strong preference to nest away from their own waste and should be housed in a system of cages that allows them to create a toilet area, according to work led by researchers at the University of British Columbia.
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March 19, 2019
From foam to bone: Plant cellulose can pave the way for healthy bone implants
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