Browse the latest news and discoveries relating to animal research at UBC.
News
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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. Now, a new UBC-led study suggests that Indigenous-managed lands may play…
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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. But a new DNA analysis of coralline algae led by UBC and Hakai Institute researchers has revealed a wealth of different species – a diversity that could hold the key…
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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. Researchers also found that levels of the…
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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. “Certain worker bees…
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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. The study, published April 16 in Scientific Reports, showed that mice who…
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March 19, 2019
From foam to bone: Plant cellulose can pave the way for healthy bone implants
Multimedia assets: Dropbox Researchers from the University of British Columbia and McMaster University have developed what could be the bone implant material of the future: an airy, foamlike substance that can be injected into the body and provide scaffolding for the growth of new bone. Daniel…
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March 14, 2019
New approach to stroke treatment could minimize brain damage
A new treatment for a common type of stroke may soon be possible, thanks to a discovery by an international team of researchers led by the University of British Columbia. In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers successfully used a new approach that…
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March 13, 2019
Cardiorespiratory fitness of farmed Atlantic salmon unaffected by virus
The respiratory systems of Atlantic salmon function normally even when carrying large loads of piscine orthoreovirus (PRV), new UBC research has found. Yangfan Zhang “We didn’t find significant harm to the fish’s respiratory physiology despite the virus replicating to a load…
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March 11, 2019
Honey bees can help monitor pollution in cities
Honey from urban bees can tell us how clean a city is and help pinpoint the sources of environmental pollutants such as lead, new University of British Columbia research has found. In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, scientists from UBC’s Pacific Centre for Isotopic and…
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February 25, 2019
New protein “switch” could be key to controlling blood-poisoning and preventing death
Scientists at the University of British Columbia have discovered a new protein “switch” that could stop the progression of blood-poisoning, or sepsis, and increase the chances of surviving the life-threatening disease. Sepsis, an inflammatory disease that arises when the body’s…