Browse the latest news and discoveries relating to animal research at UBC.
News
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October 3, 2018
Lowering levels of mutant protein that causes Huntington disease can restore cognitive function in mice
New research from the University of British Columbia suggests that reducing mutated Huntington disease protein in the brain can restore cognitive and psychiatric impairments in mice. Huntington disease (HD) is a genetic, progressive disorder that causes mental decline, psychiatric problems and…
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September 11, 2018
Climate change fuels accumulation of pollutants in Chinook salmon, killer whales
University of British Columbia researchers studying the marine food web of the Northeast Pacific Ocean have found that the exposure and accumulation of chemical pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organic mercury, will be exacerbated under climate change. The study, published…
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September 10, 2018
Global warming pushing alpine species higher and higher
For every one-degree-Celsius increase in temperature, mountaintop species shift upslope 100 metres, shrinking their inhabited area and resulting in dramatic population declines, new research by University of British Columbia zoologists has found. The study—the first broad review of its kind…
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June 27, 2018
As penguins dive, their location data takes flight
Data sent from penguins to space and back to UBC could help researchers determine why the species’ breeding population fluctuates so dramatically. UBC researchers visited the South Atlantic in April to attach small transmitters to the backs of 66 Gentoo penguins from two colonies in the…
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June 21, 2018
UBC researchers create matchmaking service to combat antibiotic resistant infections
UBC researchers have matched small proteins, called peptides, with antibiotics so they can work together to combat hard-to-treat infections that don’t respond well to drugs on their own. The study builds on previous research that showed that the peptides are key to making harmful bacteria…
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June 19, 2018
‘Smart stent‘ detects narrowing of arteries
For every three individuals who have had a stent implanted to keep clogged arteries open and prevent a heart attack, at least one will experience restenosis—the renewed narrowing of the artery due to plaque buildup or scarring—which can lead to additional complications. Now, a team led…
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June 14, 2018
Climate change has fish moving faster than regulations can keep up
Researchers say out-of-date regulatory system hasn’t kept up with the realities of global warming The world’s system for allocating fish stocks is being outpaced by the movement of fish species in response to climate change, according to a study undertaken by an international team of…
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May 15, 2018
437 million tonnes of fish, $560 billion wasted due to destructive fishing operations
Industrial fisheries that rely on bottom trawling wasted 437 million tonnes of fish and missed out on $560 billion in revenue over the past 65 years, new UBC research has found. The study, carried out by the Sea Around Us initiative at UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF),…
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April 11, 2018
New glaucoma treatment could ease symptoms while you sleep
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ScaKulVtOQE View Flickr photos of Yadav’s lab here. Eye drops developed by UBC researchers could one day treat glaucoma while you sleep – helping to heal a condition that is one of the leading causes of blindness around the world. “Medicated eye drops are…
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March 21, 2018
Flight delays: UBC study finds out why some African birds stay home longer
Parents of millennials still living at home aren’t the only ones with children that refuse to leave. Many animal species have adult offspring that are slow to take flight, but when and how they leave has been poorly understood by scientists. Now, new UBC research on a desert-dwelling African…