Browse the latest news and discoveries relating to animal research at UBC.
News
-
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…
-
March 19, 2018
New pheromone insight may help predict mountain pine beetle outbreaks
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shed new light on how mountain pine beetles produce an important pheromone called trans-verbenol, which could aid in efforts to better predict outbreaks. In recent years, mountain pine beetles have destroyed more than 25 million hectares of…
-
March 15, 2018
Reefs help protect vulnerable Caribbean fish from climate change
New research from UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries suggests that larger reef areas may help protect the Caribbean’s coral reef fish communities from the impacts of ocean warming. “We are seeing alterations to local reef fish populations due to warming ocean…
-
March 6, 2018
Strict eating schedule can lower Huntington disease protein in mice
New research from the University of British Columbia suggests that following a strict eating schedule can help clear away the protein responsible for Huntington disease in mice. Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited, progressive disorder that causes involuntary movements and psychiatric problems…
-
February 8, 2018
Some cows are more bullish than others: UBC study
Some calves are inherently optimistic or pessimistic, just as humans are, a new University of British Columbia study has found. Recognizing these individual personality differences is important to ensure animals are treated well, says professor Marina von Keyserlingk, who led the research team…
-
February 5, 2018
UBC researchers use drones to track jellyfish blooms
Jellyfish blooms are becoming more widespread and scientists are looking for ways to understand them better, including their impact on species like salmon that compete with them for food sources. Now, researchers at the University of British Columbia have enlisted aerial drones to track these…
-
January 30, 2018
Warming climate shrinks B.C. beetles
Some of B.C.’s beetles are shrinking as their habitats get warmer, according to new UBC research. The study provides evidence that climate change is affecting the size of organisms. “In nature, there is so much going on that can affect body size so we weren’t sure we were…
-
January 16, 2018
Potential new diabetes treatment being tested in Vancouver
The University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health are testing a possible diabetes cure that replaces a person’s damaged pancreatic cells with new ones grown in the lab. The replacement cells are grown from embryonic stem cells. Researchers believe that if the new cells…
-
November 22, 2017
Bowhead whales come to Cumberland Sound in Nunavut to exfoliate
Aerial drone footage of bowhead whales in Canada’s Arctic has revealed that the large mammals moult and use rocks to rub off dead skin. The footage provides one answer to the mystery of why whales return to Cumberland Sound, Nunavut, every summer, and helps explain some unusual behaviour…
-
October 31, 2017
Alzheimer’s disease might be a ‘whole body’ problem
The scientists attached normal mice, which don’t naturally develop Alzheimer’s disease, to mice modified to carry a mutant human gene that produces high levels of the protein called amyloid beta. Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia, has long been assumed to…