https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Simon Fraser University Thousands of endangered species in British Columbia are not receiving the help they need to survive, according to new Simon Fraser University research. B.C. is Canada's most biodiverse province, but analysis of nearly 20 years of data indicates that very few of its threatened species are showing signs of recovery, largely due to a lack of legislative protection. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-british-columbia-endangered-species-lacking.html Ecology Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:10:01 EDT news694274788 Communities dependent on Canada's blue economy will face growing challenges to their livelihoods as climate change fundamentally alters the country's marine environment, according to new Simon Fraser University research. The four-year study published in Regional Studies in Marine Science suggests that some parts of the country could see a 50% drop in marine resources, hitting sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture and ecotourism. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-canada-ocean-economy-climate-ecosystems.html Environment Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:20:06 EDT news694188781 Simon Fraser University scientists are embarking on a new study to discover what makes some people more resilient to brain conditions such as dementia. With dementia rates on the rise globally, the need for more informed insights into brain health has never been greater. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-secrets-healthy-brain-team.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:20:03 EDT news692965294 A Simon Fraser University study is pushing back against the "easy narrative" that not getting vaccinated is entirely a personal decision. Rather, vaccine hesitancy in Canada comes down to significant cultural, administrative, institutional and governance barriers that reinforce mistrust and create inequitable access to vaccines, say SFU researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-vaccine-gaps-rooted-personal-choices.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:30:05 EDT news692467921 Just a few days in simulated microgravity can subtly change the way women's blood clots, sparking bigger questions about health monitoring protocols for astronauts who can spend six months or more in orbit, say Simon Fraser University researchers. First reported in 2020, an International Space Station mission detected an unexpected blood clot in a female astronaut's jugular vein. To date, space-health research has had more male participants, but with the number of female astronauts on the rise, a new SFU–European Space Agency study examined how microgravity affects blood clotting specifically in women. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-female-astronauts-clotting-day-weightlessness.html Space Exploration Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:40:07 EST news691852801 A new, fully customizable 3D printed socket design is set to transform the prosthetics industry. The reimagined limb socket interface combines highly personalized pressure mapping with AI software and a lighter infill, creating a highly customized prosthetic that's more comfortable to wear, for much longer, say researchers at Simon Fraser University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-prosthetic-combines-ai-3d.html Biomedical technology Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:02 EST news691686300 A few years ago, researcher Maya Gislason's young child came home from school with her crayon drawing of Earth in 2020 and 2050. "The first was blue and green; the second was a planet on fire," she says. "Her question to me was: How old will I be when I die in 2050?" https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-eco-anxiety-exposes-emotional-fallout.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 26 Feb 2026 21:40:02 EST news691336943 Simon Fraser University researchers have uncovered fiberglass contamination in a key estuary on Vancouver Island, raising concerns about how an as-yet-overlooked contaminant could affect aquatic birds, marine life and coastal communities that rely on shellfish and seafood. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-marine-pollutant-fiberglass-major-shellfish.html Ecology Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:10:01 EST news691159649 New research shows a single year of warmer-than-average Arctic temperatures can cause malnutrition in Arctic seals, intensifying risks to Inuit food security and northern ecosystems already under pressure from environmental toxins, warn Simon Fraser University researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-climate-persistent-contaminants-onetwo-arctic.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:20:42 EST news690643202 A new Simon Fraser University study has found that Canada's cycling network is growing, but not everyone is benefiting. Between 2022 and 2024, nearly 3,600 kilometers of high-quality cycling infrastructure was added across the country, with the largest proportional increases seen in small- to medium-sized cities. But one consistent finding across Canadian cities is that areas with more children and older adults tend to have less cycling infrastructure. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-bicycle-highlights-canada-bike-network.html Environment Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:18:22 EST news688742282 A Simon Fraser University cosmologist believes his team's new research may bring them a step closer to cracking one of science's biggest questions—the Hubble tension. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-hubble-tension-primordial-magnetic-fields.html Astronomy Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:29:29 EST news688138142 Canada is failing in a decades-old pledge to monitor the health of Pacific salmon, according to new research from Simon Fraser University. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-canada-track-salmon-health-climate.html Plants & Animals Thu, 15 Jan 2026 15:51:23 EST news687714661 As runners set their New Year's resolutions, Simon Fraser University researchers have dug thousands of Strava posts to map the emotional highs and lows of running and see what makes people stick with it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-strava-reveal-secrets-happier.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:23:21 EST news687529381 A recent study found one in four teens in British Columbia reported disordered eating or significant anxiety about eating and body image; rates were even higher among transgender and sexual minority teens. These overall risks were associated with social media use and exposure to influencer-driven misinformation, researchers say. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-social-media-fuels-teen-disorders.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:05:35 EST news685281902 Researchers from Simon Fraser University are urging snowshoers and winter hikers to get clued up on avalanche safety after a new study found a concerning lack of awareness among those taking part in the sports. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-highlights-gaps-avalanche-safety-awareness.html Environment Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:20:01 EST news683216352 A new heart monitoring system combining 3D printing and artificial intelligence could transform the way doctors measure and diagnose patients' heart health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-ai-heart-gel-free-ecg.html Cardiology Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:08:03 EST news682700881 A global team of experts from academia and industry has joined forces in a landmark Consensus Statement on next-generation photodetectors based on emerging light-responsive materials, which could accelerate innovative applications across health care, smart homes, agriculture, and manufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-global-advances-generation-sensors-based.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 03 Nov 2025 16:41:03 EST news681410461 As voice artificial intelligence (AI) speeds toward use in clinical settings, a researcher from Simon Fraser University is highlighting the urgent need for ethical, legal, and social oversight—especially in therapeutic care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-ethical-regulatory-oversight-therapeutic-voice.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:49:04 EDT news680849342 A new study from SFU's School of Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) proposes an innovative standardization framework to overcome long-standing inconsistencies in testing indoor solar technology—enabling reliable efficiency measurements and accelerating progress toward practical, sustainable indoor energy harvesting. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-indoor-power-insights-supercharge-smart.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:13:14 EDT news680253189 While anglers are celebrating a strong start to the salmon season, a new Simon Fraser University study warns coho salmon are under serious threat. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-anglers-salmon-coho-population-collapse.html Ecology Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:23:04 EDT news678630182 A team of scientists at Simon Fraser University's Quantum Technology Lab and leading Canada-based quantum company Photonic Inc. have created a new type of silicon-based quantum device controlled both optically and electrically, marking the latest breakthrough in the global quantum computing race. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-physicists-electrically-silicon-based-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:51:04 EDT news677418661 New research from Simon Fraser University (SFU) Biological Sciences researchers finds that Pacific salmon are facing escalating threats due to a lack of coordinated conservation policy and oversight. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-death-thousand-salmon-falling-british.html Political science Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:40:02 EDT news676734903 Confiscating personal belongings during government-led dismantling of tent cities in Vancouver inflicts immediate harm and further destabilizes people already struggling to meet their basic needs, according to a new study from Simon Fraser University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-link-street-overdose.html Health Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:14:04 EDT news676120441 A new Simon Fraser University course this fall marks a world first: a university professor teaching alongside a live, fully expressive 3D artificial intelligence collaborator on stage. This pioneering course introduces a new model for human-AI interaction in an academic setting, positioning SFU at the forefront of educational innovation. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-professor-debuts-ai-sidekick-trailblazing.html Education Thu, 28 Aug 2025 04:26:56 EDT news675574008 Researchers from Simon Fraser University have unveiled an artificial intelligence framework that could transform drug development and accelerate the discovery of new medicines. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-ai-tool-medical-drugs-scientists.html Machine learning & AI Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:04:50 EDT news674316286 A new study by researchers at Simon Fraser University is shedding light on how the brain's wiring in early childhood lays the foundation for attention skills—a key step toward characterizing healthy developmental patterns that could help identify young children at risk for attention-related challenges like ADHD. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-brain-wiring-early-childhood-key.html Attention deficit disorders Thu, 07 Aug 2025 11:53:04 EDT news673786381 Lighting plays a crucial role when it comes to visual storytelling. Whether it's film or photography, creators spend countless hours, and often significant budgets, crafting the perfect illumination for their shot. But once a photograph or video is captured, the illumination is essentially fixed. Adjusting it afterward, a task called "relighting," typically demands time-consuming manual work by skilled artists. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-tool-3d-scene.html Software Sat, 02 Aug 2025 05:16:44 EDT news673330586 An iconic fish among British Columbia anglers could be facing an even more uncertain future than previously thought, according to a new study from Simon Fraser University researchers. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-masking-steelhead-declines-british-columbia.html Ecology Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:59:04 EDT news672559142 More than a thousand fish species use sounds to exchange information, attract mates, and avoid predators through hums, grunts, clicks, and bubbles. Yet, the vital role of fish sounds—and the impact of noise pollution on the fishes that produce them—are left out of critical conservation policy, says a study led by marine ecologists at Simon Fraser University. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-fish-heard-policies.html Plants & Animals Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:36:04 EDT news671279762 Simon Fraser University researchers are using a new approach to brain imaging that could improve how drugs are prescribed to treat Parkinson's disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-drug-parkinson-disease-affect-brain.html Medications Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:50:31 EDT news670171820