https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from University of British Columbia More than 3,000 fish species have been caught in bottom trawls, with estimates suggesting the true number could be nearly double, according to the world's first global inventory. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-reveals-bottom-trawling-thousands-fish.html Ecology Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:50:01 EDT news694848002 A recent study from UBC Okanagan suggests that results depend less on how you exercise and more on how long you keep moving—especially for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-minutes-blood-sugar.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:40:01 EDT news694887541 Summer weather is arriving earlier, lasting longer and packing more heat than it used to—and it's happening faster than scientists had previously measured. A new study by UBC researchers has found that between 1990 and 2023, the average summer between the tropics and the polar circles grew about six days longer per decade. That's up from roughly four days per decade found in past research investigations up until the early 2010s. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-summer-longer-faster-thought.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:40:02 EDT news694871597 If you ever wondered why the most ruthless characters in corporate dramas, such as Succession, keep rising to the top, new research from the UBC Sauder School of Business suggests that dynamic is not just a TV trope. The study, published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, found that some managers actively favor employees who display manipulative or self-serving traits when those behaviors help advance the manager's own career goals. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bosses-reward-dark-traits.html Social Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:20:01 EDT news694869272 While aquaculture has grown rapidly to meet global seafood demand, it is increasingly relying on species that are less beneficial for food security, climate mitigation, and biodiversity, said a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia. The study, published in Fish and Fisheries, analyzed global aquaculture production from 1950 to 2023 and found that, since the 1980s, the industry has shifted toward a smaller number of intensively farmed species—particularly finfish—that tend to have lower overall sustainability potential. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-aquaculture-shifting-sustainable-species.html Agriculture Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:10:07 EDT news694274995 With the arrival of spring a few weeks ago, new buds and colors on the trees started to appear. Along with that new growth, a UBC Okanagan researcher has determined that some trees in spring also provide simple, visual clues—raised or lowered branches—to indicate that they are rehydrating or water-stressed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lapse-video-trees-visual-clues.html Plants & Animals Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:40:01 EDT news694265822 Invasive species cost Canada billions of dollars each year. Now, a team led by UBC researchers has developed a new genomic test that can trace the Asian spongy moth—one of the biggest threats to North America's forests—back to its source, giving officials a better chance of stopping infestations before they spread. The findings are published in the journal BMC Genomics. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-genomic-destructive-asian-spongy-moth.html Plants & Animals Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:03 EDT news693580201 After a wildfire, the flames may fade, but the danger does not. A new study by UBC researchers reveals that burned landscapes remain vulnerable for years, with large areas still bare and at risk of invasion by fast-growing, fire-prone grasses. The research, one of the largest vegetation trajectory studies in the world, monitored landscapes two years after major wildfires in interior British Columbia (BC). While some native plants returned, recovery was slower and more fragile than expected. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-invasive-grasses-british-columbia-scars.html Ecology Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:40:03 EDT news693153541 As climate change reshapes Arctic food webs, ringed seals will swim into risky polar bear territory if the menu is varied enough. This is the central finding of a new study published in Ecology Letters. UBC researchers tracked 26 ringed seals and 39 polar bears in eastern Hudson Bay, using GPS and dive information to analyze how the animals found, and avoided becoming, food. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-death-polar-varied-meal.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:20:04 EDT news693065462 A new study from the University of British Columbia has found that artificial turf fields across Metro Vancouver leach 6PPD-quinone, a chemical known to kill coho salmon, into municipal stormwater systems—and the contamination persists long after the fields are installed. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-links-artificial-turf-fields-lethal.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:10:01 EDT news693034682 Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and hospitalization among older adults, placing significant strain on individuals, families and the health care system. And new research by UBC Okanagan's Dr. Jennifer Davis shows that money spent to prevent additional falls and avoid significant injuries among older adults at high risk of future falls yields a strong return on the dollar. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-fall-clinics-older-adults-strong.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:00:07 EDT news692536386 Plants pause their growth during stress, then press play when conditions improve, helping them recover and live on to produce food, according to a new study published in New Phytologist. UBC researchers have pinpointed the genes and pathways responsible for recovery from the environmental stress of cold snaps in winter or overloads of salt when coastal fields flood. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-play-fast-growth-climate-stress.html Plants & Animals Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:20:01 EDT news692459581 Mussels baked by the billions. Insect larvae cooked inside scorched cherries. Baby birds plummeted to their deaths from their overheating nests. But some species did just fine during the 2021 North American heat wave, according to a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-north-american-wildlife-hard-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:30:02 EDT news692454395 They raid compost bins, outsmart latches and sometimes look gleeful doing it. A new study in Animal Behaviour suggests raccoons may not just be opportunistic—they may be genuinely curious. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-raccoons-puzzles-fun.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:00:01 EDT news692290441 As power grids add more renewable energy and large-scale battery storage, utilities face a growing challenge: how to stress-test tomorrow's electricity systems before investing billions to build them. Wind, solar and battery-backed grids behave differently from traditional power systems. They are faster, more complex and harder to predict, especially during faults, extreme weather or sudden demand spikes. But using today's simulation tools to test those scenarios can take days, which limits how many "what-if" questions engineers can realistically ask. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-tomorrow-grid-extremes-simulations-renewables.html Engineering Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:00:02 EDT news692290681 About one in 20 infants worldwide is subjected to physical abuse by a caregiver in their first two years of life. That's the central finding of a new study co-led by researchers from the UBC faculty of medicine and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the first to bring together anonymous reports from caregivers about behaviors like spanking, slapping, shaking and hitting. The findings are published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-babies-physical-abuse-global.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:20:03 EST news691938721 Canada's drinking water can remain at risk long after wildfires burn out, according to a UBC-led global review that found water-quality impacts often emerge months or years later—not just immediately after a fire. Researchers analyzed 23 studies across 28 watersheds worldwide, comparing pre- and post-fire levels of sediment, nutrients, metals, organic carbon, ions and wildfire-fighting chemicals. Across climates, contamination often intensified over time, particularly when storms or snowmelt washed stored ash and debris into rivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-wildfires.html Environment Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:50:02 EST news691865581 UBC Okanagan researchers and Canadian egg farmers have created a practical tool to help producers balance environmental and economic trade-offs. Researchers at UBC Okanagan and Canadian egg farmers have built a practical decision-making tool to help producers balance environmental, economic and management trade-offs on their farms. The project developed software that brings together key sustainability indicators in one place to help farmers establish benchmarks for their farms, compare options and understand the consequences of different green technology adoption and management choices. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-egg-farmers-sustainable-agriculture.html Agriculture Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:30:01 EST news691408922 Forest loss does more than reduce tree cover. A new global study involving UBC Okanagan researchers shows it can fundamentally change how watersheds hold and release water. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed data from 657 watersheds across six continents. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-forest-loss-watersheds-leakier-global.html Earth Sciences Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:40:04 EST news690731456 Researchers from the University of British Columbia argue that a widely used method to understand and predict flood risk has led scientists to miscalculate how forests can prevent major flooding. The paper, published in Ambio, synthesizes decades of research to explain why the standard approach used to evaluate how forests impact flooding—comparing individual flood peaks before and after disturbance—fails to capture how floods actually develop. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-widely-method-underestimates-forests-ability.html Environment Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:21:36 EST news690736862 Is it a scratch behind the ears while staring into those puppy dog eyes, or is it a gentle pat on the back and a wagging tail that makes spending time with a therapy dog so comforting? New research from UBC Okanagan suggests that when it comes to boosting well-being, it does not matter which part of a therapy dog students interact with—just that they do. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-tails-therapy-dog.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:20:02 EST news690642650 Reducing wolves to protect endangered caribou doesn't always deliver the expected results, and the shape of the land may be the deciding factor. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-wolf-caribou-calves-terrain-predators.html Plants & Animals Sat, 07 Feb 2026 18:00:03 EST news689528089 A prevention strategy developed by Canadian researchers can reduce the risk of the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer by nearly 80%, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-surgical-ovarian-cancer.html Oncology & Cancer Sat, 07 Feb 2026 13:10:01 EST news689259798 A UBC Okanagan-led research project has given a group of international scientists their clearest view yet of the Milky Way's magnetic field, revealing that it is far more complex than previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-milky-magnetism-insights-cosmic-evolution.html Astronomy Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:20:31 EST news688922402 University of British Columbia researchers have engineered gut bacteria that dim their fluorescent glow in the presence of illness. Their findings could improve how we diagnose problems in the gut by using bacteria that already live there. The work appears in Cell. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-bacterial-sensors-gut-illness-mice.html Gastroenterology Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:08 EST news688812781 Gene-editing tools like CRISPR have unlocked new treatments for previously uncurable diseases. Now, researchers at the University of British Columbia are extending those possibilities to the skin for the first time. The UBC team, together with researchers from the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité in Germany, has developed the first gene therapy capable of correcting faulty genes when applied directly to human skin. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-scientists-gene-treatment-skin-conditions.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:43:40 EST news688754581 A UBC research team has revealed substantial, ongoing inequities in how sex and gender are represented in exercise physiology—both in who is studied and who is conducting that research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-physiology-women.html Sports medicine & Kinesiology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:35:46 EST news688739701 Physicists have used a new optical centrifuge to control the rotation of molecules suspended in liquid helium nano-droplets, bringing them a step closer to demystifying the behavior of exotic, frictionless superfluids. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-optical-centrifuge-physicists-probe-mysteries.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:15:46 EST news688320902 UBC Okanagan researchers have advanced their work on developing a noninvasive, accessible way to reduce uncontrolled hand tremors. In their newly published study, the team has demonstrated how a new wearable device may reduce involuntary hand tremors linked with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-team-brace-tremors.html Neuroscience Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:07:36 EST news688306021 New UBC Okanagan research shows that wildfire can change how much water remains in streams during the driest months of the year. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-creeks-temporarily-stronger-wildfire.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:31:41 EST news688149062