Over 500 species of plants and animals are considered at risk in Canada. The 2003 Species At Risk Act (SARA) was implemented to protect these species. However, out of those 500 species that are currently listed, only 150 have recovery strategies and only four have implemented recovery action plans.  It is clear that […]

  A clip from the movie ‘Minority Report’ starring Tom Cruise. From YouTube   Have you ever seem the movie The Minority Report starring Tom Cruise? In the movie, he plays Chief John Anderton who uses out-of–this world technology to find criminals and solve ‘pre-crimes.’ Well, modern science is not that far off from making Chief Anderton’s technology […]

On November 3rd, I witnessed one of the greatest examples of communicating science that I have ever seen. That evening, the University of British Columbia (UBC) was the lucky host to one of the most influential Canadians of our time: David Suzuki. He presented a lecture entitled “The Global Eco-crisis: Is it too late?”   […]

    There was Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on March 15th 2011 which released radioactive materials due to equipment failures and nuclear meltdown. Concern remains over the potential effect on human health from radiation leaks at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.   What is radiation?    Radiation is a process in which energetic particles or waves travel […]

Not many news stations talk about Fukushima any more. After the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Northeast Japan, I remember being glued to the computer for hours and hours trying to get the most recent news on the situation in Japan. What is happening now? A quick search turned up a news headline on robot suits in […]

Are snakes one of your favourite animals or are they your least? Although some may adore them, I am among the people who are terribly afraid of them, or what people call an ophidiophobia. Who would have known that, “pythons’ big heart [could] hold clues for human health[?]” (The Associated Press). Scientists now learned that when […]

A large comet spanning 3-5 km in width, large enough to have severe consequences if it had crash landed on Earth’s surface. Theorists hypothesized that it would be similar to the events that led to the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. These events may include unnatural drop in Earth’s atmospheric temperature, nuclear winters, […]

Aspirin in our lives After a long hard day, you come home and you are ready to relax. But beforehand, you want to alleviate you headache first. Naturally you pop up an aspirin. Aspirin is also known as acetylsalicylic acid and it is commonly used as a painkiller, anti-flammatory drug and antipyretic to reduce fever. […]

On October 28, 2011, Dr. John Hepburn, (Vice President, Research and International) sent an email to the UBC community on the subject of animal research.  He outlined the university’s plans to increase transparency on its animal research by releasing details on the number of animals and categories of species being used. According to www.animalresearch.ubc.ca, 211,764 […]

  Figure 1: Demonstates potential incorporation of technology into existing sidewalks in populated areas. The world today is constantly struggling to find new, environmentally friendly ways to generate energy. The major power sources today include oil, gas, coal, hydroelectric, and nuclear power. Until recently no one has thought to use everyday life to help generate […]