Science

FILE - This Oct. 7, 2003 file photo shows a closeup of a human brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease, on display at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 - and the next question is how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

Drug slows Alzheimer’s but can it make a real difference?

Lecanemab delayed patients’ worsening by about five months over the course of the 18-month study

FILE - This Oct. 7, 2003 file photo shows a closeup of a human brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease, on display at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 - and the next question is how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
Traffic on the Trans Canada highway passing through Canmore, Alta., Sunday, May 30, 2021. A geologist says the largest earthquake ever recorded in Alberta on Tuesday was probably related to seismic events originating in the Rocky Mountains. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Largest recorded Alberta earthquake probably natural, scientist says

5.6 magnitude quake probably too deep to have been artificially caused

Traffic on the Trans Canada highway passing through Canmore, Alta., Sunday, May 30, 2021. A geologist says the largest earthquake ever recorded in Alberta on Tuesday was probably related to seismic events originating in the Rocky Mountains. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Tristan Tarnowski, ORCASat team member and UVic engineering student, during assembly of the UVic satellite. (Courtesy ORCASat)

Mission accomplished: UVic satellite reaches International Space Station

ORCASat to measure how earth’s atmosphere affects light

Tristan Tarnowski, ORCASat team member and UVic engineering student, during assembly of the UVic satellite. (Courtesy ORCASat)
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is seen during a vaccination clinic at the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. A Canadian study suggests cases of myocarditis are rare but higher than expected among young men who got a second dose of Moderna, though there's little to no difference between that COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech following a third shot. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Rourke

B.C. study finds low but increased risk of myocarditis after 2nd Moderna COVID shot

BC Centre for Disease Control finds men between the ages of 18 and 29 are most at risk

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is seen during a vaccination clinic at the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. A Canadian study suggests cases of myocarditis are rare but higher than expected among young men who got a second dose of Moderna, though there's little to no difference between that COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech following a third shot. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Rourke
University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow Yeling Zhu shows samples of biofoam, a biodegradable packing foam made from wood waste, in a Nov. 5, 2022, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-UBC, Lou Bosshart

B.C. scientists and First Nation create decomposing ‘biofoam’ packaging from wood

Biodegradable material could replace Styrofoam, which currently fills up to 30 per cent of landfills

University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow Yeling Zhu shows samples of biofoam, a biodegradable packing foam made from wood waste, in a Nov. 5, 2022, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-UBC, Lou Bosshart
In this photo provided by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ayla Bashir sits with her mother, Sobia Qureshi, during a physical therapy assessment for Ayla at CHEO in Ottawa on Aug. 23, 2022. The toddler is the first child treated as fetus for Pompe disease, an inherited and fatal disorder in which the body fails to make some or all of a crucial protein. (André Coutu/CHEO via AP)

In a first, doctors treat fatal genetic disease before birth

16-month-old Ottawa toddler now an active, happy girl who has met her developmental milestones

In this photo provided by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ayla Bashir sits with her mother, Sobia Qureshi, during a physical therapy assessment for Ayla at CHEO in Ottawa on Aug. 23, 2022. The toddler is the first child treated as fetus for Pompe disease, an inherited and fatal disorder in which the body fails to make some or all of a crucial protein. (André Coutu/CHEO via AP)
Steeve Biondolillo sits for a portrait on campus at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. With an early childhood in Haiti marked by poverty and other trauma, 19-year-old Biondolillo seems to have beat long odds. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)

Does adversity make you stronger? Scientists say not always

Do genes and other inherent traits, or life experiences and social interactions build resiliency?

Steeve Biondolillo sits for a portrait on campus at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. With an early childhood in Haiti marked by poverty and other trauma, 19-year-old Biondolillo seems to have beat long odds. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)
A bull kelp forest is seen underwater near Victoria in a May 13, 2015, in this handout image. Kelp forests, which can grow 20 to 30 metres tall from the ocean floor, provide food and shelter for thousands of marine species while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Liam Coleman, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Scientists have developed a technique to restore kelp forests for future generations

Climate change and other factors are chopping away at the undersea forests

A bull kelp forest is seen underwater near Victoria in a May 13, 2015, in this handout image. Kelp forests, which can grow 20 to 30 metres tall from the ocean floor, provide food and shelter for thousands of marine species while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Liam Coleman, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
This photo provide by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft shows Swedish scientist Svante Paabo in Leipzig, Germany, April 27, 2010. On Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution. (Frank Vinken for Max-Planck-Gesellschaft via AP)

Nobel win for Swede who unlocked secrets of Neanderthal DNA

‘It’s totally reconfigured our understanding of human variation and human history’

This photo provide by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft shows Swedish scientist Svante Paabo in Leipzig, Germany, April 27, 2010. On Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution. (Frank Vinken for Max-Planck-Gesellschaft via AP)
FILE - Tesla Motors, Inc. CEO Elon Musk speaks at the Paris Pantheon Sorbonne University as part of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on Dec. 2, 2015. An early prototype of Tesla Inc.'s proposed Optimus humanoid robot slowly and awkwardly walked onto a stage, turned, and waved to a cheering crowd at the company's artificial intelligence event Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

Tesla robot walks, waves, but doesn’t show off complex tasks

Early prototype of Tesla Inc.’s proposed humanoid creation showcased at company event

FILE - Tesla Motors, Inc. CEO Elon Musk speaks at the Paris Pantheon Sorbonne University as part of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on Dec. 2, 2015. An early prototype of Tesla Inc.'s proposed Optimus humanoid robot slowly and awkwardly walked onto a stage, turned, and waved to a cheering crowd at the company's artificial intelligence event Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
Icebergs are seen from outside Croaker Bay on Devon Island, Canada, on Friday, July 11, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Arctic Ocean acidifying up to four times faster than any other sea on Earth

Acidification linked to the loss of sea ice and will have unknown repercussions for life in the area

Icebergs are seen from outside Croaker Bay on Devon Island, Canada, on Friday, July 11, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
(Photo Source: NASA HQ PHOTO/Twitter)

Hurricane Ian forces NASA to delay Artemis I moon mission again

NASA has been forced to pull its Artemis I moon rocket off…

(Photo Source: NASA HQ PHOTO/Twitter)
(Black Press Media Creative)

Blueprint for future crewed Mars Mission released

NASA’s upcoming Artemis Moon program can be seen as a practice run…

(Black Press Media Creative)
Members of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force help load boxes of water into an airplane at an airbase in Komaki, central Japan, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, as they were preparing to take off for Australia on their way to Tonga to transport the emergency relief goods, following Saturday’s volcanic eruption near the Pacific nation. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it would send emergency relief, including drinking water and equipment for cleaning away volcanic ash. (Kyodo News via AP)

Tonga volcano blast was unusual, could even warm the Earth

January eruption shot millions of tons of water vapor high up into the atmosphere

Members of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force help load boxes of water into an airplane at an airbase in Komaki, central Japan, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, as they were preparing to take off for Australia on their way to Tonga to transport the emergency relief goods, following Saturday’s volcanic eruption near the Pacific nation. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it would send emergency relief, including drinking water and equipment for cleaning away volcanic ash. (Kyodo News via AP)
A female sperm whale is seen breaching the water off the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, in a May 9, 2014, handout photo. As highly social animals, sperm whales live in small family groups called clans. These marine giants share similar codas or “dialects” belonging to the same cultural groups, also known as vocal clans. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Mauricio Cantor

Sperm whales’ clicking dialects are evidence of ‘non-human culture’, say scientists

‘Codas’ used by whale groups to mark cultural identity, in a similar way to human ethnic dialects

A female sperm whale is seen breaching the water off the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, in a May 9, 2014, handout photo. As highly social animals, sperm whales live in small family groups called clans. These marine giants share similar codas or “dialects” belonging to the same cultural groups, also known as vocal clans. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Mauricio Cantor
Jorge E. Macias-Samano, a research scientist at Simon Fraser University, holds a varroa mite trap that was removed from a bee hive at an experimental apiary, in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. A team at SFU is testing a chemical compound that appears to kill varroa mites without harming the bees, in hopes it could one day be widely available as a treatment for infested hives. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. scientists hopeful in fight against mites that puncture and kill honeybees

Varroa mites kill bees by puncturing their exoskeleton, creating a wound that doesn’t close

Jorge E. Macias-Samano, a research scientist at Simon Fraser University, holds a varroa mite trap that was removed from a bee hive at an experimental apiary, in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. A team at SFU is testing a chemical compound that appears to kill varroa mites without harming the bees, in hopes it could one day be widely available as a treatment for infested hives. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Tyson Giesbrecht has fun with a tornado in a bottle. (Rebecca Dyok photo — Quesnel Observer)

PHOTOS: Exploring the fun side of science

Free family activities were held Sept. 1 at the West Fraser Timber Park

Tyson Giesbrecht has fun with a tornado in a bottle. (Rebecca Dyok photo — Quesnel Observer)
This photo provided by NASA shows a rock collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars. NASA is launching two more mini helicopters to Mars in its effort to recover Martian rocks and soil samples and bring them to Earth. (NASA via AP)

‘No smoking gun’: Calgary scientists studying Mars soil for signs it supported life

Researchers exploring rock record to understand if there was a time Mars was habitable

This photo provided by NASA shows a rock collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars. NASA is launching two more mini helicopters to Mars in its effort to recover Martian rocks and soil samples and bring them to Earth. (NASA via AP)
Raye is an 18-foot fully-autonomous sailboat designed and constructed entirely by UBC students. It’s set to attempt a solo voyage from B.C. to Hawaii in either September 2022 or the following year. (Courtesy of UBC Sailbot)

B.C. to Hawaii: UBC students launching fully-autonomous sailboat on epic maiden voyage

‘Raye’ will attempt to cross the Pacific without human assistance or feedback

Raye is an 18-foot fully-autonomous sailboat designed and constructed entirely by UBC students. It’s set to attempt a solo voyage from B.C. to Hawaii in either September 2022 or the following year. (Courtesy of UBC Sailbot)
The first Artemis mission will travel 64,000 kilometres past the moon in preparation for future record-breaking human-crewed space missions. (Photo: NASA).

UBC researcher’s algae and yeast boarding NASA spacecraft to test deep space conditions

Corey Nislow wants to explore how organisms can survive radiation, other factors

  • Aug 29, 2022
The first Artemis mission will travel 64,000 kilometres past the moon in preparation for future record-breaking human-crewed space missions. (Photo: NASA).