EXTENDED LEARNING: Announcing two new #UBCOceans micro-credential courses! Introduction to the Sustainable Blue Economy, & Communicating Ocean Science. SIGN UP NOW! Both start: early May, 2026 https://extendedlearning.ubc.ca/areas-study/blue-economy

EXTENDED LEARNING: Announcing two new #UBCOceans micro-credential courses! Introduction to the Sustainable Blue Economy, & Communicating Ocean Science. SIGN UP NOW! Both start: early May, 2026 extendedlearning.ubc.ca/areas-study/...

Aquaculture is shifting toward less sustainable species: New study Aquaculture is increasingly relying on species that are less beneficial for food security, climate mitigation, and biodiversity.

“Aquaculture has enormous potential to support global food systems and environmental goals, but our findings show that current production trends are moving us in the wrong direction,” said UBC's Dr. William Cheung.
@ubcoceans.bsky.social

science.ubc.ca/news/2026-04...

Some species benefited from BC's 2021 heat dome — but at an enormous cost, study finds To paint a picture of how ecosystems changed in the aftermath of the heat dome, scientists used a combination of computer modelling, media reports and a meta-analysis of existing field data and remote...

“This is going to be the new normal for Western Canada, so even though this heat dome happened five years ago, I think these results we had in this paper are more relevant than ever,” said UBC botanist Dr. Sean Michaletz.
@ubcbotany.bsky.social @seanmichaletz.bsky.social

bit.ly/4m2PDKx

AI wrote a scientific paper that passed peer review The arrival of AI-generated research papers marks a turning point that could radically accelerate discovery—or drown it in automated mediocrity

“I predict the AI Scientist actually marks the dawn of a new era of rapid scientific advances,” UBC computer scientist Dr. Jeff Clune claims, imagining humans reduced to curators witnessing #AI achieve scientific wonders.
@cs.ubc.ca @vectorinstitute.ai

www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-w...

Astronaut Jessica Meir takes questions from UBC students live from space station University of B.C. students share out-of-this-world experience of speaking with astronaut and UBC alumna Jessica Meir live from the international space station.

University of B.C. students share out-of-this-world experience of speaking with astronaut and UBC alumna Jessica Meir live from the international space station.

www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

Scientists tracked 39 polar bears and 26 seals through the Arctic wilderness. What they discovered is important | Discover Wildlife The researchers wanted to learn more about how climate change is reshaping Arctic food webs.

When a polar bear approaches, the sensible thing to do is get out of the way. So, scientists in the Arctic were surprised to find ringed #seals sometimes put themselves at risk by swimming into #polarbear territory if the area had a large variety of #fish. www.discoverwildlife.com/environment/...

Scientists Witnessed Rapid Evolution In Real Time. It May Have Saved An Entire Species. A new study shows evidence of “evolutionary rescue”—a kind of rapid evolution in which organisms genetically adapt to severe conditions—in monkeyflower populations found throughout western North Ameri...

Scientists have found evidence of “evolutionary rescue”—a kind of rapid evolution in which organisms genetically adapt to severe conditions—in monkeyflower populations found throughout western North America.
@zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social

www.popularmechanics.com/science/a708...

Just 14 Species Have ‘Genuinely’ Improved on BC’s At-Risk Lists | The Tyee That’s out of 2,642 struggling species tracked in a new wildlife study.

New research "underscores the unfortunate truth that even the red- and blue-listed species in B.C. are not afforded effective legal protections by the province,” said UBC's Dr. Sarah Otto. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social

thetyee.ca/News/2026/03...

Happy 90th birthday to Dr. David Suzuki. As a professor at UBC, he studied how muscle worked and tried to uncover genes that would cause paralysis, reasoning that such genes would be in common to all life forms with muscle. He chose the fruit fly for his experiments.

Read more at: bit.ly/4lPqz9K

This could be you! We're accepting applications for Education Volunteers to start this spring. Apply online at beatymuseum.ubc.ca/volunteer before March 31!

#biodiversity #museums #science #biology #BeatyMuseum #volunteer #UBC

SpaceX's One Million Orbital Data Centers Would Be Debilitating for Astronomy Research, Scientists Say SpaceX filed plans with the FCC for up to one million satellites designed to function as orbital data centers. Astronomers are not happy.

"By almost all metrics that we can think of, this is just a bad idea in terms of our long-term use and access to space,” said UBC astronomer Dr. Aaron Boley. @ubcphas.bsky.social

futurism.com/space/spacex...

Wild plants able to rapidly evolve to survive climate change, study reveals For the first time in the wild, researchers have shown plant populations can evolve quickly enough to rebound from extreme drought. The study, out of UBC and Cornell University, is a rare ray of hope ...

For the first time in the wild, researchers have shown plant populations can evolve quickly enough to rebound from extreme drought. The study is a rare ray of hope in an often gloomy climate landscape. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social

www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

Join the Vancouver Climate Solutions Summit at UBC to hear researchers explore climate communication, cloud computing emissions, climate justice education, and rural engagement while having small-table discussions.

Register now: climatesolutions.ubc.ca/news-and-eve...

Seals risk death by polar bear for a varied meal, UBC study finds A UBC study shows ringed seals will brave polar bear hotspots if fish variety is high—evidence that conservation plans must account for both food and fear.

“It’s not just melting sea ice: climate change is affecting everything—the predators, the prey and their habitats, effectively reshuffling a complex, intertwined system," said Dr. Katie Florko. @ubcoceans.bsky.social @stat.ubc.ca

science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...

Spring Break - Fishes - March 18 and 28. Fish are critical to so many people around the world!

Dive into the relationship of sturgeon and #Musqueam, through this interactive knowledge web: explore.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/knowledge-web.

Visit beatymuseum.ubc.ca/calendar for more details. #BeatyMuseum

Spring Break - Tetrapods - March 17 and 27. The Blue Whale is the largest tetrapod in the museum’s collection, and its a whale-y big job to keep her in good shape!

Check out a video of a detailed whale skeleton cleaning:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=95cB...

Visit beatymuseum.ubc.ca/calendar for mor

Plants pause, play and fast forward growth depending on types of climate stress 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.

“We can’t stop heatwaves or snow storms,” said UBC botanist Dr. Arif Ashraf. “So we’re pinpointing genes that can help the plants recover from these events and still produce in time for harvest.” @ubcbotany.bsky.social @aribidopsis.bsky.social

science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...

We are Accepting Applications for this Year’s Bridging Divides Migration Data Challenge. Uncover Insights. Tell Stories with Data. Drive Impact. Up to $10,000 in prizes Open to students at TMU, UofA, UBC and Concordia University Apply by: April 1, 2026

🎓 Students at UBC looking to tackle the intersection of immigration and housing in Canada? Apply to the @bridgdivides.bsky.social Migration Data Challenge 2026! Access exclusive data from the CMHC. Win up to $10,000.

👉 Deadline: April 1, 2026
🔗 migration.ubc.ca/news/bridgin...

New investments advance quantum, astronomy, and life sciences research Quantum materials, astronomy, and life sciences research at UBC got a major boost with the latest round of Canada Foundation for Innovation Award Funding.

Quantum materials, astronomy, and life sciences research at UBC got a major boost today with the announcement of the latest round of Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Award funding.

science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...

A flower's fight against extinction could be big climate change news Faced with extreme drought, these flowers adapted. Scientists call it “evolutionary rescue," and say it's a hopeful sign for humanity.

"This shows that at least some populations have the capacity to run fast enough through evolution to stay on the treadmill," says Dr. Amy Angert, a botany and zoology professor at UBC. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Congrats to Yale Secondary, Gold winners at the UBC Physics Olympics! (Nice work, Mr. Penner)

Wild plants can rapidly evolve to rescue themselves from climate change For the first time in the wild, researchers have shown plant populations can evolve quickly enough to rebound from extreme drought.

Is climate change is happening too fast for evolution to keep up? “Our research shows that for monkeyflower, & likely similar wild plants, they can indeed keep pace & ‘rescue’ themselves from extreme climates by evolving,” said Dr. Amy Angert of @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbotany.bsky.social

bit.ly/4sBmUyu

Congratulations to UBC Science undergrad Thomas van der Sloot who has received the CEWIL Canada and Emery-Dufault Student of the Year Award (University Co-op) and the Science Co-op Student of the Year award!

bit.ly/4cFTDhn

Researchers track great white shark off Vancouver Island coast The arrival of a tagged great white shark in the waters off southern British Columbia is giving scientists mixed signals about the health of western Canada’s ocean environment.

“In the Salish Sea, we have the world’s highest density of harbour #seals,” he added. “Those are great food, and we know that our transient killer #whales—they know about it. The secret’s been let out,” said Dr. Andrew Trites @science.ubc.ca www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

North America’s 2021 ‘heat dome’ has caused catastropic ecological damage: study Billions of mussels scorched and baby birds dropping from sweltering nests: North America’s 2021 heatwave caused a cascade of ecological damage, some of it catastrophic, some unexpected, a new study s...

“The heatwave had widespread ecological effects, including an almost 400% increase in wildfire activity & negatively affecting more than three-quarters of the species studied,” said UBC zoologist Dr. Diane Srivastava. @zoology.ubc.ca @srivastavalab.bsky.social

www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-...

Extreme heat has extreme effects–but some like it hot A sweeping new study of the 2021 heat wave reveals offers crucial insight into how climate extremes reshape ecosystems.

A sweeping new study of the 2021 heat wave reveals major ecological losses—but also surprising species that thrived, offering crucial insight into how climate extremes reshape ecosystems. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social

science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...

The results are in! The Biodiversity Research Photo Competition showcase the diversity of research and researchers at UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre.
View the 2026 winners and all of the science photography from the competition at explore.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/BRC-photo-co...

‘Like a biker gang’: Sea lions pack Vancouver Island beach for herring feast A stretch of beach on Vancouver Island has been overtaken by a boisterous, blubbery spectacle that’s drawing curious crowds.

‘Like a biker gang’: Sea lions pack Vancouver Island beach for herring feast. “They essentially roar into town and will roar right out again,” said Andrew Trites @ubcmarinemammal @news.ubc.ca @science.ubc.ca www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/art...

Marine virologist, astrophysicist earn UBC’s top research prizes UBC recognizes six Science faculty members for research excellence, with two of the university's top prizes awarded to Dr. Curtis Suttle and Dr. Jess McIver.

Two of UBC’s premier research prizes were awarded to UBC Science faculty members today, with Dr. Curtis Suttle (@virosphere.bsky.social) receiving the Jacob Biely award, and Dr. Jess McIver earning UBC’s Charles A. McDowell award.
@killamtrusts.bsky.social

science.ubc.ca/news/2026-03...