News and Events
Job: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Accelerator Physics
Posted:August 24, 2010Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, TRIUMF is Canada's national research laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. TRIUMF has developed and operated cyclotrons since 1968. The largest of these, a 500 MeV cyclotron, accelerates up to 400µA of H- ions delivering both high and low intensity beams of protons to four different destinations in support of subatomic and material sciences. The other 4 cyclotrons of lower energies (13, 30 & 42 MeV) are used for continuous production of medical isotopes, which are in high demand in the present nuclear medicine market. TRIUMF is now embarking on a new challenging project to develop an innovative medical cyclotron. To support this initiative, our Beam Physics group is currently accepting applications for a postdoctoral research fellow for the various areas of cyclotron design including ion source, beam injection, beam dynamics, magnet design, and extraction systems. For complete details of this exciting and challenging career position, including responsibilities, skills and qualifications, please visit the TRIUMF website. TRIUMF is an equal opportunity employer.
Job posting: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at TRIUMF
Posted:August 21, 2010
TRIUMF, Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics, is currently seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who will ideally join its Theory Group in the fall of 2011. The Group’s research interests include nuclear theory, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental symmetries, particle phenomenology, neutrino physics, and lattice QCD. The postdoctoral appointment will be for a term of up to three years. Applicants must have a PhD in theoretical physics, awarded within the past 5 years, or scheduled to be completed prior to the position’s start date. The successful candidate will show evidence of, or a strong potential for, the ability to carry out excellent research in an area relevant to the TRIUMF research program. TRIUMF offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Qualified individuals are invited to submit an application, including CV, a list of publications, a brief description of past research and future plans, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent by fax or E_mail as indicated below. In order to ensure full consideration, all application material should be received by November 15, 2010. Attn: Human Resources Competition No. 257 FAX: 604-222-1074 or E_mail: recruiting@triumf.ca For more information about TRIUMF, please visit our web site at: http://www.triumf.ca/
A discovery by Dr. Andre Veillette's team could impact the treatment of autoimmune diseases
Posted:August 19, 2010Dr. André Veillette, Director of the Molecular Oncology research unit at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) and his team published a scientific breakthrough which could have an impact on the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases affecting tens of thousands of Canadians. Dr. Veillette's team discovered the function of a protein located in T cells, which are immune cells known as lymphocytes that play a central role in the protection against viruses and other microbial agents. They also take part in the development of certain diseases, including diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The protein in question is the "phosphatase" PTP-PEST, an enzyme that removes phosphates from other proteins in the cell.
First results from Large Hadron Collider announced
Posted:July 26, 2010A group of University of Toronto high-energy physicists, along with their 3,000 ATLAS colleagues, announced they have broken world records in the search for new particles as the first findings from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) were presented this morning in Paris, France.
Canadian research reveals how monarchs fly away home
Posted:July 26, 2010Monarch butterflies — renowned for their lengthy annual migration to and from Mexico — complete an even more spectacular journey home than previously thought.
Canadian study warns that many psychological studies rely on WEIRD sample populations
Posted:June 30, 2010A new University of British Columbia study by psychologist Joseph Henrich says that an overreliance on research subjects from the U.S. and other Western nations can produce false claims about human psychology and behavior because their psychological tendencies are highly unusual compared to the global population.
Could life survive on Mars? Canadian scientists say yes
Posted:June 4, 2010Researchers at McGill's department of natural resources, the National Research Council of Canada, the University of Toronto and the SETI Institute have discovered that methane-eating bacteria survive in a highly unique spring located on Axel Heiberg Island in Canada's extreme North. Dr. Lyle Whyte, McGill University microbiologist explains that the Lost Hammer spring supports microbial life, that the spring is similar to possible past or present springs on Mars, and that therefore they too could support life.
Astronomers confirm Einstein's theory of relativity and accelerating cosmic expansion
Posted:March 25, 2010University of British Columbia astronomer Ludovic Van Waerbeke with an international team has confirmed that the expansion of the universe is accelerating after looking at data from the largest-ever survey conducted by the Hubble Space Telescope. The astronomers studied more than 446,000 galaxies to map the matter distribution and the expansion history of the universe. This study enabled them to observe precisely how dark matter evolved in the universe and to reconstruct a three-dimensional map of the dark matter and use this to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Unlocking the opium poppy's biggest secret
Posted:March 14, 2010Researchers at the University of Calgary, Peter Facchini and Jillian Hagel, have discovered the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine, thus opening doors to alternate methods of producing these effective painkillers either by manufacturing them in a lab or controlling the production of these compounds in the plant. More at University of Calgary News.
Mescal 'worm' test shows DNA leaks into preservatives
Posted:February 9, 2010Just because you don't swallow the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal doesn't mean you have avoided the essential worminess of the potent Mexican liquor, according to Mehrdad Hajibabaei at the University of Guelph. The study is part of the technology development phase of the International Barcode of Life Project. Based in Canada at the University of Guelph, it's the largest biodiversity genomics project ever undertaken. More than 200 scientists from 25 countries are creating a DNA barcode reference library for all life on Earth.
Method To Repair Damaged Adult Nerves Discovered
Posted:December 11, 2009Canadian scientist Patrice Smith at Carleton University in Ottawa has found a way to get adult nerve cells to grow in mice. Her paper in the journal Neuron this week with Harvard University co-authors Fang Sun and Zhigang He describes the discovery of a specific molecule in the central nervous system that suppresses our ability to repair injured neurons. By blocking this molecule Smith was able to get the optic nerve in blinded adult mice to regrow. It remains to be seen if the regrowth will restore eyesight, but such regrowth does restore the eyesight of baby mice. Smith was born in Jamaica and came to Canada as a poor immigrant. In a Globe and Mail article she says, "I am not from a background of privilege. But if you want to do something, you can do it." More on Smith and her discovery is available at the Carleton University news service.
Super fast X-ray laser to start up in Ottawa
Posted:November 27, 2009Dr. Paul Corkum, this year's winner of Canada's most prestigious science prize, the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, will be joined by representatives from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the University of Ottawa on Monday November 30 to officially open the Joint Laboratory for Attosecond Science in Ottawa. The laboratory is home to Canada's fastest X-ray laser. Dr. Corkum and his team will use this one-of-a-kind facility to take pictures of molecules during chemical reactions to study the motion of electrons. This is the first step to unpacking the molecules that make up all the matter of our universe. The laboratory is a collaboration between NRC and the University of Ottawa.
Nova Scotia scientist wins 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics
Posted:October 6, 2009The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics was shared today between Charles Kao (1/2) the discoverer of fibre optics, George Smith(1/4) and Willard Boyle (1/4) who invented the CCD, or Charge Coupled Device, the imaging chip used in many cameras, camcorders, telescopes and other devices. Boyle was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and grew up in Quebec but made his discovery at Bell Labs in New Jersey in 1969. He never gave up his Canadian citizenship and moved back to Nova Scotia, Canada in the 1980s.
New study shows those blinded by brain injury may still 'see'
Posted:September 2, 2009Except in clumsy moments, we rarely knock over the box of cereal or glass of orange juice as we reach for our morning cup of coffee. New research at The University of Western Ontario has helped unlock the mystery of how our brain allows us to avoid these undesired objects.
Canadians make a major breakthrough in lithium batteries
Posted:May 21, 2009A research team at the University of Waterloo led by professor Linda Nazar has employed nanoscale mesoporous carbon in the cathodes of lithium-sulphur batteries to store and deliver more than three times the power of conventional lithium ion batteries. More at the NSERC website.
Yeast-powered fuel cell feeds on human blood
Posted:April 1, 2009A team at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, has created tiny microbial fuel cells by encapsulating yeast cells in a flexible capsule. The fuel cells can generate power from a drop of human blood plasma. The team is led by Mu Chiao professor of mechanical engineering. The yeast-based fuel cell produces around 40 nanowatts of power, compared to the microwatt a typical wristwatch battery might produce, Chaio says. That might be enough power for some devices if it were coupled with a capacitor to allow energy to be stored. The yeast could also be genetically engineered to boost its power output.
Spiders, frogs and gecko among exciting discoveries found in Papua New Guinea
Posted:March 25, 2009UBC scientist Wayne Maddison, jumping spider expert and Director of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum in Vancouver was part of a team that found dozens of new species. Jumping spiders, a tiny chirping frog and an elegant striped gecko are among 56 species believed new to science discovered during a Conservation International (CI) Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expedition to Papua New Guinea's highlands wilderness.
Canadian makes stem cells from skin
Posted:March 1, 2009Toronto researcher Dr. Andras Nagy discovered a new method of creating stem cells that could lead to possible cures for devastating diseases including spinal cord injury, macular degeneration, diabetes and Parkinson's disease. The study, published by Nature online, accelerates stem cell technology and provides a road map for new clinical approaches to regenerative medicine. read more
University of Alberta scientists make solar energy breakthrough
Posted:February 25, 2009University of Alberta and the National Research Council's National Institute for Nanotechnology have improved the performance of plastic solar cells called hybrid organic cells. According to lead investigator Jillian Buriak, inexpensive, mass-produced plastic solar panels are now a step closer. read more
Quantum dot breakthrough could revolutionize computers
Posted:February 4, 2009Dr. Robert Wolkow at Edmonton's National Institute for Nanotechnology have achieved a milestone in nanotechnology that could help pave the way for new generations of smaller, more energy-efficient computers. They created the world's smallest quantum dots, using silicon atoms, which can control electrons with a fraction of the power of conventional computer systems. Wolkow predicts a 1,000 fold reduction in power usage and computer size if future computers are based on the new technology. More at Robert Wolkow's website.
Queen's chemist sheds light on health benefits of garlic
Posted:January 30, 2009A team of scientists at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario led by Dr. Derek Pratt has discovered the reason why garlic is so good for us. It has to do with a decomposition product of allicin, the main medicinal ingredient of garlic. When allicin is metabolized by the body sulfenic acid is produced, a powerful antioxidant that rapidly reacts with free radicals. Find out more at the Queens News Centre.
Canada has world's most advanced microscope
Posted:October 20, 2008The most advanced and powerful electron microscope on the planet—capable of unprecedented resolution—has been installed in the new Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster University. The lead researcher, Gianluigi Botton says it's like having a Hubble telescope for looking at things at the atomic level.
Canadian instrument detects falling snow on Mars
Posted:September 29, 2008A Canadian-designed and manufactured laser instrument aboard the Mars lander has detected snow from clouds about 4 kilometers above the surface. Data show the snow vaporizing before reaching the ground. Canada's York University professor Jim Whiteway, the lead scientist for the Meteorological Station onboard the Phoenix Mars lander says, "Nothing like this view has ever been seen on Mars. We'll be looking for signs that the snow may even reach the ground." Read an interview with Jim Whiteway at the Canadian Space Agency website.
Oldest known rock on Earth discovered
Posted:September 26, 2008Canadian bedrock more than 4 billion years old may be the oldest known section of the Earth's early crust.
NASA data show Arctic saw fastest August sea ice retreat on record
Posted:September 26, 2008Following a record-breaking season of arctic sea ice decline in 2007, NASA scientists have kept a close watch on the 2008 melt season. Although the melt season did not break the record for ice loss, NASA data are showing that for a four-week period in August 2008, sea ice melted faster during that period than ever before.
When healing turns to scarring: Research reveals why it happens and how to stop it
Posted:September 18, 2008For the first time, research from The University of Western Ontario has revealed the mechanisms involved in the origin of scarring or fibrotic diseases, as well as a way to control it. The study, led by Andrew Leask of the CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling, is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Canadian Scientists find first pregnant turtle fossil and eggs
Posted:August 27, 2008A 75-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant turtle and a nest of fossilized eggs that were discovered in the badlands of southeastern Alberta by scientists and staff from the University of Calgary and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology are yielding new ideas on the evolution of egg-laying and reproduction in turtles and tortoises. It is the first time the fossil of a pregnant turtle has been found and the description of this discovery was published today in the British journal Biology Letters. The mother carrying the eggs was found near Medicine Hat in 1999 by Tyrrell staff while the nest of eggs was discovered in 2005 by U of Calgary scientist Darla Zelenitsky.
Mucous breakthrough in mice holds promise for cystic fibrosis
Posted:July 29, 2008A London, Canada scientist studying cystic fibrosis (CF) has successfully corrected the defect which causes the overproduction of intestinal mucous in mice. This discovery by Dr. Richard Rozmahel, a scientist with the Lawson Health Research Institute, affiliated with The University of Western Ontario, has clear implications to understanding and treating this facet of the disease in humans. CF is a fatal, genetic disease characterized by an overproduction of mucous in the lungs and digestive system. More about CF on our page about Lap Chee Tsui.
Researchers find key to saving the world's lakes
Posted:July 21, 2008After completing one of the longest running experiments ever done on a lake, researchers from the University of Alberta, University of Minnesota and the Freshwater Institute, contend that nitrogen control, in which the European Union and many other jurisdictions around the world are investing millions of dollars, is not effective and in fact, may actually increase the problem of cultural eutrophication. It turns out that phosphate may be more likely to cause the problem. Visit the Experimental Lakes Project.
In unique stellar laboratory, Einstein's theory passes strict, new test
Posted:July 3, 2008Taking advantage of a unique cosmic configuration, astronomers have measured an effect predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity in the extremely strong gravity of a pair of superdense neutron stars. Essentially, the famed physicist's 93-year-old theory passed yet another test.
Asteroid-hunting satellite a world first
Posted:June 26, 2008Canada is building the world's first space telescope designed to detect and track asteroids as well as satellites. Called NEOSSat (Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite), this spacecraft will provide a significant improvement in surveillance of asteroids that pose a collision hazard with Earth and innovative technologies for tracking satellites in orbit high above our planet.
UBC physicists develop 'impossible' technique to study and develop superconductors
Posted:June 23, 2008A team of University of British Columbia researchers has developed a technique that controls the number of electrons on the surface of high-temperature superconductors, a procedure considered impossible for the past two decades.
New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists
Posted:June 20, 2008A new discovery by a scientist from The University of Western Ontario provides conclusive evidence which supports decades-old evolutionary doctrines long accepted as fact.
Identifying Canadian freshwater fish through DNA barcodes
Posted:June 18, 2008New research by Canadian scientists, led by Nicolas Hubert at the Université Laval in Québec and published in this week's PLoS ONE brings some good news for those interested in the conservation of a number of highly-endangered species of Canadian fish.
Aging brains do become wiser
Posted:June 12, 2008A University of Alberta researcher in collaboration with researchers from Duke University has proven that wisdom really does come with age, at least when it comes to your emotions.
Save $1 billion and 800 lives
Posted:June 11, 2008The economic burden of alcohol abuse costs each Canadian $463 per year. In fact, the direct health care costs for alcohol abuse in Canada exceed those of cancer. Released today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Avoidable Cost of Alcohol Abuse in Canada 2002 report estimates that, even under very conservative assumptions, implementing six reviewed interventions would result in cost savings of about $1 billion per year and a savings of about 800 lives, close to 26,000 years of life lost to premature death and more than 88,000 acute care hospital days in Canada per year. This pioneering study is Canada's first systematic estimate of the avoidable costs of alcohol abuse, and the first study of its kind worldwide.
Siminovitch and Taylor inducted into hall of fame
Posted:April 21, 2008Louis Siminovitch and Richard Taylor are inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame on April 24, 2008. Siminovitch is a Canadian research pioneer in human genetics of muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. Taylor won the Nobel prize in 1990 for verifying the quark theory.
Vogt Day 2008 at UBC
Posted:March 28, 2008On Sunday, May 4, 2008, a symposium will be held to honour Erich Vogt at UBC's Hebb Theatre, featuring talks by Physics Nobel Laureates and leaders in Canadian science & technology, with a reception to follow. Vogt is one of the giants of Canadian science, having served as (among other things) a founder and later Director of the TRIUMF accelerator laboratory, as UBC's Vice President for Faculty and Student Affairs and as the first chair of the Science Council of B.C. Vogt played a leading role in the development of Science World BC, the Vancouver Institute and the B.C. Cancer Foundation. However, perhaps his greatest contribution was four decades of teaching first year Physics to enthralled students at UBC. Everyone is welcome. For details, and to RSVP online, visit http://vogt.physics.ubc.ca.
New Canadian robot arm added to space station
Posted:March 18, 2008Astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavor have completed the assembly of a giant Canadian robot arm called Dextre outside the International Space Station. They attached a 1.5 m metal boom to its front for holding equipment and tools. The robot’s 3 m arms will be used for experiments and for maintenance of the space station. The astronauts added a holder for three tools under the 3,400-pound robot’s right arm and a pan-and-tilt color camera on its body so operators can observe its work. The $209 million robot, which has passed initial operating tests, will be attached to the station’s Destiny laboratory module. More at the Wikipedia entry on Dextre.
Canada criticized internationally for disregarding science
Posted:February 22, 2008A February 2008 edition of the journal Nature has criticized Canada's Conservative government's "manifest disregard for science". They cite the government's recent closure of the office of national science adviser. The office used to offer advice on global science and technology issues and how government can better fund and support Canadian science. In addition, the Conservative government recently decreed that Environment Canada scientists must route all media enquiries through Ottawa for an "approved" response so the government could control the position of Canadian science of global climate change. Finally, the Conservative government cabinet failed to attend a reception for Nobel Prize winning Canadian scientists last week in Ottawa. If you want to express your concern for our country's poor international image regarding Canadian science, and the way this has come about due to Conservative government actions and policies, please write your MP by looking up the address on the government's contact page, or write the Prime Minister directly, or Jim Prentice the minister of Industry who is now responsible for science research funding.
Stats Canada points to benefits of science PhDs
Posted:November 23, 2007According to Macleans Magazine, Science and engineering PhDs were, in 2001, nearly twice as likely to work in the private sector as PhD holders from other disciplines, and only 38 per cent of them worked in educational services, compared to 60 per cent of PhD holders in other fields. The Statistics Canada report also looked at location. Ninety per cent of scientists and engineers live in urban areas. The highest concentration is in Kingston, dubbed the “science and engineering capital of Canada,” with its two universities, a college, and teaching hospital. The concentration of scientists and engineers employed by the federal government also played a role as Ottawa-Hull came in second. Scientists and engineers living in Vancouver earned the highest average salary in Canada at $89,179, while the lowest was found in Edmonton at $73,527. Men with science PhDs outnumber women four to one.
Canadian study finds weight-loss pills not worth the risk
Posted:November 21, 2007University of Alberta medical researchers reviewed 30 studies of weight loss pills such as orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant and found that on average they help users shed only 3-5Kg. What's more the side effects are not worth the risk. The research was led by Dr. Rajdeep Padwal in the Department of Medicine at the U of Alberta.
Try the science.ca SMS poll
Posted:November 3, 2007One of the most popular questions on science.ca is about eye colour. People want to know why their eyes are the colour they are. They also want to predict the colour of their children's eyes, and they also frequently ask why their eyes are changing colour.
Canadian Team First in Space Elevator Contest
Posted:October 21, 2007A team of students and alumni from the University of Saskatchewan have again provided the winning robotic climber for this year's Elevator:2010 Competition in Utah (October 19 and 20, 2007). This is the second consecutive year the team's climber outperformed all others. The Space Elevator is a system based on a super-strong ribbon going from the surface of the Earth to a point beyond geosynchronous orbit. The tether is held in place by a counterweight in orbit. And so, as the Earth rotates, the tether is held taut. Vehicles would then climb the ribbon powered by a beam of energy projected from the surface of the Earth. Such a space elevator is not possible today, but researchers around the world are working on the technologies that will be required. The Canadian contribution from USask is a method of powering the elevator with a beam of light projected by lasers on the ground. Visit www.usst.ca for more information including a video.
Canadian science has tremendous world impact
Posted:August 14, 2007In a May 2007 report, Thompson Scientific, a company that tracks refereed scientific publications and the citations they contain, gave Canada a glowing report. With little more than 0.5% of the world’s population Canada produces 4.65% of the world's scientific publications.
Citations are references in formal scientific research papers that refer to previously published research. If such research is cited frequently by other scientists it generally means it contained a valuable discovery that was influential. Based on citations collected between 2002 and 2006, on average Canadian research is cited 7% more than research from the rest of the world. In 21 of the 22 scientific fields tracked (excepting economics & business), the impact of Canadian research met or exceeded the world average, with particularly strong performance in space science (57% above the world average), clinical medicine (34% above), and physics (+31%). These findings are reported on Thompson's inCites website.
In another 2005 review, Thompson shows that among the 145 top-performing countries in all fields, Canada ranked #6 for citations, #6 for papers, and #16 for citations per paper. Canada leads the world in the following fields in terms of volume published as well as impact based on citation indexes: Psychology, Geosciences, Ecology/Environment, Economics, Education, Space Science, Clinical medicine, and Physics.
Canadian computer scientist "solves" checkers game
Posted:July 29, 2007Professor Jonathan Schaeffer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton has led a team that computed every possible outcome of the 500 billion billion possible positions in the game of checkers or draughts. His program, Chinook, can now play a perfect game from any position. The team proved that the best outcome of any starting point is a draw. The results were published in a paper in the July 19, 2007 journal Science.
Genetic Disease Map Hosted in Canada
Posted:July 12, 2007Dr. Stephen Scherer, Senior Scientist and Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto will lead a consortium of scientists from Canada, England and USA in the mapping of copy number variants (CNVs)-- the amount of copies of a particular gene in the genotype of an individual. Evidence shows that in some cases gene copy number can be elevated in people predisposed to various diseases. The goal is to create a detailed map of CNVs in the human genome. The map will be located and made available to the world's researchers at Database of Genomic Variants hosted by SickKids.
New Science, Technology and Innovation Council
Posted:June 15, 2007Howard Alper will chair Canada's new Science, Technology and Innovation Council. The council will report to the Minister of Industry. It will be a non-governmental advisory body that provides evidence-based policy advice on science and technology issues and produces regular national reports that measure Canada's Science and Technology performance against international standards of excellence.
Canadian scientist wins the Benjamin Franklin Medal for physics
Posted:April 23, 2007Physicist Art McDonald, director of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), will share the Benjamin Franklin Medal for physics with Yoji Totsuka of the University of Tokyo. The prize is awarded in recognition of their discovery in 2001 that neutrinos have mass and can change from one type to another.
Canadian Wins 2007 King Faisal Prize for Medicine
Posted:February 21, 2007Fernand Labrie of Laval University in Quebec city shared the US$200,000 King Faisal International prize for medicine with Patrick Walsh of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The prize is awarded by the King Faisal Foundation of Saudi Arabia. Labrie won for his work developing a hormone-based therapy to manage prostate cancer.
Journal of Irreproducible Results Printed in Canada
Posted:February 19, 2007The science humour magazine, The Journal of Irreproducible Results, though it is published bimonthly from San Mateo, California, is actually printed in Lachine, Quebec at Transcontinental O'Keefe. The editor Norman Sperling says cost saving is not the main reason the JIR is printed in Canada. He gets better service from the Canadian printers and the paper is better. Check out the website and consider subscribing.
Canadian Science Reveals Pregnant Mona Lisa
Posted:January 15, 2007A group of scientists from Canada's National Research Council's Institute for Information Technology in Ottawa used an advanced high resolution colour 3D laser scanner to record the Mona Lisa at the invitation of the Louvre. An article in the January 2007 issue of Art News magazine describes how the Canadian imagery shows that the woman was wearing a previously invisible gauze veil only worn by pregnant women in the Renaissance period. You can check out the data yourself at the NRC Giaconda website.
U of Toronto Scientists Reverse Diabetes in Mice
Posted:December 15, 2006An auto-immune researcher together with a pain researcher at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (U. of Toronot) as well as one in Calgary have found a link between diabetes and the nervous system. Hans-Michael Dosch led a team that was able to inject pain receptor neuropeptides into diabetes-prone mice to reverse established diabetes with no bad side effects.
Canadian Geologists May Solve Bangladesh Arsenic Poisoning with Lentils
Posted:November 29, 2006Up to 80 million people in Bangladesh and India suffer from arsenic poisoning as a result of the water supply. Two Canadian researchers at the University of Saskatchewan Canadian Light Source Synchrotron are using X-ray absorption spectroscopy to analyse blood and tissues collected from people in Bangladesh. Graham George and Ingrid Pickering think selenium in lentils could counteract the poisonous effects of arsenic.
New way to find ice-loving bacteria
Posted:October 13, 2006A Canadian scientist at Queens University has developed a way to isolate bacteria that survive in extreme cold. Virginia Walker, a professor of biology and President of the Genetics Society of Canada uses microscopic "ice fingers" to isolate bacteria which have properties to interact with, and modify, ice. The bacteria have many potential applications from improving the consistency of ice-cream to the creation of better snow making machines. Read more at the Queens News Centre.
Canadian Software Proves What Neil Armstrong Said
Posted:September 30, 2006Peter Shann Ford, a Sydney, Australia-based computer programmer used Canadian sound editing software called GoldWave (from St. John's, Newfoundland) to analyse the first words of Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong when he set foot on the moon. According to the research, he said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Not "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. NOTE: The science of this news story has since come under heavy criticism. Hence the result may not be true.
Canadian Astronaut to Work on Space Station
Posted:September 10, 2006Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean is set to make a spacewalk after he successfully rocketed to orbit aboard space shuttle Atlantis Sept. 9. MacLean, on his second spaceflight, joins five other astronauts on the first construction mission to the International Space Station since the Columbia disaster of 2003. The Nepean, ON native will play a crucial role in increasing the station's power. Using the robotic Canadarm, he will manoeuvre a set of solar panels from the shuttle to the station. He will then perform a spacewalk on Sept. 13 to release locks on the panels, allowing them to track the sun. (Elizabeth Howell reporting)
Faintest Stars Detected by Canadian Led Team
Posted:August 18, 2006Astronomer Harvey Richer at the University of British Columbia used the Hubble telescope to study white dwarfs in star cluster NGC 6397, which is 8500 light years away. The light detected is the equivalent of a birthday candle on the moon.
Astronomers have used white dwarfs in globular clusters as a measure of the universe's age. The universe must be at least as old as the oldest stars. White dwarfs cool down at a predictable rate. The older the dwarf, the cooler it is, making it a perfect "clock" that has been ticking for almost as long as the universe has existed. Richer and his team are using the same age-dating technique to calculate the cluster's age. NGC 6397 is estimated to be nearly 12 billion years old.
Canadian Scientists Discover Gene for Depression
Posted:July 28, 2006Canadian scientists have identified a gene that makes some people susceptible to major depressive disorders. Speaking at the Forum of European Neuroscience earlier this month, Professor Nicholas Barden of Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval in Quebec explained, “This is a major breakthrough in the realm of psychiatry and will have groundbreaking implications for diagnosis and the development of new anti-depressant treatment.”
Canadian Scientists Develop Drug to Stop Alzheimer's
Posted:June 14, 2006University of Toronto researchers led by Joanne McLaurin at the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases have found a small sugar molecule called scyllo-cyclohexanehexol (AZD-103) associated with Alzheimer's disease. In mice with Alzheimer's disease the drug prevents the formation of amyloid plaques thereby preventing further cognitive damage and memory loss. It does not reverse existing damage. Human trials have been approved and will begin later this year.
Canadian Helps to Learn Cause of Pioneer Anomaly
Posted:June 11, 2006Pioneer space crafts 10 and 11 were launched about 30 years ago. Now as they reach the very edge of our solar system they appear to be moving somewhat slower than expected. What is causing this Pioneer Anomaly? Nobody knows, but a Canadian freelance scientist in Ottawa, Viktor Toth, has written software to analyse vast amounts of telemetry archived over the years, to make it available to the public. It is hoped that the availability of the data will help solve the mystery.
Sensational Scientists wins national book award
Posted:May 1, 2006The book based on this website, SENSATIONAL SCIENTISTS by Barry Shell, published by Raincoast Books, won the 2005 Canadian Science in Society Youth Book award.
New Book: Sensational Scientists
Posted:February 2, 2006Tired of reading this website on your computer? The 24 major profiles on science.ca are collected in a new book. SENSATIONAL SCIENTISTS by Barry Shell, published by Raincoast Books is available now in most bookstores across Canada. Soon to be released in the USA. Read the review at CM Magazine.
Common antidepressents may affect the immune system
Posted:January 27, 2006A team of Canadian and US researchers co-lead by Dr. Peta O'Connell at the Robarts Research Institute in London, Ontario have found that SSRI drugs like Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil that treat depression may also affect the user’s immune system.
It appears that serotonin is passed between key cells in the immune system, and that the chemical is specifically used to activate an immune response. Researchers do not know yet if the effect will be beneficial or a damaging to the human immune system.
Canadian Team Tops Space Elevator Contest
Posted:October 24, 2005A team from the University of Saskatchewan managed to get their robot the highest up a tether "to space" as a first step in a NASA initiative to build a space elevator. The idea is to use a thin but unimaginably strong ribbon tethered to an orbiting satellite. People and cargo would travel up the ribbon to space. This is the first year of the contest, and though nobody won the $50,000 prize, the Canadian team's robot reached 12 meters, higher than any of the the other six competitors. More at New Scientist.
Canadians Win Lasker Prize for Stem Cell Discovery
Posted:September 18, 2005Ernest McCulloch and James Till of the University of Toronto won this biggest prize in medical science for ingenious experiments in 1961 that first identified a stem cell - the blood-forming stem cell - which set the stage for all current research on adult and embryonic stem cells.
Einstein Festival at University of Waterloo
Posted:August 22, 2005EinsteinFest at the Perimeter Institute explores our rapidly changing civilization at the turn of the century and sets Einstein’s prolific contributions in context with the science, philosophy, politics, art and music of the day.
Canadian Scientists Make Photovoltaic Breakthrough
Posted:January 10, 2005Graduate student Steve McDonald working in Ted Sargent's University of Toronto Electrical Computer Engineering group has developed a low-cost plastic-based optoelectronic material that can harvest light energy at about 5 times the efficiency of current photovoltaic cells. What's more the material can be sprayed on clothes or cellphones. The group's discovery was published in Nature Materials this week.
California Sturgeon Found in Canadian Waters
Posted:December 7, 2004A lost tribe of green sturgeon has been found as part of the global census of marine life led by Canadian marine biologist Ron O'Dor at Dalhousie U. in Halifax. “Researchers were tagging the sturgeon in the rivers of California. We regarded them as purely river fish, but were unsure quite how far they travelled. Then we got a surprise. The tagged fish started showing up in the open ocean off Vancouver Island in Canada. That kind of thing just makes you think how little we know, even about familiar fish.”
Canadian Government Mounts Science Website
Posted:October 19, 2004Get the latest Canadian science news at science.gc.ca a government of Canada website devoted to Canadian science and technology news, careers, and achievements. Kind of like science.ca, but better funded.
Spinal Cord Damage May be Repairable with Canadian Technique
Posted:August 23, 2004University of Toronto researchers headed by Molly Shoichet have published a method to facilitate nerve cell repair that could ultimately lead to treating severed spinal cords. Full story at University of Toronto News
Probiotics--Good Bacteria
Posted:July 26, 2004Canadian scientist Gregor Reid at the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario studies the billions of good bacteria that live in and on our bodies. He has patents for food supplements called probiotics, mostly lactobacillus strains, that can combat intestinal and vaginal infections. "We've shown that beneficial bugs stop the expression of seriously harmful toxins from bad bacteria such as E. coli 0157:H7, hamburger disease," says Reid. Find out more at the Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics.
One Million Scientists in Canada
Posted:May 6, 2004According to the latest census data (2001) 1,003,810 out of a total national workforce of 15,872,070 Canadians chose science-related careers. That's 6.3%. Based on earlier studies this level of science participation is similar to countries such as France, USA and Germany, but lags behind England, Sweden and Japan. You can view the details at Statistics Canada's Website. NOTE: Male/Female ratio is 79% male, 21% female scientists in Canada.
Canadian Scientist Has New Earthquake Theory
Posted:March 31, 2004Earth Sciences professor Andrew Calvert of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia has connected the occurrence of hundreds of earthquakes in the last 10 years to the grinding of overlapping rocks trapped between two of the tectonic (structural) plates that form the surface of the Earth. Read his article in Nature.
Canadian Discovers a Better Way to Fix Nitrogen
Posted:February 10, 2004A Canadian chemist has invented a new way to turn nitrogen into ammonia, one of the most important reactions in the chemicals industry. The research, published in this week’s Nature, could lead to improvements in a 90-year-old chemical reaction that makes the fertilizer that helps feed about 40% of the world’s population. Read more at Michael Fryzuk's website at the University of British Columbia.
Canadian Nobel Prize Winner Dies
Posted:October 16, 2003Bertram Neville Brockhouse died Monday, Oct 13 at the age of 85. Brockhouse was the only Canadian-born Nobel laureate to spend his entire life in Canada. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in physics for designing the Triple-Axis Neutron Spectroscope.
Alexander Graham Bell Not Canadian and Not Telephone Inventor
Posted:July 21, 2003While many people think that Alexander Graham Bell was Canadian, he was not. He was a Scottish-born American with a summer home in Canada. Now it comes to light that he may not have been the first to invent the telephone. That distinction now goes to the Italian-American immigrant Antonio Meucci.
Canadian Geometer Coxeter Dies
Posted:April 7, 2003H. S. M. (Donald) Coxeter died March 31, 2003 at the age of 96. Known as the "Greatest Living Classical Geometer", Coxeter was a huge contributor to the area of mathematics known as "plane geometry"--something he took to the highest levels. Learn more about Coxeter.
Canadian Gets Antibiotics From Mosquitoes
Posted:March 18, 2003Simon Fraser University biologist Carl Lowenberger wants to know why mosquitoes don't get sick from the infectious diseases they carry. He has isolated several immune system molecules (peptides) from mosquitoes that protect them from harmful pathogens. Perhaps these molecules can become the basis for improved antibiotic drugs for humans. More at Lowenberger's homepage.
Canadian Space Shuttle Experiments
Posted:January 17, 2003Two Canadian experiments are flying aboard space shuttle mission STS-107: the OSTEO-2 bone loss experiment conducted by Toronto scientists Leticia G. Rao, Tim Murray and others; and an experiment by teams in Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan on growing protein crystals that could help fight cancer and diabetes.
Canadian Research Revises Meteor Science
Posted:December 2, 2002Earth's upper atmosphere is hit once a year by objects that release energy equivalent to a five kiloton bomb, a Canadian meteor physicist, Peter Brown, of the University of Western Ontario claimed in a recent Nature article. Brown bases his findings on data from US Department of Defense satellites scanning the Earth for evidence of nuclear explosions.
Canada Creates Large Virtual Supercomputer
Posted:November 2, 2002A team of computer scientists at the University of Alberta have developed CISS (Canadian Internetworked Scientific Supercomputer), the software and social infrastructure for a Canada-wide metacomputer. CISS open source software will go nationwide November 4, 2002 to attack a chemistry problem involving the energies of chirality or "right or left handedness" of molecules. This problem which would normally take 3 - 6 years of computing time should complete in one day on CISS. While software is a major component, Paul Lu, a CISS researcher says, "Much more time and arm-twisting has been spent to convince people to include their systems in CISS. We accept, and are trying to work with, human nature. Technologists ignore human factors at their own peril."
Canada's Space Telescope
Posted:August 2, 2002UBC astronomer Jaymie Matthews says Canada's first space telescope contains "the most accurate light meter in the world." The telescope should be able to "see" into distant stars and to detect the light from possible planets orbiting them. The telescope was extremely cheap to build, costing 300 times less than the Hubble telescope. It will be launched in April 2003 atop a Russian rocket. Matthews hopes the Canadian telescope will confirm or disprove the existence of other planets which so far can only be inferred from the wobble of some stars.
Canadian offers natural solution to spruce budworm problem
Posted:May 12, 2002Carleton University researcher Dr. J. David Miller believes that a family of
needle-loving fungi holds the key to stopping the 10 to 15 year cycle of destruction wreaked by the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, on Canadian and American forests. Miller discovered that older, natural (not-replanted) forests harbour a "good" anti-budworm toxin-producing fungus. He has found a way to safely innoculate seedlings with it.
Canada's Sharing Attitude Attracts Top Scientists
Posted:April 10, 2002Leading neurologist David Colman will move himself and his research team of 15 researchers from New York to Montreal where he will become the director of the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill. Colman's stated major reason for the move: "In the States, the individual scientist is stressed, and that creates a system where everyone grabs, and no one is encouraged to share. In Canada, there is a lot more collaboration and sharing."
Canada Underinvests in Science
Posted:March 12, 2002A study by Save British Science claims that, of the G7 nation governments, only Canada and Italy invest less in research and development per capita than the UK. Canada invests only 0.21% of its Gross Domestic Product in research. The report also claims Canadian businesses spend US$358 per worker on research and development compared to Americans who spend US$1065 per worker.
Canadian Scientists Go Faster Than the Speed of Light
Posted:February 2, 2002Physicists, Alain Haché and Louis Poirier, at the University of Moncton, using what they call a "coaxial photonic crystal" have managed to send electromagnetic pulses a significant distance at three times the speed of light. The remarkable project breaks no laws of physics. In essence, they use cavitation at the tail of the pulse to drive the front wave forward. The result could exert a profound influence on information networking systems. PhysicsWeb has the story.
Canadians begin catalogue of human proteome
Posted:January 11, 2002Now that scientists have worked out the human genome, the next task is to figure out the human proteome, the total set of proteins the genome encodes. Researchers at the University of Toronto are using supercomputers to do it. In this week's Nature, working with colleagues in Heidelberg, Germany, Canadian geneticists led by Mike Tyers and Michael Moran use a supercomputer to unravel the highly complex interaction of the thousands of proteins coded in the genome of yeast. Their key finding: each protein is involved in numerous interactions and therefore new designer drugs targeted to specific proteins could have serious side effects. Visit Tyer's Lab website to get an idea of the complexity involved.
Canadian Scientists Question National Security ID Schemes
Posted:December 11, 2001Canadian computer scientists Andrew Clement (U of T) and Felix Stalder (Queens) claim on a website sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility that none of the recently proposed national identification schemes spawned by the events of Sept 11 clearly state which problem they try to solve and how exactly they would contribute to reducing the danger of terrorism. The scientists point out that such ID systems do endanger our civil liberties. Even more, by relying on the wrong approach to security, the new measures may actually create a false sense of security that leaves us more vulnerable than before.
Vancouver bio tech firm to supply US military
Posted:December 4, 2001A Canadian biotechnology firm is working with the U.S. Army to develop a nasal spray vaccine that would protect against plague.
ID Biomedical will help ward off the threat of "Black Death" as a bioterrorist weapon.
The Vancouver company's proteosome vaccine technology causes protective immune responses at the mucosal surfaces lining the respiratory tract, including the nose, throat and lungs.
Parasite genome stripped to bare essentials
Posted:November 23, 2001"This is an exciting time for parasitology," says Patrick J. Keeling of the University of British Columbia, in a News and Views article in this week's Nature magazine refering to the discovery by French researchers that the parasitic microsporidion Encephalitozoon cuniculi has a genome less than 0.1% the size of the human genome and is even smaller than the genomes of many bacteria. Its genes have little ‘junk’ DNA between them. This has nearly erased the genomic record of the organism's evolutionary history, making it difficult to determine how it originated. According to Keeling, other emerging genome sequences will "usher in an age of comparative parasite genomics." If E. cuniculi is an indication, he concludes, "many ‘rules’ are about to be broken." Visit Keeling's lab.
Male garter snakes mimic females to get warm
Posted:November 15, 2001Australian scientists studying Canadian garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) suggest in this week's Nature magazine that slow and sleepy male garter snakes might mimic females to fool other males into warming them up. These 'she-males' produce female pheromones at the end of hibernation, causing them to become engulfed in large 'mating balls' of amorous males — sometimes containing more than 100 snakes.
Canadian scientist explains source of ocean colour
Posted:November 4, 2001"The single most important independent factor responsible for the colour of
the open ocean is free-floating, microscopic phytoplankton," says Shubha
Sathyendranath, an expert in underwater optics at Dalhousie University. Sathyendranath is the first person to use satellites to map diatom distribution in the North Atlantic.
Science Teachers Association of Ontario Conference
Posted:September 9, 2001The creator of this website, Barry Shell, spoke at the STAO Conference : A Science Odyssey Nov 1-3, 2001. The talk focused on the functions, features, and production of science.ca with free open-source Unix software and low cost computer hardware.
Canadians Solve Missing Neutrino Mystery
Posted:July 19, 2001The 30-year-old "Missing Solar Neutrino Mystery" has been solved in
Canada. The first, long-awaited, scientific results from the Sudbury
Neutrino Observatory were released in early July 2001. These results offered
the first direct and definitive proof that electron-neutrinos produced in
the sun's core undergo transformations into muon- and tau-neutrinos en
route to the earth. See the details at www.sno.phy.queensu.ca.
Global Change Conference
Posted:July 10, 2001The Global Change Open Science Conference is being held in Amsterdam
July (10-13) just prior to the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol (COP6)
meeting in Bonn. This novel conference will present the latest global
change research and spell out the major challenges that are facing humanity.
For more information, see the International Geospere and Biosphere Programme.
Women at the Frontier of Excellence
Posted:April 7, 2001The late great Nobel laureate Michael Smith donated much of his prize winnings to promote Canadian Women in Science. The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology used the money to produce Women at the Frontier of Excellence. 8AM - 6PM, April 7, 2001.
