Alex Walls

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Articles

Can plastic-eating bugs help with our microplastic problem?

Dec 4, 2024 | news.ubc.ca | Alex Walls

Plastic pollution occurs in every ecosystem on the planet and lingers for decades. Could insects be part of the solution? Previous research found that insects can ingest and absorb pure, unrefined microplastics—but only under unrealistic, food-scarce situations. In a new Biology Letters paper, UBC zoologist Dr. Michelle Tseng and alumna Shim Gicole tested mealworms in a more realistic scenario, feeding them ground-up face masks—a common plastic product—mixed with bran, a tastier option.
Climate change could bring more severe bacterial infections, including in corals

Dec 2, 2024 | news.ubc.ca | Alex Walls

Could the fungal apocalypse of The Last of Us have roots in reality? A new UBC study shows that climate warming can potentially make bacterial and fungal infections deadlier for cold-blooded animals like corals, insects, and fish, raising questions about the broader risks warming temperatures pose to ecosystems and biodiversity—and potentially humans. Zoologists Drs.
Scientists develop tool to predict sepsis in apparently healthy newborns

Oct 28, 2024 | sfu.ca | Alex Walls

A genetic signature in newborns can predict neonatal sepsis before symptoms even start to show, according to a new study. The study, led by UBC and SFU researchers in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit The Gambia, has the potential to help healthcare workers diagnose babies earlier, including in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where neonatal sepsis is of particular concern.
The Largest Molecule Ever Detected Using Radioastronomy

Oct 25, 2024 | astrobiology.com | Anne Trafton |Alex Walls |Keith Cowing

The discovery of a four-ring carbon molecule in a distant interstellar cloud may help to reveal how our own solar system formed. An asteroid has helped researchers discover the largest molecule ever detected by radioastronomy, and the third-largest identified in space. The discovery, published today in Science, provides further clues to an astrochemical mystery: Where does carbon, the building block of life, come from and go to in the universe, including in our own solar system?
New space molecule largest ever detected using radioastronomy

Oct 24, 2024 | news.ubc.ca | Anne Trafton |Alex Walls

An asteroid has helped researchers discover the largest molecule ever detected by radioastronomy, and the third-largest identified in space. The discovery, published today in Science, provides further clues to an astrochemical mystery: Where does carbon, the building block of life, come from and go to in the universe, including in our own solar system?
Opportunities and challenges for BC housing ahead of the election

Sep 19, 2024 | shorturl.at | Alex Walls

Housing will be a key issue for BC voters ahead of the provincial election in October. BC leads other provinces when it comes to housing construction but the province remains the epicentre of Canada’s housing crisis. Drs. Alexandra Flynn (AF) and Craig Jones (CJ), director and associate director of the UBC Housing Research Collective, outline opportunities and challenges for housing in the province ahead of voting next month. What is the state of housing in BC?
Thousands of jellyfish clones are multiplying in B.C. lakes

Sep 3, 2024 | news.ubc.ca | Alex Walls

An invasive, freshwater jellyfish is popping up in B.C. waters in the thousands and future sightings could increase rapidly, according to UBC research. The peach blossom jellyfish clones have been spotted in 34 places in B.C., its furthest northern range in North America, and a recent paper predicts sightings and the number of locations will increase by the end of the decade as climate change extends this range.
Basic income could solve global poverty and stop environmental destruction

Jun 20, 2024 | shorturl.at | Alex Walls

Providing a basic income could boost global gross domestic product (GDP) by $US163 trillion while acting to curb environmental degradation, UBC research has found. An analysis of 186 countries found that providing basic income, or regular, set payments to all adults in the world, could boost global GDP by about 130 per cent.
Killer whales breathe just once between dives, study confirms

May 15, 2024 | news.ubc.ca | Alex Walls

A new study has confirmed a long-held assumption: that orcas take just one breath between dives. The researchers used drone footage and biological data from tags suction-cupped to 11 northern and southern resident killer whales off the coast of B.C. to gather information on the animals’ habits. Published in PLOS ONE, the study found that residents spend most of their time making shallow dives, with the majority of dives less than one minute.
Scientists cooked pancakes, Brussels sprouts, and stir fry to detect an oxidant indoors for the first time

May 7, 2024 | news.ubc.ca | Alex Walls

A feast cooked up by UBC researchers has revealed singlet oxygen indoors for the first time. Singlet oxygen is an oxidant. These chemical compounds can be beneficial—ozone in the stratosphere is one example—but can also cause stress to our lungs, contributing to the development of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease in the long term. Cooking foods can release brown carbon, molecules with the potential to create oxidants when they absorb light.