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Remote sensing tools yield insights into abandoned pre-Columbian Mexican city

admin — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 14:57:34 +0000

A ��ϲ�� University researcher has discovered that Guiengola, a 15th century Zapotec site in southern Oaxaca, Mexico, which had been thought to be simply a fortress where soldiers were garrisoned, was in fact a sprawling, fortified city. It covered 360 hectares, with over 1,100 buildings, four kilometres of walls, a network of internal roads and a clearly organized urban layout with temples and communal spaces such as ballcourts, and the elites and commoners lived in separate neighbourhoods.

Tracking contaminant accumulation in Arctic marine mammals

admin — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:49:32 +0000

A new method of tracking the dietary habits and contaminant exposure of animals in Arctic marine ecosystems is providing critical insights as climate change reshapes the region's food web.

Child undernutrition may be contributing to global measles outbreaks, researchers find

admin — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:54:05 +0000

Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be exacerbating outbreaks in areas suffering from food insecurity.

A study involving over 600 fully vaccinated children in South Africa found those who were undernourished had substantially lower levels of antibodies against measles.

In preparing children for a racially unequal society, families of colour can benefit from more support, study finds

admin — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:49:44 +0000

A ��ϲ��-led team of researchers has gained insight into how parents of colour in the United States approach discussions with their children aimed at teaching them the skills they need to survive and thrive in a racially unequal society.

A key finding of the recent paper in Developmental Psychology is that parents are especially in need of information, support and guidance when it comes to preparing their children to face discrimination and bias.

What links cannabis use and psychosis? Researchers point to the brain’s dopamine system

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:18:25 +0000

A ��ϲ�� University-led study found that people with cannabis use disorder (CUD) had elevated dopamine levels in a brain region associated with psychosis.

“This could help explain why cannabis use increases the risk of hallucinations and delusions, key symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders,” said first author Jessica Ahrens, a PhD student in ��ϲ��’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience.

Humpback whales’ use of memory to time their migration could prove less effective amid climate change

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:09:16 +0000

A new study led by ��ϲ�� University researchers indicates that humpback whales in the southeastern Pacific combine real-time environmental cues with their memories of conditions in their Antarctic feeding grounds to determine when to embark on their annual 10,000-kilometre journey. With climate change accelerating, the researchers warn this strategy may become less effective amid shifting ocean conditions.

When using music to alleviate pain, tempo matters

admin — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:32:01 +0000

Music has the best chance of providing pain relief when it is played at our natural rhythm, a ��ϲ�� University research team has discovered.

This suggests it may be possible to reduce a patient’s level of pain by using technology to take a piece of music someone likes and adjust the tempo to match their internal rhythm, the researchers said.

The discovery was the subject of a paper published this week in Pain, the top journal in the field of pain medicine and research.

Shape-shifting materials are made more versatile

admin — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:27:12 +0000

Finding new angles on an old artform, ��ϲ�� researchers have increased the number of stable shapes that kirigami-based engineered materials can take, opening the way to a range of new applications.

What makes these metamaterials special is not what they are made of – they can be plastic, cardboard or anything else – but how, thanks to shapes cut into them, they are able to morph from one form to another. To begin to understand the concept, think of pop-up illustrations of cut paper in books or greeting cards.

Ultra-thin bismuth holds unexpected promise for green electronics: researcher

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:03:12 +0000

Electronic devices rely on materials whose electrical properties change with temperature, making them less stable in extreme conditions. A discovery by ��ϲ�� University researchers that challenges conventional wisdom in physics suggests that bismuth, a metal, could serve as the foundation for highly stable electronic components.

The researchers observed a mysterious electrical effect in ultra-thin bismuth that remains unchanged across a wide temperature range, from near absolute zero (-273°C) to room temperature.

New drone-assisted 3D model offers a more accurate way to date dinosaur fossils

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:09:29 +0000

A new study from ��ϲ�� University is reshaping how scientists date dinosaur fossils in Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP). Using advanced drone-assisted 3D mapping, researchers have uncovered significant variations in a key geological marker, challenging long-standing methods of determining the ages of dinosaur fossils.

Apex predators in prehistoric Colombian oceans would have snacked on killer whales today: ��ϲ�� study

admin — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 14:09:21 +0000

Predators at the top of a marine food chain 130 million years ago ruled with more power than any modern species, ��ϲ�� research into a marine ecosystem from the Cretaceous period revealed.

New discovery could help protect against influenza

admin — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:23:27 +0000

A component found in all fungi may provide a shield against flu-related lung damage, according to a new study.

A team of scientists led by Maziar Divangahi, a Professor in ��ϲ��’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the ��ϲ�� University Health Centre, demonstrated that beta-glucan, administered to mice before their exposure to influenza, can reduce lung damage, improve lung function and lower the risk of illness and death.

Study of velvet worm slime could revolutionize sustainable material design

admin — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 13:02:30 +0000

A new discovery about the slime ejected by velvet worms could revolutionize sustainable material design, according to a study by ��ϲ�� University researchers. Their findings outline how a naturally occurring protein structure, conserved across species from Australia, Singapore and Barbados over nearly 400 million years of evolution, enables the slime’s transformation from liquid to fibre and back again. It’s a discovery that could inspire next-generation recyclable bioplastics.

Dead galaxies, live signals: Astronomers uncover a fast radio burst’s surprising location

admin — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:41:09 +0000

Astronomers studying the origins of enigmatic fast radio bursts (FRBs) have made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform our understanding of the universe’s most powerful and mysterious signals. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) collaboration has pinpointed the location on the sky of a repeating FRB, known as FRB 20240209A, outside a dead galaxy, a finding unprecedented in FRB science. The researchers believe the FRB may have originated in a cluster of old, dead stars orbiting the dead galaxy.

Blood test shows promise for early detection of dementia

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 13:11:26 +0000

For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates.