news 2023

In 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope captured an image of a cluster of thousands of galaxies. Astronomers have measured the distance to Earth of 200 of these galaxies. On July 11, 2022, the world saw the very first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The image is now known as the "Webb Deep Galaxy Field" - a galaxy cluster named SMACS 0723, comprising over 7,000 galaxies! This image has proved an important target for the study of galaxy evolution, as this large number of very distant galaxies tells us a lot about how galaxies formed and evolved in the early Universe.

People in Ontario who had recently been incarcerated were at far greater risk of opioid toxicity death during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study from a Simon Fraser University researcher. The study, published in the journal PLOS One , by SFU criminologist Amanda Butler and colleagues from McMaster University and the University of Toronto, assessed the impacts of the pandemic on opioid toxicity death rates for individuals exposed and not exposed to incarceration in Ontario.

Science, Health & Technology Alex Walls DNA sequencing technique can also help source minerals that are key to the green-energy transition Researchers have identified buried kimberlite, the rocky home of diamonds, by testing the DNA of microbes in the surface soil. These 'biological fingerprints' can reveal what minerals are buried tens of metres below the earth's surface without having to drill.

Research and collection of microbiome samples from Indigenous communities has a history of exploiting and harming Indigenous peoples Research on the trillions of microorganisms that make up a person's microbiome can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes.

Both elegant and fierce, killer whales are some of the oceans' top predators, but even they can be exposed to environmental pollution. Now, in the largest study to date on North Atlantic killer whales, researchers in the American Chemical Society' Environmental Science & Technology report the levels of legacy and emerging pollutants in 162 individuals' blubber.

Sunscreen is important, says Dr. Ivan Litvinov, but it is also the least effective way to protect your skin when compared to sun protective clothing and sun avoidance Sunscreen usage is climbing, but so are melanoma and skin cancer rates: this, researchers say, is the sunscreen paradox.

Plant-based materials give life to tiny soft robots that can potentially conduct medical procedures A team of University of Waterloo researchers has created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots. These tiny robots have the potential to conduct medical procedures, such as biopsy, and cell and tissue transport, in a minimally invasive fashion.

Research and collection of microbiome samples from Indigenous communities has a history of exploiting and harming Indigenous peoples Research on the trillions of microorganisms that make up a person's microbiome can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes.

Financial technology companies should move beyond ESG standards to embrace "Impact fintech" "Impact Fintech" is a new term coined by researchers at the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development which describes a new category of financial technology firm - one that moves beyond ESG standards and instead embraces the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A research team from Université Laval demonstrates how this drug acts on adipose tissue The ways of science are sometimes impenetrable, they say. Bimatoprost, a drug used to relieve ocular hypertension and give fuller eyelashes, is now helping to open up new horizons in the understanding and treatment of obesity.

A study at the UdeM-affiliated Montreal Clinical Research Insitute paves the way for more early diagnostic and therapeutic options to detect and treat these two major metabolic diseases. Canadian scientists have found a new link between two major metabolic diseases: diabetes and steatotic liver disease, commonly known as fatty liver disease.

Research testing new technology to more effectively locate polar bear dens across the Arctic is showing promising results. Researchers from Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Brigham Young University (BYU), collaborating with Polar Bears International, hope that improving detection tools to locate dens-which are nearly invisible and buried under snow-will help efforts to protect mother polar bears and their cubs.

Dr. Mahmood Gohari discusses upward trends in depression and anxiety among youth Mental health issues had been a concern before the pandemic, but they came into focus even more during this time. In a  recent study , Dr. Mahmood Gohari from the University of Waterloo's  School of Public Health Sciences  used survey data from almost 5,400 Canadian adolescents to examine changes in depression and anxiety from 2018 until 2021.

Western researchers reveal link between Alzheimer's disease and sex hormones Use of female animal models in the lab led to crucial finding Alzheimer's disease disproportionately affects women, who represent about two-thirds of those diagnosed with the late-onset type of the disease. Previous research has shown Alzheimer's is also more severe and progresses more rapidly in women, and women with Alzheimer's experience a steeper cognitive decline - loss of memory, attention, and the ability to communicate and make decisions - compared to men with the disease.

Waterloo Engineering researchers are developing new technologies to combat disinformation - a robust solution to fake news By John Roe Faculty of Engineering Cutting-edge technologies gave the world fake news, but researchers from the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Engineering are developing even newer technology to stop it.

Researchers combining bioprinting with synthetic chips to understand tumours in 3D An international team of interdisciplinary researchers has successfully created a method for better 3D modelling of complex cancers. The University of Waterloo-based team combined cutting-edge bioprinting techniques with synthetic structures or microfluidic chips.

A consortium of international experts gives 10 recommendations to increase the chances that men will experience the joys of fatherhood and have healthy children. Infertility now affects one in six couples of reproductive age according to the World Health Organisation. About half the time, it originates from men.

Atrial fibrillation detected after stroke seems more benign than pre-stroke irregular heartbeats, finds Western study Worldwide, millions of stroke survivors undergo prolonged cardiac monitoring, leading to the discovery of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeats, in up to 1.5 million of these patients each year.

There is an urgent need to address climate change, making the development of sustainable energy alternatives more important than ever. While proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have shown great promise for energy production, particularly in the transportation industry, there is a long-standing problem with their durability and cost.

DNA sequencing of marine worms has revealed how they adapt to life 2,500 metres below the ocean's surface, where they experience extreme pressure conditions and temperature fluctuations. Maeva Perez is fascinated by marine worms. Her first encounter with these cold-blooded invertebrates dates back to her time at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, where she was completing a master's in biology.