May not kill, but have heavy effect on mammals overall health
A new study looking at research on parasitic worms suggests the pesky, but pervasive creatures have a far greater impact on the health of mammal populations than previously known. “Parasites don't have to kill the animal to control a population,” says Kyle Shanebeck, a PhD student in the Faculty of Science’s Department of Biological Sciences…
There’s actually a striking amount of broad-based consensus around energy
A new artificial-intelligence-powered social media tool is showing that Canadians aren’t as polarized about energy policy and transition as we might imagine. Developed by University of Alberta engineering professor Lianne Lefsrud and an interdisciplinary team of researchers, Ai4Buzz uses targeted keywords to harvest, aggregate and examine Twitter conversations about energy and energy policies. Organized by category into a series…
Maricor Arlos grew up around water, but when she came to Canada she found purpose in sustaining it
Growing up in the Philippines, a country in the western Pacific Ocean made up of 7,107 islands, Maricor Arlos didn’t think much about the water that surrounded her. With no central sewage system, many households in the Philippines have septic tanks or other forms of decentralized waste collection that would be cleared out periodically without…
Born out of frustration with a male-dominated industry, The Red Bench is as much about community building as welding
When Mack (Mackenzi) Johnston withdrew from engineering studies at a previous university, she felt discouraged and uninspired. The obstacles she faced in the male-dominated industry seemed insurmountable at times, and the path to success murky at best. Buoyed by memories of working alongside her father in his garage as a youth, Johnston recalled how strong…
New research yields critical information on Chinese mystery snail
New research led by University of Alberta scientists could help contain the spread of the Chinese mystery snail, an invasive species whose discovery in a southern Alberta lake is as enigmatic as its name. “Chinese mystery snails have been found throughout Eastern Canada and most of the continental United States, but to find them in…
Innovation will depend as much on social factors as technological ones
Increasingly, urban dwellers are looking for new and more sustainable ways to move around their cities. Technologies like autonomous vehicles and electric scooters may be top of mind for urban planners, but social and cultural factors may be just as important in helping Canadian cities prepare for the future, according to a co-author of a…
U of A historian Sarah Carter’s decades of research has led to reconsideration of what it means to be Canadian
When Sarah Carter was a university student in Saskatchewan in the 1970s, she, like others of her generation, wondered why Western Canadian history texts were so often exclusionary, ignoring certain populations – particularly women and Indigenous peoples – while favouring conventional, male-dominated narratives. Summer jobs at Fort Walsh and Fort Battleford in Saskatchewan made her…