Seabirds Study Shows Plastic Pollution at Surprising Levels Off Pacific Northwest Coast
Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at UBC. The study, published online in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, examined stomach contents of beached northern fulmars on the coasts of BC, Canada and the […]
Federal Government not doing what majority of Canadians want when it comes to species at risk
A recent Ispos Reid poll found that 62% of Canadians think the federal Government is not doing enough to protect species at risk. One way that the government could do more was highlighted in a recent Op-ed in the Globe and Mail, co-authored by Sally Otto and Jeannette Whitton from UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre, along […]
Spiders in Borneo – The Spiders Who Wouldn’t Be
With the field work done, our attention turns to handling all of the specimens. We have barely had time to glance at most of them. My curiosity to peruse them under a microscope is strong, as I want to figure out what we got, but that will have to wait until after we get home […]
The New Federal Fisheries Act and its Effects
On Monday Nov 25th, the new federal Fisheries Act (FA) came into effect (see previous Museum blog post). The new FA results in a shift from a general biodiversity-based set of protections to a fishery-based set of regulations. The FA used to protect all Canadian fishes from the harmful effects of alteration, damage and destruction […]
In the Shadow of the Great War
The UBC Herbarium is pleased to announce the publication of Jay Sherwood’s latest book: In the Shadow of the Great War, the Milligan and Hart Explorations of Northeastern British Columbia, 1913-1914. The Vancouver-based author and historian visited the herbarium to research some of the earliest BC specimens of the collection – pressed and mounted plants dating back to 1913.
The 4th Annual Schofield Bryophyte & Lichen Foray
The 4th Annual Schofield Bryophyte & Lichen Foray was held September 26-29, 2013, in Wells Gray Provincial Park, as one of the many events of the Park’s heritage year celebration.
Ancient Soils Reveal Clues to Early Life on Earth
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and University of British Columbia examined the chemical composition of three-billion-year-old soils from South Africa – the oldest soils on Earth – and found evidence for low concentrations of atmospheric oxygen.
The Beaty Education Team had a Fantastic Time at Apple Festival
The Beaty Education team had a fantastic time at UBC Botanical Garden’s Apple Festival this year! The weather held out for us, and we had some wonderful conversations with people.
Fascinating Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Lindsay Follett, the City Editor for Family Fun Vancouver, recently took her boys for a visit at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum without prior research on what’s happening at the museum. How did the trip turn out? Let Lindsay tell us…
Bizarre Biodiversity: Spider-Tailed Viper
Sometimes this thing we know as “biodiversity” is just plain bizarre. The spider-tailed viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) which has only been known to science since 2006, has a tail whose end is shaped, remarkably, like a spider!