The underappreciated benefits of wild bees
Bees both pollinate natural systems and are extremely important for agricultural crops. Freethink features Dr. Claire Kremen to discuss how all of the benefits provided by native bees may be at risk.
Canada gave out free money to help homeless people. It reduced rough sleeping and busted stereotypes
Dr. Jiaying Zhao is featured in Big Issue for busting stereotypes. Her study found that unhoused people are more likely to spend a lump sum of money on rent, food, housing, transit and clothes, despite public perception otherwise.
Sep 9: Science in the field special | CBC Radio
Dr. Timothy Rodgers is featured by CBC Quirks and Quarks for a study he co-authored that found specially designed gardens could reduce the amount of a toxic chemical associated with tires entering waterways by more than 90%
Sep 9: Science in the field special
Aaron Aguire, an IRES masters student, is featured by CBC for his time spent walking around the city of Vancouver, studying bats. He was trying to understand how bats use urban and natural landscapes in the city and how this impacts their diversity and abundance. He also spent a lot of time happily explaining his work to curious onlookers.
Canada study debunks stereotypes of homeless people’s spending habits
The Guardian features a study led by Dr. Jiaying Zhao which found that unhoused people are more likely to spend a lump sum of money on rent, food, housing, transit and clothes, despite public perception otherwise.
Scientists and poets agree – we love the smell of fresh rain
Postdoc Dr. Sahil Bhandari (mechanical engineering) is featured in the Province and Vancouver Sun for why we love the smell of fresh rain. “The smell of rain, especially after a long dry spell kind of tells me: ‘I can do agriculture, there’s water here. My survival is not going to be at risk in this area now.’ The brain is saying: ‘This is a good place to live. We can live here now.’”
Coral reefs ‘may not be as vulnerable to climate change as previously thought’
” High-frequency coral bleaching can be fully mitigated at some reefs under low-to-middle emissions scenarios where, for example, the Paris Agreement commitments are fulfilled”. Dr. Simon Donner, an IRES professor, is featured in Express for his co-authored paper that found coral reefs in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean have increased their thermal tolerance and adjusted to higher ocean temperatures.
Is climate change as dangerous as doomists make it out to be?
Dr. Simon Donner, an IRES professor, is featured in a podcast by iheartradio for how his research shows that courage and openness to transformation is necessary for solutions to climate change, not fear and gloom.
For these researchers, an ideal summer night is spent chasing bats through Vancouver’s parks
Aaron Aguirre is featured on CBC as part of a specialized team spending the summer gathering more information about the city’s urban bat population to protect the mammals — and their billion-dollar benefit to the economy — as one of the deadliest wildlife diseases in North America creeps closer to the coast.
10 Minutes to Save the Planet – Dude, where’s my alternative to cars?
If everyone drove 10% less in the US, it would be equivalent of taking almost 30 coal power plants offline in a year. How can these moments be something humans want to do? Dr. Jiaying Zhao discusses how to make this powerful action enjoyable.