荔枝视频

These discoveries not only showcase the breadth of discovery at U荔枝视频, they lead the list of the 10 most-read U荔枝视频 News articles about research in 2025, tracked by Google Analytics metrics. Here鈥檚 what topped the analytics chart during the last 12 months.

Early humans adapted to harsh conditions more than a million years ago

New research answered a long-standing question about when archaic members of the genus Homo erectus successfully adapted to harsh environments such as deserts and rainforests. The findings suggest that Homo erectus adapted at least 1.2 million years ago, long before our species, Homo sapiens, emerged.

The research challenges long-held beliefs that only Homo sapiens could thrive in extreme climates. 鈥淲e reveal how early humans 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;known as hominins 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;were able to thrive under harsh conditions,鈥� said lead author  PhD, a professor in the faculties of Arts and Science. 

Co-author  PhD, a Canada Research Chair in global systems modelling in the Faculty of Science, said he was able to reconstruct past landscapes to simulate the East African region at the time. 鈥淭hese prominent ancestors were not just able to survive in every kind of environment from rainforest to desert, but also build boats and get across ocean straits and get to different islands.鈥�

The research brought together a broad range of experts, from archaeologists and biogeochemists to paleoclimate specialists from U荔枝视频, UManitoba, and 17 other institutions around the world. 

鈥榃hat is that?鈥� Scientists explain white patch that appears near northern lights

A whitish, grey patch that sometimes appears in the night sky alongside the northern lights was explained for the first time by U荔枝视频 researchers.

PhD, associate professor in the Faculty of Science, said the white patch has been referenced in scientific papers before but never fully explained. The discovery was made possible because advancement in camera technology allows amateur photographers and scientists to see true colour images of the night sky.

鈥淵ou鈥檇 see this dynamic green aurora, you鈥檇 see some of the red aurora in the background and, all of a sudden, you鈥檇 see this structured 鈥� almost like a patch 鈥�&苍产蝉辫; grey-toned or white toned-emission connected to the aurora,鈥� said Spanswick. 鈥淪o, the first response of any scientist is, 鈥榃ell, what is that?鈥欌��

Spanswick鈥檚 team concludes the light, formally named a "structured continuum emission,鈥� may be a result of heating in the atmosphere triggered by the auroras. The finding suggests the aurora borealis are more complex than previously thought.

Scientists want your toenail clippings for a study related to lung cancer

In October, the call went out from U荔枝视频 to recruit up to 10,000 Canadians to participate in an innovative new lung cancer study. At the heart of the initiative are toenail clippings. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e learned that our toenails hold long-term information about our exposure to radioactive toxicants in our environment such as radon gas,鈥� explains  PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine and principal investigator. 鈥淭hey are one of our body鈥檚 archives of past exposure.鈥�

Goodarzi leads an interdisciplinary team looking at environmental causes of lung cancer, like radon. The naturally occurring, odorless, colourless but radioactive gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco-smoking. 

鈥淲e believe we鈥檝e discovered a reliable, quantitative way to measure long-term radon exposure at an individual level,鈥� said  PhD, a physics professor in the Faculty of Science, and co-principal investigator.

The toenails are being analyzed in a specially designed lab within the Environmental Cancer Research Hub at the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute. 

Paleontologists identify closest known ancestor of tyrannosaurs

Paleontologists identified a new species of dinosaur, named Khankhuuluu, which is the closest-known ancestor to the gigantic tyrannosaurs.

The finding by an international team of researchers was led by Jared Voris and  PhD, in the Faculty of Science. 

鈥淲e identified a new species of tyrannosauroid, an ancestor to apex predatory tyrannosaurs,鈥� said Voris, first author of the research paper. 鈥淏asically, right before they got to be these apex predators, tyrannosaurs were these medium-sized, fleet-footed predators that lived in the shadows of other apex predators.鈥�

Something happened to the other non-tyrannosaur apex predators that led to their extinction. It left an opening for Khankhuuluu to evolve, and later became the behemoths famously depicted in films such as Jurassic Park.

鈥淲e鈥檝e never really had a good representation of that transition,鈥� explains Voris. 鈥淭his new species actually provides us that window into the ascent stage of tyrannosaurs; right when they鈥檙e transitioning to the apex predator form.鈥� Read the article

Researching the acoustics of clinical care

PhD, a family physician and professor in the Cumming School of Medicine, is exploring the often-overlooked sounds that shape the daily experiences of family physicians and their patients, from the buzz of clinic equipment to the sighs and silences.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trained to listen inside the body 鈥� a lot of my time is spent listening to hearts and lungs 鈥� but I started to become aware of the sounds outside the room and how I can consciously and unconsciously filter them,鈥� said Kelly. 

鈥淚t made me a little bit more aware of what my patients might be hearing and what might be distressing to them.鈥�

Kelly鈥檚 goal: deepen our understanding of how auditory cues influence clinical decision-making and collaborative care. 

Intertwining medicine and the social sciences, she will advance the research working alongside PhD, in the Faculty of Arts, and PhD, in the Werklund School of Education.

2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry buoyed by leading U荔枝视频 research and commercialization

In October, when the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was announced, the Nobel Committee gave a shout out to a group of U荔枝视频 scientists who have mobilized, to an industrial scale, the very knowledge behind this year鈥檚 prestigious award.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Drs. Susumu Kitagawa, Omar Yaghi, and Richard Robson for their research in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), materials that can act like tiny sponges and be customized to selectively attract different molecules, allowing for versatility in everything from drug delivery and energy storage, all the way to environmental remediation. 

When U荔枝视频 Professor , PhD, and his team developed 荔枝视频 Framework 20, better known as the CALF-20 compound, back in 2014, they proved that MOFs could be made stable enough to be scaled up to industrial applications. For CALF-20, that application is carbon capture and as a tool to help address climate change, an endeavour recognized by the Nobel Committee as a benchmark for industrial-scale applications. The local research has also spurred entrepreneurial ventures, such as TurnCO2, which aims to revolutionize CO2 reuse in the brewing industry.

U荔枝视频 researchers explore benefits of using robotic technology in urban planning

In January, the beginning of the new year was marked by the arrival of a 450-kilogram robot ushering in what will hopefully be a new era in the design and construction of accessible urban environments.

The 荔枝视频's Robocraft initiative, part of an ongoing partnership with the City of 荔枝视频, promised to revolutionize urban design by employing the robotic arm that now lives in the Wave Technology Centre. The arrival of the cutting-edge tool has enabled researchers to explore advanced manufacturing techniques, like robotic 3D printing, when enhancing urban spaces' accessibility and sustainability. 

Led by PhD, the project has the potential to empower future communities by allowing them to design and 3D-print public space objects, from wheelchair ramps to paving stones, helping them to customize their environment to better meet their needs. The approach also enhances community participation and opens doors for workforce development, equipping individuals with expertise in robotic fabrication and digital manufacturing, said Nahmad Vazquez.  

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

September saw how a groundbreaking international clinical trial led by U荔枝视频 researchers and partners across Europe had transformed life for Cody Krebs, who experienced a spinal cord injury in 2022. The trial focused on stabilizing blood pressure for spinal cord injury patients through an implantable neurostimulation system. 

The therapy 鈥� based on research conducted by PhD, as part of an international team, and highlighted in major studies in Nature and Nature Medicine 鈥� employs electrodes and a pulse generator in a targeted approach to regulate blood pressure. The novel treatment has shown consistent success across diverse clinical settings, offering patients increased energy and clarity. It is that outcome that gives patients hope. While much of the focus in spinal cord injury care has been on restoring movement, a majority of patients live with chronic hypotension, a condition that leaves them exhausted, cognitively dulled, prone to fainting, and predisposed to cardiovascular disease over the long term.

U荔枝视频 Killam Scholars inspire change through research

November gave cause for celebration, as 16 U荔枝视频 PhD students, whose research endeavours are advancing discoveries that span health, sustainability and human understanding, garnered each of them Killam recognition. 

From exploring how microbes influence attraction to creating wearable devices that monitor health in real time, and from refugee women鈥檚 lived experience to unlocking neuroplasticity with psychedelics, the projects of the 16 U荔枝视频 PhD students who were named 2025鈥檚 span continents and disciplines. 

鈥淪eeing our graduate students recognized for their academic excellence, and the transformative research they鈥檙e undertaking, is incredibly meaningful,鈥� said PhD, dean and vice-provost (graduate studies). 鈥淪cholarships such as the Killam provide essential funding to advance innovative research and, just as importantly, celebrate the dedication of scholars whose work strengthens our communities and exemplifies the 荔枝视频鈥檚 commitment to discovery and impact.鈥� Read the article

U荔枝视频 scientists go viral with study that shows all living things emit an eerie glow

In July, an unlikely group of U荔枝视频 scientists went viral when their study showed that all living things, including plants, emit an eerie glow that snuffs out the moment they die.

The study struck a chord with people, as it reminded them of the concept of auras, said PhD, and PhD, both with the in the , and two of the paper鈥檚 authors. There have long been indications that living things, including plants and animals, give off ultraweak photo emissions, they explained. But that glow remained elusive until the four-member scientific team brought quantum physics tools to bear. Using these tools, the team was able to detect the glow on living things, only to watch it disappear when they died.

The discovery has the potential to allow for the detection of everything from biological stress in forests to illness in humans.

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