In humans, the dopamine system has been tied to rewards and pleasurable sensations. As well as to memory and learning. A recent study from 鶹AV, published in , suggests that dopamine may also play a key role in shaping what songs female songbirds enjoy, which may ultimately affect mating as females choose (and then remember) their mates based on the songs they prefer.
鶹AV scientists have developed a new system for sharing the enormous amount of data being generated by the CHIME radio telescope in its search for fast radio bursts (FRBs), the puzzling extragalactic phenomenon that is one of the hottest topics in modern-day astronomy.
The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment fast radio burst (CHIME/FRB) team, which discovered more than 500 new fast radio bursts in the first year of the detector’s operations, will receive the 2022 .
Surprising as it sounds, all life forms in the ocean, from small krill to large tuna, seem to obey a simple mathematical law that links an organism’s abundance to its body size. For example, although small krill are individually only about one millionth of the weight of a large tuna, they also tend to be a million times more numerous throughout the oceans. The idea, known as the Sheldon size spectrum theory, was first advanced in the 1970s, but has never been tested for a wide range of marine species and on a global scale until now.
Short growing seasons limited the possible size of hunter-gatherer societies by forcing people to rely on meat, according to a recent study by a team of international researchers, including 鶹AV professor Eric Galbraith.
Improving representation is one of the key goals behind 鶹AV’s current drive to recruit a greater number of Black faculty members. The Faculty of Science is proud to be a part of this effort, with applications now open for tenure-track positions in the and the .
A team of computer scientists, including Claude Crépeau of 鶹AV and physicist colleagues from the University of Geneva, have developed an extremely secure identity verification method based on the fundamental principle that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light. The breakthrough has the potential to greatly improve the security of financial transactions and other applications requiring proof of identity online.
Satellite images reveal where forest-dependent people live inside the forests of the South American Gran Chaco, and how deforestation for cattle ranching leads to an erosion of their resource base. (Background photo: Google EarthTM / Inset photo: I. Gasparri).
unEarth is one of the finalists' and their platform and supplemental educator's manual are designed to reach out and teach youth about sustainability through environmental systems thinking.
Considering outreach for Fall 2021?
Read about how 鶹AV students share their passion for science!
By Jacky Farrell, Science Outreach Program Advisor
The mussels’ beards (which cooks remove before preparing them) are made up of byssal threads and are used to help keep the mussels tethered in place. At the end of each thread is a disc-shaped plaque that acts as an underwater glue. The unusual qualities of the glue and the byssal threads have interested people since ancient times, when the threads of certain species were woven into luxurious berets, purses, gloves, and stockings. More recently, scientists have developed underwater adhesives and surgical glues inspired by byssal thread chemistry.
Part 2: Considerations for Online Course Delivery
By Hilary Sweatman, Jacqueline Kort Mascort, Véronique Brulé, Jennie Ferris
Part 1: Engaging Students Online
By Jacqueline Kort Mascort, Hilary Sweatman, Véronique Brulé, Jennie Ferris
Marina Nysten and Joyce Wu are the co-founders of the , a student-run organization dedicated to promoting effective science communication at 鶹AV and beyond. The Office of Science Education recently collaborated with MSWI, which concluded its first year in service to the student body. Here, Marina and Joyce reflect on MSWI’s inaugural year and future plans as recent 鶹AV alumni.
Stress increases people’s tendency to avoid cognitively demanding tasks, without necessarily altering their ability to perform those tasks, according to new research from 鶹AV.
“Generally speaking, people are demand-averse,” says Ross Otto, an assistant professor of psychology at 鶹AV and the senior author of a recent paper in Psychological Science. “[Our study showed] stress increases that aversion.”