New work from the Alanna Watt lab identifying pathophysiological cellular changes that may contribute to ataxia of the Charlevoix-Saguenay region, or ARSACS. This work arises from a very fruitful collaboration between labs at º«¹úÂãÎè including the Brais lab (Neurology and Neurosurgery) and the McKinney lab (Pharmacology and Therapeutics).
New work from the Gregor Fussmann Lab in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: One of the basic tenets of ecological theory is that connectivity among small populations over a larger landscape (metapopulations) promote species persistence. In this experiment we investigate to what degree and under what conditions this theory holds true when parasites are added to the equation, using lab-based populations of guppies and their ectoparasite Gyrodactylus turnbulli.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/spider-web.jpg?itok=rEMCsjoZ)
Ecosystems are a complex web of interactions. These ecological networks are being reorganized by extinctions and colonization events caused by human impacts, such as climate change and habitat destruction. In a paper published this week in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers from º«¹úÂãÎè and University of British Columbia have developed a new theory to understand how complex ecological networks will reorganize in the future.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/sakata_finchtutoring_002_-_resized.jpg?itok=Qteh9ruP)
º«¹úÂãÎè Newsroom
The research has implications for understanding human developmental disorders such as autism
Adult songbirds modify their vocalizations when singing to juveniles in the same way that humans alter their speech when talking to babies. The resulting brain activity in young birds could shed light on speech learning and certain developmental disorders in humans, according to a study by º«¹úÂãÎè researchers.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/thinkstockphotos-503920843.jpg?itok=8JZ8u_rJ)
Guidance addresses key scientific, ethical, social, and policy challenges raised by new technologies and emerging areas of stem cell discovery and application
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/frontpicture.jpg?itok=u8YOI0yj)
By Cynthia Lee, º«¹úÂãÎè Newsroom
Life in the city changes cognition, behavior and physiology of birds to their advantage
Birds living in urban environments are smarter than birds from rural environments.
But, why do city birds have the edge over their country friends? They adapted to their urban environments enabling them to exploit new resources more favorably than their rural counterparts, say a team of all-º«¹úÂãÎè researchers.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/15863955109_cc88e4d9d4_o.jpg?itok=xMkjvNna)
By Melody Enguix
When scientists from º«¹úÂãÎè learned that some fish were proliferating in rivers and ponds polluted by oil extraction in Southern Trinidad, it caught their attention. They thought they had found a rare example of a species able to adapt to crude oil pollution.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/greenforest-2.jpg?itok=A4--iZkO)
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/habitat_moss_bc_gonzalez.jpg?itok=lPGI0CoV)
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/coenzymeq10.jpg?itok=MOO92c1J)
The popular dietary supplement ubiquinone, also known as Coenzyme Q10, is widely believed to function as an antioxidant, protecting cells against damage from free radicals. But a new study by scientists at º«¹úÂãÎè finds that ubiquinone is not a crucial antioxidant -- and that consuming it is unlikely to provide any benefit.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/cyanobacteria_photo_hand.jpg?itok=uB-dquDY)
The organisms commonly known as blue-green algae have proliferated much more rapidly than other algae in lakes across North America and Europe over the past two centuries – and in many cases the rate of increase has sharply accelerated since the mid-20th century, according to an international team of researchers led by scientists at º«¹úÂãÎè.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/chimps.png?itok=eBiFGoIw)
Learning from others and innovation have undoubtedly helped advance civilization. But these behaviours can carry costs as well as benefits. And a new study by an international team of evolutionary biologists sheds light on how one particular cost – increased exposure to parasites – may affect cultural evolution in non-human primates.
![](/channels/files/channels/styles/medium/public/channels/image/prixduquebec3.png?itok=hbkPPPqW)
Two renowned º«¹úÂãÎè researchers are among the 14 winners of the 2014 Prix du Québec. Professor Michael Meaney, acclaimed for his achievements in the biology of child development, will be awarded the Wilder-Penfield prize. Professor Paul Lasko, a celebrated developmental biologist, will receive the Armand-Frappier award. The Prix du Québec is considered the most prestigious award attributed by the Government of Québec in cultural and scientific fields.