kristina charania

6 min 0 1658

SFU professor awarded $150,000 for sea otter research

Kristina Charania May 6, 2013

Dr. Anne Salomon to explore the decline of coastal shellfish and rebound in kelp forests Photos by Mike Baird Along some shorelines and oceans bordering the Alaskan and British Columbian coasts, shellfish numbers are quickly dwindling as sea otters, once listed as endangered, continue to recover and consume them. Though these sea otters are a natural part of temperate coastal ecosystems, their population recovery and growth leaves few shellfish behind for the First Nations people that rely on these invertebrates as a source of food and livelihood. Marine ecologist Dr. Anne Salomon has recently been awarded a $150,000 Pew Fellowship…

Continue reading Read more
5 min 0 1231

Remembering Boston

Kristina Charania May 6, 2013

SFU professor was minutes from reaching the Boston Marathon finish line when the bombs went off Photos by Christopher Penn On an average day on Boylston Street in Boston, Massachusetts, the air hums with conversation, the rustling of shopping bags…

Continue reading Read more
4 min 0 1643

Oldest green lacewing fossils found in Okanagan

Kristina Charania March 31, 2013

Photos courtesy of PAMR After extensive time spent amongst the rocky deposits of Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, the Okanagan Highlands, and areas of Washington, SFU palaeontologist Dr. Bruce Archibald has unearthed the oldest assemblage of ancient green lacewing insects known…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1006

Researchers test new anti-influenza drug

Kristina Charania March 10, 2013

The compound may prove to be more effective than any other drug on the market SFU virologist Masahiro Niikura and PhD student Nicole Bance have collaborated with researchers from Australia, the United Kingdom, and local institutions to test the flu-con-trolling…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1062

Protection of shark species under scrutiny

EIC March 5, 2013

As global shark populations continue to decline and commercial fishing grows in popularity, Lindsay Davidson remains determined to improve shark fisheries management through analyzing fishery policies and taking conservation action. Late last year, the journal Science published Davidson’s letter urging…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1044

SFU researcher looks to cell processes to treat cancer

Kristina Charania January 27, 2013

Stopping cell “self-eating” may make cancer treatment more effective Photos by Yale Rosen Lab research conducted by SFU associate professor Sharon Gorski suggests that cancer therapies can become more effective through the inhibition of a Pac-Man-like mechanism in eukaryotic (non-bacterial)…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1420

Study reveals wasp dating game

Kristina Charania January 20, 2013

Male wasps tag females, create harems In a lengthy study conducted at SFU, an unusual wasp courting method has been unearthed. Particular parasitoid male wasps of the species Ooencyrtus kuvana — no longer in size than the thickness of a…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1040

It’s the drink that did it

Kristina Charania November 19, 2012

Caffeine can intoxicate you as much as alcohol or drugs Photos by Simon le Nippon As November fades into December, we will officially be entering the final stretch of our semester-long university derby. Sleep Deprivation is already sneaking up along…

Continue reading Read more
4 min 0 1167

Counter-point: Why GMO’s suck ass.

Kristina Charania November 13, 2012

GM crops do more harm to ecological systems than we can even comprehend Photos by Andy Rogers To see point, click here! It’s likely you have heard this out of every larynx that has come within five feet of you:…

Continue reading Read more
4 min 0 1192

Get cracking with cancer fighting eggs

Kristina Charania November 5, 2012

Genetically modified chicken eggs may cure some cancers in the near future Photos by Kjetil Ree In every child’s life, there is at least one awful creature at the petting zoo that gives you absolute hell. So, fine — you…

Continue reading Read more