More algal blooms likely in Lake Erie as deep-water oxygen levels continue to drop

Media release from July 25, 2023 York University researchers take novel approach to look at history of deep-water oxygen in Lake Erie through insect larvae in lake sediment over last 150 years. Researchers at York University went searching for the fossilized remains of small insect larvae called chironomids, found in sediment in Lake Erie, to […]

Professor Sapna Sharma appointed as York Research Chair in Global Change Biology

Congratulations to Biology Professor Sapna Sharma on being named among the 15 newest York Research Chairs (YRC), an internal program that mirrors the national Canada Research Chairs program which recognizes world-leading researchers in a variety of fields. “The York Research Chair program is an important complement to the Canada Research Chair program to advance our […]

Graduate student Kathleen Dogantzis receives Governor General Gold Medal

PhD student Kathleen Dogantzis is among three York University graduates receiving this year’s Governor General Gold Medals, which recognize the outstanding scholastic achievements of graduate students in Canada. Dogantzis earned a PhD in biology, following the completion of a master of science at York University. Both degrees were done under the supervision of Professor Amro […]

Scientists discover air quality monitoring stations are collecting urgently needed biodiversity

Media release from June 5, 2023 An international team of researchers has discovered that thousands of ambient air quality monitoring stations around the world are unwittingly recording more than just atmospheric pollutants and dust: they are also likely collecting biodiversity data in the form of environmental DNA (eDNA). Until now it was thought that the […]

Urbanization leads to more pathogens and inbreeding of wild bees

Media release from May 16, 2023 Wild bees living in cities like Toronto are facing increased environmental stressors compared to those in rural and even suburban areas, such as more pathogens and parasites, found researchers at York University. They also found changes in the microbiomes of wild bees living in densely urban areas and fragmented […]

Video platforms like Zoom can disrupt normal visual communication cues

Media Release from March 30, 2023 Visual cues people normally pick up when communicating in-person can become misleading and false over video platforms like Zoom and Skype, making communication not only more difficult, but also exhausting, says new research out of York University. Vision Professor Nikolaus Troje of York’s Faculty of Science points out that […]

York research delegation to lead water security panel at UN Water Conference

A York delegation will head to New York City March 21 to bring their research expertise to the UN 2023 Water Conference. The delegates will lead a panel discussion on water security and climate change; the panel is one of a select group of side events included in the program. “Very few side events led by a […]

Professor Elizabeth Clare’s eDNA research a winner of Gizmodo Science Fair

Biology Professor Elizabeth Clare's research on airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) is one of the winners of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair. Her work has shown that eDNA collected from air can be used to detect a wide range of animal species and offers a novel, non-invasive approach to monitoring biodiversity. In a study conducted in […]

Professor Laurence Packer spotlights bees of the world

One of the world’s most renowned bee experts, Distinguished Research Professor Laurence Packer, has released a comprehensive guide to the world’s bees. Bees of the World, published by Princeton University Press, is a 240-page celebration of the diverse types of bees living across the globe. The book features more than 100 genera of bees, accompanied […]

That sinking feeling: Are ice roads holding up under January’s unseasonable warmth?

Media release from January 12, 2023 Vital winter ice road infrastructure may be cracking and sinking under the load of an unseasonably warm start to the new year across Europe and North America, a trend York University Associate Professor Sapna Sharma and team has detailed in a recent study. The research warns that ice roads, […]