Take a look around your home and you’ll find yourself surrounded by familiar comforts—photos of family and friends on the wall, well-worn sneakers by the door, a shelf adorned with travel mementos. Objects like these are etched into our memory, shaping who we are and helping us navigate environments and daily life with ease. But how do these memories form? And what if we could stop them from slipping away under a devastating condition like Alzheimer’s disease?

Scientists at UBC’s faculty of medicine have just uncovered a crucial piece of the puzzle. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers have discovered a new type of brain cell that plays a central role in our ability to remember and recognize objects.

Called “ovoid cells,” these highly-specialized neur...

Combustion engines, the engines in gas-powered cars, only use a quarter of the fuel’s potential energy while the rest is lost as heat through exhaust.

Now, a study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces demonstrates how to convert exhaust heat into electricity...

For the first time, astronomers have imaged dozens of belts around nearby stars where comets and tiny pebbles within them are orbiting.

This result reveals regions around 74 stars spanning a wide range of ages—from those recently formed to others billions of years old—showing how comets play a role in the formation of stars and planetary systems...

Potassium supplements in salt were associated with reduced rates of recurrent stroke and mortality in a large-scale cluster randomized clinical trial involving patients in rural northern China. Findings come from a subgroup (stroke patients) analysis within the original Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS), an international study conducted in China.

Stroke ranks among the top causes of death and disability in low- and middle-income countries, and recurrent events remain a major concern. High sodium intake and low potassium intake are considered key risk factors, especially in northern China. In China, stroke recurrence rates are higher than global averages, reaching 17% at one year and 41% over five years.

The SSaSS trial involved 600 villages and 20...