Insight

Big issues like climate change and social justice can feel overwhelming to tackle. The first step? Understanding. UBC experts help navigate the issues with ideas on how to shape a better world.

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How genomics is changing health care

Published: July 23, 2021

A doctor and a senior patient look at the patient's personalized genomic sequencing results on a tablet in a doctors office

Latest stories in Insight

Speculative rendering of False Creek in 2050, illustrating the incorporation of nature-based solutions through the restoration of wetlands and coastal ecosystems. It shows a higher sea level that is mitigated by the planting and caretaking of coastal wetlands.

It’s time to accept, not resist, rising sea levels

UBC landscape architecture professor Kees Lokman explains how nature-based solutions could help coastal communities adapt

Kids too young for a COVID-19 vaccine? How to keep them safe

UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Dr. Ran Goldman offers tips for parents to protect children who are not yet immunized against COVID-19 in Canada

A young child with autism plays with colourful building blocks

Exploring the genetics of autism

UBC researcher explains how a new initiative could alter the future of autism diagnosis and treatment

Photo illustration of an aerial view of cars that are powered by green hydrogen on a highway.

Why green hydrogen — but not grey — could help solve climate change

Green hydrogen could allow us to drive for 1,000 kilometres on a single tank of fuel without any emissions

A detail of the Renaissance oil painting "The Bacchanal of the Andrians" by Titian that shows several people consuming alcohol

The taste for intoxicants

UBC’s Dr. Edward Slingerland explores the mystery of alcohol’s age-old allure

A 1948 photo of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League members performing calisthenics

Revealing the long but hidden history of queer women in sport

A UBC sociologist explains why we need more stories to open up the conversation around queer women in sport

A collage showing a scientific illustration of DNA, the results of genome sequencing and a person working in a genomics lab

In a nutshell: What is genomics?

UBC Faculty of Medicine associate professors explain the study of genes

Photo illustration of fire coming out of a wine glass to illustrate smoky tasting wine

Up in smoke: How wildfires are tainting grapes and threatening the wine industry

A chemistry professor at UBC Okanagan explains why wildfire smoke poses a massive threat to BC’s wine industry

An illustration showing birds and windows that they could potentially fly into

In a nutshell: Why do birds fly into windows?

A staggering 16 to 42 million birds die each year in Canada as a result of building window collisions. UBC architect Penny Martyn explains why

An illustration of a white elephant crushing a house with people under it, while a Canadian flag sits broken on the ground. This symbolizes how white supremacy and racism is damaging people.

The white elephant in the room: anti-Asian racism in Canada

UBC’s Dr. Henry Yu explains how blindness to white supremacy perpetuates anti-Asian racism in Canada

Red dresses are seen hanging on trees to commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls outside the City Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on May 5, 2021. May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada, also known as Red Dress Day.

Two years after the MMIWG report, targeted work must move urgently ahead

Urgent and purposeful attention is needed to respond to the appalling reality of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)

A trail between large trees in Pacific Spirt Park, an urban forest in Vancouver

How cities can avoid “green gentrification” and make urban forests accessible

UBC’s Dr. Lorien Nesbitt explains how urban trees and parks are unfairly distributed, and the nature experience is not equal for everyone

A bottle of prescription pills to treat a chronic disease.

3 lessons the COVID-19 pandemic can teach us about preventing chronic diseases

Learnings from COVID-19 can improve the prevention of heart disease, diabetes and mood disorders in our communities

A river and mountain in Banff National Park, Canada, a place protected by conservation measures

How to meet the ambitious target of conserving 30 per cent of Earth by 2030

Canada’s new conservation goal, 30 by 30, requires innovative action to protect natural areas

A man holds a #StopAsianHate sign at a large rally

As Asian Canadian scholars, we must #StopAsianHate by fighting all forms of racism

Exploring the structural roots of anti-Asian racism in Canada and the road ahead

Why some straight men have sex with other men

UBC’s Dr. Tony Silva explains why sexual identities don’t always match with sexual behaviours

Illustration showing how pollination works with insects, and how it leads to fruit and vegetables

In a nutshell: How fruits and vegetables have sex

What exactly is pollination? UBC’s Dr. Claire Kremen breaks it down

An illustration showing how insect biodiversity affects the foods we eat

With biodiversity under siege, even blueberries and chocolate could be at risk

When pollinators like native bees are threatened, so is the abundance and diversity of foods we eat

A medical professional gives a COVID-19 vaccination to a senior

In a nutshell: Protection provided by COVID-19 vaccination

UBC vaccine expert Anna Blakney addresses the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and choosing among them

An illustration showing life after the COVID-19 vaccine, including children visiting with grandparents and a plane leaving for a vacation destination

In a nutshell: Life after COVID-19 vaccination

Vaccine researcher Anna Blakney answers questions about travel and transmission after vaccination

Illustration showing population groups that are not yet approved for the COVID-19 vaccine, including children and pregnant women

In a nutshell: COVID-19 vaccinations, pregnancy and kids

A UBC vaccine expert explains why there’s no vaccine for these groups yet

A medical professional gives a COVID-19 vaccine to an adult

In a nutshell: How vaccines work

UBC vaccine expert Anna Blakney explains how vaccines work and what to consider when deciding whether to get vaccinated

Women feel better when they work with other women

Equitable and gender-friendly work environments reduce unpleasant feelings for women

Illustration of a group of people putting together a puzzle, representing the need for the community to piece together the gaps in Black History in BC.

To understand B.C.’s Black history, connect past and present

Here’s how B.C.’s Black community is unique in Canada

A photo illustration of the mental health toll that the pandemic is taking on individuals

Weighing the pandemic’s psychological toll

Worldwide survey seeks input on everyone’s mental health

COVID-19 vaccinations: what you need to know about the second dose

UBC’s Dr. Manish Sadarangani explains why some people are harder to vaccinate

An illustration showing COVID-19 mutations and variants

Why new COVID-19 variants are on the rise and spreading around the world

Viruses often change, and some mutations are more alarming than others

Young adults, unfairly blamed for COVID-19 spread, now face stress and uncertain futures

Stigma leads to social, health and economic distress

"The Daddies", an acrylic painting by Cree artist Kent Monkman, gives an Indigenous view of Canada's Confederation

How art can help with Indigenous reconciliation

Artist Kent Monkman, now showing at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology, is changing the way people see Canadian history

Making the most of neglected urban spaces

You might be surprised at how people could transform pockets of city land

Environmental human rights illustration showing a young girl among leaves

Why all human rights depend on a healthy environment

Environmental degradation threatens our human rights, including the rights to life, health and food

Illustration of activities that affect your carbon footprint, like flying or recycling

Top ways to reduce your carbon footprint: They’re not what you might think

Well-meaning individuals often make poor choices when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint

Youth climate movements connected through social networks

What lies ahead for Fridays for Future and the youth climate movement

The pandemic interrupted climate justice protests, but the youth climate movement is adapting

Illustration showing how trade practices can lead to acute medical supply shortages during COVID-19

Why trade restrictions must be eliminated during COVID-19’s second wave

These restrictions could ultimately undermine the fight against COVID-19

3 things you might not know about Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day on September 30 raises awareness about residential schools in Canada and was inspired by this heart-wrenching story

Poet Claudia Rankine talks about race, Blackness and art at UBC

Claudia Rankine explores race and racism in the arts

Poet Claudia Rankine discusses the role of art in society

UBC astrophysicist Gary Hinshaw is exploring the universe with a new telescope, CHIME

Why questioning the universe matters to life on Earth

Attempts to answer the eternal questions have led to economically beneficial spin-offs, such as Wi-Fi

A boy and his mother work to preserve the first language of the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nation of Vancouver Island with the use of an ultrasound device

Pronunciation tool helps to save endangered languages

Ultrasound imaging helps learners visualize how their tongues should move to produce the right sound

Saving the humble honeybee

UBC researchers are looking at ways to improve bee health

Priye Iworima, a diabetes researcher at UBC

Toward a cure for diabetes

Focusing on stem cells could lead to a diabetes therapy that doesn’t rely on insulin injections

Haakon Nygaard from Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at UBC

Focusing on Alzheimer’s disease prevention

Delaying the emergency of memory impairments by only a few years could have a major impact