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Drylands are experiencing increasingly levels of degradation and desertification, changes that could put already vulnerable populations at greater risk. A research team, including Natasha MacBean , conducted an examination of dryland productivity and its important role in global carbon and water cycling, to understand the impact of climate change and human activity on future dryland ecosystem functioning.

The Winchcombe meteorite, a rare carbonaceous meteorite which crashed onto a driveway in Gloucestershire in 2021, has been found to contain extra-terrestrial water and organic compounds that reveal insights into the origin of Earth's oceans. A new study, published today by Science Advances , led by experts from the Natural History Museum and the University of Glasgow reports the orbital history and first laboratory analyses of the Winchcombe meteorite, which was recovered only hours after its spectacular fireball lit up the skies over the U.K. in February 2021.

Findings from a new trial suggest that lowering dialysis temperatures does not lead to improved patient outcomes, despite previous studies suggesting otherwise. Published in the Lancet , the four-year trial of more than 15,000 patients was done in 84 of 97 hemodialysis centres in Ontario, and, in terms of the number of patients, it was the largest hemodialysis trial ever published worldwide.

Never before in the history of modern medicine has the world experienced a shutdown of elective surgical systems as was experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Western University researcher Janet Martin. An expert in global access to safe surgery, Martin and a team of experts from around the world have published a study in The Lancet that aims to help to improve resilience of hospitals against future surgical cancellations and backlogs worldwide.

Higher exposure to a certain type of traffic-related air pollution called particulate matter may be linked to an increased risk of dementia, according to a meta-analysis by Western researchers published this week in Neurology , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. While at Western, graduate student Dr. Ehasan Abolhasani specifically looked at fine particulate matter which consists of pollutant particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameter suspended in air.

A new long-term study led by neuroscientists at Western University shows short-term symptoms from COVID-19, like laboured breathing, fever, and dry cough, may just be the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The findings, published by Cell Reports Medicine , reveal short and possible long-term cognitive impairments among people who had COVID-19.

A large-scale study of 47 species of monkeys and lemurs has found that climate change and deforestation are driving these tree-dwelling animals to the ground, where they are at higher risk due to lack of preferred food and shelter and may experience more negative interaction with humans and domestic animals.

Western scientists have developed a new material that could eventually improve the way drugs are administered to patients, by allowing doctors to "see” exactly whether drugs are reaching the targets and working properly. Lijia Liu By combining a material already used to deliver medication to specific sites in the body with another that glows in the dark (optical probe), chemistry professor Lijia Liu and graduate student Ellie W.T Shiu have created a composite that can be used to track the path of a drug carrier through the human body.

Team of researchers working to close knowledge gaps in the understanding of potential dangers of cannabis use during pregnancy A team of researchers from Western University is working to improve our understanding of how exposure to cannabis during pregnancy may impact the developing brain of the fetus.

A new research group is paving Western's way into a domain with potentially life-changing implications for our access to brain scanning technology. In 2006, Western neuroscientist Adrian Owen found landmark evidence for the consciousness of a patient in a vegetative state when a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan revealed her brain activity after his team told her to imagine herself playing tennis.

Climate change has wreaked havoc with many species' life cycles and now a pair of Western students is shedding light on how it's affecting the survival of two high-profile insects.

Researchers at Western's Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) a nd collaborators from academia, government and industry are identifying and treating 'forever chemicals' in water systems, an ever-increasing environmental concern which affects more than 2.5 million Canadians.

A team of Western mycologists (fungi experts) spent the past two summers digging deep in Newfoundland dirt to investigate the might of mushrooms and found what lies beneath truly is 'the main character' in most terrestrial ecosystems. Fungi, which produce mushrooms, are critically important in most earthbound ecosystems as they provide life-sustaining mineral nutrients to plants while decomposing their remains, and recycling both organic and inorganic byproducts throughout the biome as they grow and reproduce.

A new study by kinesiology graduate students from Western has found passive exercise leads to increased cerebral blood flow and improved executive function, providing the same cognitive benefits as active exercise. Published in Psychophysiology , the study is the first to look at whether there would be benefits to brain health during passive exercise where a person's limbs are moved via an external force - in this case, cycle pedals pushed by a mechanically driven flywheel.

Content Warning: This article contains digital visualizations of Ancestral human remains. While this work is part of an ongoing partnership with representatives of the associated Indigenous communities, they may be distressing to those of communities that have experienced trauma from past and ongoing colonialism.

A Canadian record-breaking hailstone was recovered by Western University's Northern Hail Project (NHP) field team, following a storm earlier this week near Markerville, Alta. The record-breaker weighs 292.71 grams, eclipsing the previous title holder - a hailstone weighing 290 grams, collected nearly 50 years ago in Cedoux, Sask.

The risk of infection during pregnancy has always been a concern, but the high rate of illness during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the potential impact of infection on a developing brain. To better understand the long-term consequences, a new Western University study supported by Western's BrainsCAN, explored the effects of a pregnant person's immune response to a virus or bacteria on an unborn baby's brain development.

Even as gas prices soar, most people don't destroy their car's engine just to save energy - and that's one luxury certain insects have that those humans don't. New research from Western University has found potato beetles can break down and regrow muscles on demand, allowing them to preserve energy over the winter.

A new study co-authored by Western researchers found Ontario adults experienced poor sleep quality during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, published in Sleep Medicine in March 2022, is part of a larger longitudinal study focusing on chronic disease among Ontario adults during the pandemic.

This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 PolyCam images collected on Dec. 2, 2018, by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, (NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Wikimedia Commons) This summer, a group of student researchers and professors from Western University is taking part in a new project that will look at the future of asteroid mining in space.