But you could give the virus to animals. U of A expert offers tips to help protect pets and livestock from possible infection
Worried about catching COVID-19 from your cat or dog? You shouldn’t be, says a University of Alberta expert. While COVID-19 is believed to have originated from some type of animal, the risk of catching the disease is greater from another human than from a pet, said Simon Otto, a veterinary epidemiologist and assistant professor with the…
We must be prepared to stand our ground and face whatever economic and political consequences that may follow
Diplomacy is a dirty business. When two countries are trying to build or repair a relationship, they often resort to tactics that are illegal, immoral, mendacious or just generally offensive to our sense of what’s right and wrong. Just ask the two Michaels. Diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been in prisons in…
Regardless of how COVID-19 plays out, post-secondary institutions won’t go back to full-frontal classroom instruction
We still don’t know much about how the pandemic will affect our lives through the rest of 2020 and into 2021. But some things, like the impact on post-secondary education, are certain. As new and continuing post-secondary students are already aware, their education in the 2020-21 academic year will be delivered mainly, if not entirely,…
Investing is a process and not a speed dating event. If you develop relationships with investors, you’ve got a much better shot of closing the deal
Getting a “no” from any prospective investor can be hard to take. At first glance, it’s insulting. You’ve poured heart and soul into an idea and after 10 minutes of pitching, the investor doesn’t want to hear more. For the entrepreneur who wears the success or failure of his company as a reflection of their…
U of A to serve as ‘living lab’ to find out if viruses can travel in buildings – and how to improve filtration to prevent it
“We can tell that something’s up on these cruise ships during the pandemic, and questions are also arising about the safety of airplanes and buildings,” said Brian Fleck, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Alberta and a co-applicant on a study aimed at determining whether and how viruses use a building’s ventilation system…
What has two legs, an apparent disregard for nature and the environment and frequently drives a car? A litterbug. Every year in Canada, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of garbage are strewn along our roadways, much of it from passing motorists. But they’re not the only culprits, for many other sources emerge as we look…
Headlines warn that Canadian family courts will be overwhelmed with couples seeking post-COVID-19 divorces. But Canadian marriages won’t just survive the COVID-19 crisis. They’ll thrive. Here’s why: Most couples will lean into their relationships, not pull back. The lockdown has caused significant stress on families around finances, educating children and caring for family members while…
Will producers be tempted by a rise in crude oil prices to disregard quotas and voluntary production cuts?
Oil markets have taken some respite. But is this rally sustainable? Prices were surging until reports that Russia might back off on oil production cuts spooked the market. But even with that uncertainty, we’ve seen a complete turnaround in the markets. Just a month ago, crude oil markets faced a bloodbath. Since then, demand has…
U of A PhD candidate studies and participates in grassroots movement to hack diabetes equipment
People with Type 1 diabetes – including University of Alberta graduate student Jonathan Garfinkel – are using free instructions from the Internet to build an artificial pancreas. The patient-led movement is pushing pharmaceutical companies to improve the treatments they offer, according to U of A diabetes expert Peter Light. “Diabetics have developed, programmed and are now living…
Our children and their children will be paying for the bad decisions made by our senior medical science and political leaders for decades to come
As this wave of the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, we should ask honest questions about our response to it. Although an accurate assessment of the lockdowns – closing schools and businesses – is months away, we need a plan to respond to a likely second fall wave. The Economist published an essay detailing how closing…
Worried about catching COVID-19 from your cat or dog? You shouldn’t be, says a University of Alberta expert. While COVID-19 is believed to have originated from some type of animal, the risk of catching the disease is greater from another human than from a pet, said Simon Otto, a veterinary epidemiologist and assistant professor with the…
