Media Releases Archives: 2021

Bats may hold the key to vaccines for future pandemics

February 10, 2021

Western researchers are joining forces with Royal Ontario Museum bat biologists to create a ‘vaccine bank’ that could be used…

Project mines new frontiers in outer-space law

February 4, 2021

Science is outpacing policies for responsible resource extraction in space.

Most instructions for inserting COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swabs don’t go deep enough, research finds

February 3, 2021

There are wide discrepancies in the instructions for how deep the nasopharyngeal swabs used to test for COVID-19 are to…

New process can extend lifetime of metals

February 2, 2021

Western materials engineer Hamid Abdolvand and his team discovered important factors into the deformation of metals used in automobiles and nuclear reactors, and developed new models to predict the lifetimes of these materials.

Expert Explainer: Art Poon, PhD, on coronavirus ‘variants of concern’

February 2, 2021

As new coronavirus variants emerge, scientists are keeping a close eye on how the virus continues to evolve. Recent studies…

Amazing spider mite silk key to new nanomaterial ‘stronger than steel’

January 26, 2021

The gorse spider mite has provided a Western research team with the genomic framework for new bio-nanomaterials based on its silk.

‘Brain training’ may help treat PTSD, clinical trial finds

January 26, 2021

Neurofeedback, also called ‘brain training,’ consists of exercises where individuals regulate their own brain activity. In a new study from Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute, researchers have found that neurofeedback may be an effective treatment for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Expert and former Olympian available to comment on possible cancellation of Tokyo Olympic Games

January 22, 2021

Reports indicate that the Tokyo Olympic Games are set to be cancelled though no official decision has been announced. The…

More evidence needed to inform policy on sending kids back to school

January 22, 2021

Are kids in schools driving community transmission of COVID-19, or is it the other way around? This uncertainty could be…

Law project examines pandemic’s impact on family justice

January 19, 2021

New study will look at the reduction in access and how it is affecting those involved with Ontario’s family justice system.