2016 Fall Contours

Revered for their beauty and distinctively fan-shaped leaves, gingko trees are often considered a symbol of longevity. A so-called living fossil, the gingko tree has gone relatively unchanged in more than 200 million years. Though it is not naturally grown on the prairies, the University of Alberta’s North Campus is home to one gingko tree, planted in honour of former U of A chancellor Sandy Mactaggart (’90 LLD), in front of Athabasca Hall, home to the Department of Computing Science.

Suzanne Tank (biological sciences) used a unique long-term data set to reveal an influx of carbon in the northern river system over a 40-year period. This indicates that the changing climate is muddying the waters of the Mackenzie River basin. “Not only can this tell us about what’s happening on land, it’s also really important in understanding what’s going on in the ocean,” says Tank. Read more about Tank’s research at uab.ca/scinews.

University of Alberta geneticists have made a surprising discovery about circadian rhythm, proving it does a lot more than keep time. While well established that our internal clock regulates our eating and sleeping schedules, the new study—led by post-doctoral fellow Francesa Di Cara and Kirst King-Jones (biological sciences)—demonstrates that circadian rhythms are also essential for the normal development of an organism. Read more about this research at uab.ca/scinews.