UCalgary's most-read research news of 2025

These discoveries not only showcase the breadth of discovery at UCalgary, they lead the list of the 10 most-read UCalgary News articles about research in 2025, tracked by Google Analytics metrics. Here’s what topped the analytics chart during the last 12 months.

Early humans adapted to harsh conditions more than a million years ago

New research answered a long-standing question about when archaic members of the genus Homo erectus successfully adapted to harsh environments such as deserts and rainforests. The findings suggest that Homo erectus adapted at least 1.2 million years ago, long before our species, Homo sapiens, emerged.

The research challenges long-held beliefs that only Homo sapiens could thrive in extreme climates. “We reveal how early humans — known as hominins — were able to thrive under harsh conditions,” said lead author Dr. Julio Mercader, PhD, a professor in the faculties of Arts and Science. 

Co-author Dr. Jed Kaplan, PhD, a Canada Research Chair in global systems modelling in the Faculty of Science, said he was able to reconstruct past landscapes to simulate the East African region at the time. “These prominent ancestors were not just able to survive in every kind of environment from rainforest to desert, but also build boats and get across ocean straits and get to different islands.”

The research brought together a broad range of experts, from archaeologists and biogeochemists to paleoclimate specialists from UCalgary, UManitoba, and 17 other institutions around the world. Read the article

‘What is that?’ Scientists explain white patch that appears near northern lights

A whitish, grey patch that sometimes appears in the night sky alongside the northern lights was explained for the first time by UCalgary researchers.

Dr. Emma Spanswick, PhD, associate professor in the Faculty of Science, said the white patch has been referenced in scientific papers before but never fully explained. The discovery was made possible because advancement in camera technology allows amateur photographers and scientists to see true colour images of the night sky.

“You’d see this dynamic green aurora, you’d see some of the red aurora in the background and, all of a sudden, you’d see this structured — almost like a patch —  grey-toned or white toned-emission connected to the aurora,” said Spanswick. “So, the first response of any scientist is, ‘Well, what is that?’”

Spanswick’s team concludes the light, formally named a "structured continuum emission,” may be a result of heating in the atmosphere triggered by the auroras. The finding suggests the aurora borealis are more complex than previously thought. Read the article

Scientists want your toenail clippings for a study related to lung cancer

In October, the call went out from UCalgary to recruit up to 10,000 Canadians to participate in an innovative new lung cancer study. At the heart of the initiative are toenail clippings. 

“We’ve learned that our toenails hold long-term information about our exposure to radioactive toxicants in our environment such as radon gas,” explains Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine and principal investigator. “They are one of our body’s archives of past exposure.”

Goodarzi leads an interdisciplinary team looking at environmental causes of lung cancer, like radon. The naturally occurring, odorless, colourless but radioactive gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco-smoking. 

“We believe we’ve discovered a reliable, quantitative way to measure long-term radon exposure at an individual level,” said Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, a physics professor in the Faculty of Science, and co-principal investigator.

The toenails are being analyzed in a specially designed lab within the Environmental Cancer Research Hub at the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute. Read the article

Paleontologists identify closest known ancestor of tyrannosaurs

Paleontologists identified a new species of dinosaur, named Khankhuuluu, which is the closest-known ancestor to the gigantic tyrannosaurs.

The finding by an international team of researchers was led by Jared Voris and Dr. Darla Zelenitsky, PhD, in the Faculty of Science. 

“We identified a new species of tyrannosauroid, an ancestor to apex predatory tyrannosaurs,” said Voris, first author of the research paper. “Basically, right before they got to be these apex predators, tyrannosaurs were these medium-sized, fleet-footed predators that lived in the shadows of other apex predators.”

Something happened to the other non-tyrannosaur apex predators that led to their extinction. It left an opening for Khankhuuluu to evolve, and later became the behemoths famously depicted in films such as Jurassic Park.

“We’ve never really had a good representation of that transition,” explains Voris. “This new species actually provides us that window into the ascent stage of tyrannosaurs; right when they’re transitioning to the apex predator form.” Read the article

Researching the acoustics of clinical care

Dr. Martina Ann Kelly, PhD, a family physician and professor in the Cumming School of Medicine, is exploring the often-overlooked sounds that shape the daily experiences of family physicians and their patients, from the buzz of clinic equipment to the sighs and silences.

“We’re trained to listen inside the body — a lot of my time is spent listening to hearts and lungs — but I started to become aware of the sounds outside the room and how I can consciously and unconsciously filter them,” said Kelly. 

“It made me a little bit more aware of what my patients might be hearing and what might be distressing to them.”

Kelly’s goal: deepen our understanding of how auditory cues influence clinical decision-making and collaborative care. 

Intertwining medicine and the social sciences, she will advance the research working alongside Dr. Ariel Ducey, PhD, in the Faculty of Arts, and Dr. Pratim Sengupta, PhD, in the Werklund School of Education. Read the article

2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry buoyed by leading UCalgary research and commercialization

In October, when the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was announced, the Nobel Committee gave a shout out to a group of UCalgary scientists who have mobilized, to an industrial scale, the very knowledge behind this year’s prestigious award.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Drs. Susumu Kitagawa, Omar Yaghi, and Richard Robson for their research in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), materials that can act like tiny sponges and be customized to selectively attract different molecules, allowing for versatility in everything from drug delivery and energy storage, all the way to environmental remediation. 

When UCalgary Professor George Shimizu, PhD, and his team developed Calgary Framework 20, better known as the CALF-20 compound, back in 2014, they proved that MOFs could be made stable enough to be scaled up to industrial applications. For CALF-20, that application is carbon capture and as a tool to help address climate change, an endeavour recognized by the Nobel Committee as a benchmark for industrial-scale applications. The local research has also spurred entrepreneurial ventures, such as TurnCO2, which aims to revolutionize CO2 reuse in the brewing industry. Read the article

UCalgary researchers explore benefits of using robotic technology in urban planning

In January, the beginning of the new year was marked by the arrival of a 450-kilogram robot ushering in what will hopefully be a new era in the design and construction of accessible urban environments.

The University of Calgary's Robocraft initiative, part of an ongoing partnership with the City of Calgary, promised to revolutionize urban design by employing the robotic arm that now lives in the Wave Technology Centre. The arrival of the cutting-edge tool has enabled researchers to explore advanced manufacturing techniques, like robotic 3D printing, when enhancing urban spaces' accessibility and sustainability. 

Led by Dr. Alicia Nahmad Vazquez, PhD, the project has the potential to empower future communities by allowing them to design and 3D-print public space objects, from wheelchair ramps to paving stones, helping them to customize their environment to better meet their needs. The approach also enhances community participation and opens doors for workforce development, equipping individuals with expertise in robotic fabrication and digital manufacturing, said Nahmad Vazquez. Read the article 

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

September saw how a groundbreaking international clinical trial led by UCalgary researchers and partners across Europe had transformed life for Cody Krebs, who experienced a spinal cord injury in 2022. The trial focused on stabilizing blood pressure for spinal cord injury patients through an implantable neurostimulation system. 

The therapy – based on research conducted by Dr. Aaron Phillips, PhD, as part of an international team, and highlighted in major studies in Nature and Nature Medicine – employs electrodes and a pulse generator in a targeted approach to regulate blood pressure. The novel treatment has shown consistent success across diverse clinical settings, offering patients increased energy and clarity. It is that outcome that gives patients hope. While much of the focus in spinal cord injury care has been on restoring movement, a majority of patients live with chronic hypotension, a condition that leaves them exhausted, cognitively dulled, prone to fainting, and predisposed to cardiovascular disease over the long term. Read the article

UCalgary Killam Scholars inspire change through research

November gave cause for celebration, as 16 UCalgary PhD students, whose research endeavours are advancing discoveries that span health, sustainability and human understanding, garnered each of them Killam recognition. 

From exploring how microbes influence attraction to creating wearable devices that monitor health in real time, and from refugee women’s lived experience to unlocking neuroplasticity with psychedelics, the projects of the 16 UCalgary PhD students who were named 2025’s Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholars span continents and disciplines. 

“Seeing our graduate students recognized for their academic excellence, and the transformative research they’re undertaking, is incredibly meaningful,” said Dr. Tara Beattie, PhD, dean and vice-provost (graduate studies). “Scholarships such as the Killam provide essential funding to advance innovative research and, just as importantly, celebrate the dedication of scholars whose work strengthens our communities and exemplifies the University of Calgary’s commitment to discovery and impact.” Read the article

UCalgary scientists go viral with study that shows all living things emit an eerie glow

In July, an unlikely group of UCalgary scientists went viral when their study showed that all living things, including plants, emit an eerie glow that snuffs out the moment they die.

The study struck a chord with people, as it reminded them of the concept of auras, said Dr. Christoph Simon, PhD, and Dr. Daniel Oblak, PhD, both with the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science, and two of the paper’s authors. There have long been indications that living things, including plants and animals, give off ultraweak photo emissions, they explained. But that glow remained elusive until the four-member scientific team brought quantum physics tools to bear. Using these tools, the team was able to detect the glow on living things, only to watch it disappear when they died.

The discovery has the potential to allow for the detection of everything from biological stress in forests to illness in humans. Read the article

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For all the research highlights of 2025 in under two minutes, watch this video and this video.