COOLER THAN COOL
SCIENCE
NEWS
University of Alberta physicists have developed a Bose-Einstein condensate, a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero, three years in the making. Once understood, the implications have many practical scientific applications, including some related to quantum computers
Lindsay LeBlanc leads the coolest lab on campus.
Grizzly nature or mother nurture?
Behavioural history repeats itself in grizzly bears. 10
SPRING/SUMMER 2017
Lindsay LeBlanc (physics), lead investigator and Canada Research Chair in ultra-cold gases for quantum simulation, explains that creating a Bose-Einstein condensate is a huge technical accomplishment. “This is a unique and difficult-to-create state of matter in which macroscopic quantum phenomena are visible,” she explains. “This means we can study and experiment with phenomena usually only seen at the atomic level.
Conflicts between grizzlies and humans begin when cubs learn bad behaviour from their mothers, explains postdoctoral fellow Andrea Morehouse (biological sciences). A recent study, conducted by Mark Boyce (biological sciences) Alberta Conservation Association Chair in Fisheries and Wildlife, shows that the offspring of grizzly bear mothers with a history of human-bear conflicts are more likely to be involved in human-bear conflicts than offspring of mothers without that history. “Bear biologists have long suspected that cubs learn behaviours from their mothers. Our research explicitly evaluates that hypothesis and provides evidence of social learning,” explains Morehouse. Working with the United States Survey in Montana, the researchers studied grizzly bears in Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. The grizzly bear family trees and a long-term dataset were combined with on-the-ground fieldwork, providing strong evidence that social learning—not DNA—is the culprit. “Proactive measures for preventing grizzly bear conflicts are critical. If we can stop female grizzlies from becoming problem bears in the first place, we can prevent the social learning of problem behaviour in cubs and help stop the cycle at its source.”