Research & Ideas

People fishing along the shoreline

Hunger in the North

Too many people in Nunavut don’t get enough to eat. Anthropologist Tracey Galloway believes Inuit communities, not southern governments, have the solution

Collage of parts of the face of people from different races and a small, seated figure with a bent head coloured in black

Blurring the Blue Line

Student Rachel Bromberg and alum Asante Haughton are helping to create a response service for mental health crisis calls in Toronto that relies less on police

Illustration of a giant vial of insulin and a tiny figure standing on the cap looking down a hole in the centre, through which shines a light

The Miracle of Insulin

A century after U of T scientists discovered the life-saving extract, researchers are finding new ways to improve the lives of people with diabetes

Photo of front campus field and Convocation Hall with flower emoji illustrations floating above

Clearing the Air

U of T wants to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2050. It’s enlisting on-campus ingenuity for help

Abstract illustration showing a red-coloured body and face, with small black and white pieces flowing from inside body out of the mouth, and the U.S. Capitol Building dangling on puppet strings from one hand

The Extremism Machine

Online disinformation poses a danger to society. Researchers at U of T’s Citizen Lab are tracking it – and trying to figure out how to stop it

Back profile of a police person as they face blazing fire in the background

Eliminating Excessive Force

U of T Mississauga professor Judith Andersen’s training techniques improve police performance in tense situations. The challenge: getting police to use them

A collage containing an illustration of Sir John A. Macdonald with

Whose Stories Do We Tell?

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography aims to record noteworthy lives from “all points of view.” Six decades into its mission, what that means is still up for debate

Who Cares for the Caregivers?

There is a steep personal cost to caregiving, from chronic stress to physical injury. How can we help those who minister to family and friends?

Outdoor shot of Kipling Acres building and grounds

Strange Bedfellows

A growing number of city-dwellers live in condos – and now high schools, theatres and daycares are taking up residence there, too, creating benefits for everyone

Close up picture of a model of a human heart created with a 3-D printer

Pumped Up

These 3-D printers create perfect models of life-sized human hearts, spines and other body parts

A father with a suitcase holding an umbrella over himself and his son, both of them looking at a residential building

Home Truths

Toronto’s housing crunch affects many residents, but newcomers with few resources are especially vulnerable

Three children playing in a playground next to a building with a white picket fence with an entrance shaped like a hand

The Freedom to Learn

Toronto schools aim to provide a safe space for children, regardless of citizenship status. But there are flaws that need to be addressed

U of T Scarborough English professor Karina Vernon outside on a sunny day

A Lost Literature

Prof. Karina Vernon shares the untold stories of Black people on the Canadian Prairies

The Oxford English Dictionary in Robarts Library at the University of Toronto, June 19, 2019. Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn

The Great Canadian Word Hunt

Canadian meanings of “soaker” and “bush party” don’t exist in the Oxford English Dictionary. A U of T linguistics prof is aiming to change that

Stone pillars almost completely replaced by blockchains

In Machines We Trust

Blockchain has the potential to transform financial transactions. This could spell trouble for banks and other institutional go-betweens

Three petri dishes containing microplastic samples

Sea of Troubles

Prof. Chelsea Rochman explores how plastic is breaking down – and where it’s ending up

Robot with seven arms, each performing a different task

The Limits of AI

As artificial intelligence advances, humans need to pay closer attention to what it can and can’t do

Neighbourhood of streets and houses on an electronic circuit board

Preventing Disease through AI

Laura Rosella is using machine learning to suggest ways to reduce diabetes rates – and save millions in potential health-care costs

Rendering of what a TransPod might look like on Spadina Avenue in Toronto

Hyperloop Explained

A new transportation technology could zip you from Toronto to Montreal in 45 minutes. We took a peek under the hood