Some time more than 30 years ago, a single Chinese peach blossom jellyfish made its way into a lake in British Columbia. Exactly how it arrived is not clear, researchers say — perhaps it was in aquarium water — but decades later, thousands of genetic clones of the same organism have been spotted in 34 waterways around the province. … Read more
EDINBURGH: A tiny seed is stuck between loose gravel and coarse sand. There is nothing else alive around it. All it can see is a wall of ice reaching 20 metres up into the sky. It is cold. Survival is hard around here. In winter, it is dark even during the day. In summer, the … Read more
On Sunday, the Earth sizzled to the hottest day ever measured by humans, yet another heat record shattered in the past couple of years, according to the European climate service Copernicus on Tuesday. Preliminary data from Copernicus shows that the global average temperature Sunday was 17.09 C, beating the record set just last year on … Read more
Monday was recorded as the hottest day ever globally — beating a record set the day before — as countries around the world, from Japan to Bolivia to the United States, continue to feel the heat, according to the European climate change service. Provisional satellite data published by the Copernicus climate research program on Wednesday showed that … Read more
Every year, invasive insects gnaw away at Canadian farms, gardens and wild plants, spreading disease and disturbing ecosystems. But tiny wasps that lay body-bursting eggs in invasive insects may be able to help B.C. berry growers protect their crops. “It’s like a free service nature is providing us to help control crop pests,” said Paul Abram, an … Read more
The Current11:38How our discarded drugs are sparking sex changes in fish What do fish act like on anti-anxiety medication? According to Karen Kidd, “they get bolder” and don’t rely on their usual survival skills — and that’s part of a big problem. “Fish are swimming around in the soup of drugs … and a drug … Read more
Fresh research suggests Western Canada’s once-dwindling caribou numbers are finally growing. But the same paper concludes the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy that will likely have to continue for decades. “If we don’t shoot wolves, given the state of the habitat that industry and government have … Read more
Niagara Falls, Ont., mayor Jim Diodati says that when he goes out on April 8 to watch the total solar eclipse, he’s packing everything he might need for the entire day. “My plan is I’m riding my bike down there with my backpack. And it’s going to be loaded with cereal bars and water bottles. … Read more
You may have heard the joke by now: “How do you organize a solar eclipse party? You planet.” But you could also let someone plan it for you. And throughout the Hamilton-Niagara region — home to some of the best areas in Canada to see the total solar eclipse on April 8 — there are plenty of options. That … Read more
A cache of scientific equipment that could fit in the back of an SUV has been lowered into the sea north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and is already streaming open-source data for anyone wanting to monitor the Southern Ocean’s health. Scientists say the underwater observatory collects measurements, including temperature, oxygen concentration and chlorophyll levels, and … Read more
