UBC prof Suzanne Simard named in Time’s ‘most influential’ list

When Suzanne Simard heard she was going to be named one of the 100 “most influential people” in the world on Wednesday, she had a hard time believing it at first. The Finding the Mother Tree author, who was included in Time magazine’s annual list alongside a handful of fellow Canadians, said she wondered whether her … Read more

Move over, eclipse. A rare, double brood of lustful cicadas are about to take over the skies

As It Happens6:37So long, solar eclipse. An even rarer phenomenon is about to take over the skies Floyd Shockley is planning a road trip to witness a rare natural event that will darken skies across much of the United States — a convergence not of celestial bodies, but of two massive broods of flying, screaming, lustful insects. … Read more

All eyes are on the future of freshwater after a winter of record heat

Quirks and Quarks19:36Water, water, everywhere. But will we have enough to drink? After a winter that smashed heat records, researchers around the world are taking a close look at how human disturbances and the rapidly changing climate are affecting the world’s freshwater supply. “We’re reducing both water quantity and water quality,” says Katrina Moser, an associate professor … Read more

More than 100 possible new marine species discovered in a single deepsea expedition

As It Happens6:13More than 100 possible new marine species discovered in a single deepsea expedition During a research expedition off the coast of Chile, Erin Easton says her colleagues were constantly showing her some amazing new sea creature they’d just discovered. “It would just be, like, ‘Erin, Erin, Erin, look!’” Easton, a marine scientist at the University … Read more

Vancouver to host the 2025 Juno Awards

After six years away, the Juno Awards will return to Vancouver in 2025, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced today. The 54th Juno Awards will take place at Rogers Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, with the usual Juno Week festivities taking place March 26-30. “The 2018 Junos were an incredible experience with … Read more

snow: Unravelling the Himalayan conundrum: The vanishing snow and its implications in Northwestern India

Amidst the serene apple orchards, Nadeem Bhat’s disappointed look skyward speaks of a pressing concern – the unnerving absence of the traditional winter cloak of snow, an unexpected departure that experts say has implications for Kashmir’s agriculture, tourism, and its delicate ecosystem. Bhat, who has been at the forefront of several environment initiatives in Khanmoh, … Read more

New study investigates threat of ‘watermelon snow’ to mountain glaciers

The Rocky Mountains conjure up images of grey rugged peaks capped with white. But within the upper reaches of the harsh mountain landscapes, a rosier hue often blooms. Watermelon snow, also known as glacial blood, is caused by algae that turns the snow a startling shade of red. The algae blooms in summer, forming on … Read more

Paleontologists discover rare fossils of a Cretaceous-era lizard near Grande Prairie, Alta.

Not far from the bank of Wapiti River, just 11 kilometres from Grande Prairie, there’s a paleontological goldmine: an ancient riverbed that contains fragments of skeletons of hundreds, possibly thousands, of animals from the late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago.  Discovered in 2014,  the bonebed is known as a DC site, or, more formally, Wapiti Unit 3. … Read more

Researchers used Hurricane Larry to prove ocean microplastics can be swept inland as air pollution

As Hurricane Larry lashed Newfoundland in 2021, university students from Halifax headed to a rural area in its track to find out whether the ocean might whip microplastics up into the atmosphere then transport them by air to otherwise pristine communities. The results, you could say, blew their socks off. “It was such, like, an astonishing result that we … Read more