As It Happens6:05What killed and ate a really big shark? An even bigger shark, scientists say When marine biologist James A. Sulikowski started monitoring the migration and mating habits of porbeagle sharks, he didn’t expect he would end up investigating a murder mystery. But when Penelope, a 2.4-metre-long porbeagle, dropped off his research team’s radar, … Read more
Although cooler fall temperatures are coming, which local experts say usually drives down mosquito populations, one researcher says Calgary isn’t totally in the clear yet A relatively new species is likely hitting its peak population now, according to John Soghigian, an assistant professor of parasitology at the University of Calgary. The Culex pipiens, also referred to … Read more
An invasive sea creature with a disappearing anus and a penchant for cannabalizing its own young may have yet another trick up its sleeve. When life is going badly for the sea walnut, it will shrink and take on the shape of its larval form, and stay that way until things are looking up again, according … Read more
As It Happens6:21Giant scorpions once ruled seas — and may have traversed entire oceans Asked to rank giant sea scorpions on a scale of one to terrifying, Russell Bicknell puts them at about an eight. “I suppose it depends how you define terrifying,” Bicknell, a paleobiologist at the American Museum of Natural History, told As … Read more
A perfectly preserved burrow of fossilized snakes shows that the reptiles have been social creatures for almost 40 million years, says a new research paper co-authored by a University of Alberta paleontologist. It’s well known that snakes today gather in burrows for all kinds of reasons, including breeding and surviving cold temperatures by piling together … Read more
The Current19:01Could Nova Scotia host a retirement home for whales? A proposed whale sanctuary in Port Hilford, N.S., hopes to offer a safe haven for whales coming out of captivity. And two orcas from a marine park in France could be its first residents. “We owe it to them. We owe them something back because … Read more
A team of McMaster University students in Hamilton will soon head to Iceland, where they’ll camp out by a series of underground lava tubes they plan to map with a drone. The drone uses hardware and software designed by the undergraduate students, who hope their tech will one day be used in space exploration to specially map underground areas in … Read more
Decades ago, McMaster University paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Now the Hamilton post-secondary school is looking to reverse course and “re-wild” its west campus that sits beside the Cootes Paradise nature sanctuary. The strategy is part of its new master plan developed by international design firm BDP. The project is the firm’s first for a … Read more
Over 45,000 species are now threatened with extinction — 1,000 more than last year — according to an international conservation organization that blames pressures from climate change, invasive species and human activity such as illicit trade and infrastructural expansion. The International Union for Conservation of Nature released its latest Red List of Threatened Species on … Read more
China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with the U.S., still … Read more
