China blasts off on mission that could provide 1st samples of far side of the moon

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

Tesla settles lawsuit on eve of trial in deadly automated-driving crash

Tesla has settled a lawsuit over a 2018 car crash that killed an Apple engineer after his Model X, operating on Autopilot, swerved off a highway near San Francisco, court documents showed on Monday. The settlement was made on the eve of the trial over the high-profile accident involving Tesla’s driver-assistant technology. Tesla faces a … Read more

Fate of giant carbon capture project still uncertain, but Pathways Alliance hopeful for deal with feds

Despite growing frustrations and prolonged negotiations with the federal government, a consortium of Canada’s largest oilsands companies is optimistic about having a “line of sight” in securing the certainty it needs from Ottawa to advance its proposed $16.5-billion carbon capture pipeline project. The Pathways Alliance is not expecting any new commitments in the upcoming federal … Read more

Condiments are getting more competitive. Does yellow mustard still cut the mustard?

Did Subway discontinue yellow mustard in Canada? That’s the chatter online, as franchise owners on Reddit, customers on X and Facebook, and a notice sent out to parents of a school lunch program all allege the sandwich chain has stopped offering a beloved Canadian condiment. On Thursday, some parents of children at a school in Kingston, Ont., received an email notice.  “Subway will not be able to provide the … Read more

New NASA climate satellite will keep eye on plankton, clouds. Here’s why

NASA’s newest climate satellite rocketed into orbit Thursday to survey the world’s oceans and atmosphere in never-before-seen detail. SpaceX launched the Pace satellite on its $948-million US mission before dawn from Cape Canaveral, Fla., with the Falcon rocket heading south over the Atlantic Ocean to achieve a rare polar orbit. The satellite will spend at … Read more

2024 is the year the world could reach peak coal use. But it’s a tough habit to quit

With the COP28 climate summit now in the rearview mirror, some researchers say the moment is here when coal consumption in power plants around the world will finally peak before beginning a perpetual fall. For more than a century, coal has been used to produce electricity, and to this day remains the workhorse of the global power … Read more

Colonialism contributed to extinction of woolly dogs valued by Indigenous people, study suggests

For thousands of years, a breed of white, woolly dog played an important and cultural role for Coast Salish people in Western Canada but when colonists moved in the animal quickly became extinct, a new study says. It started with a dog named Mutton that died in 1859. Its pelt had been in a collection at the … Read more

5 feline facts to help see your cat in a new light

Quirks and Quarks54:01Cat facts — the latest science on our feline companions Cats have lived alongside humans for millennia, but there’s still much we don’t know about our companions. How do cats purr? Why do they look so annoyed all the time? And when and where did cats begin sharing homes with humans?  Part of … Read more