Now that bird flu is spreading among cows, scientists worry where H5N1 will jump next

On March 25, American officials published an urgent announcement: Dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico were falling sick. The cows had low appetites, and produced less milk than normal. Some farms also discovered wild bird carcasses on their grounds. Tests on a cow throat swab and raw milk samples all confirmed an unusual finding: … Read more

‘CSI on the ocean’: Whale researchers comb B.C. waters for eDNA

It was just after 8 a.m. when Gary Sutton and his crew spotted the signature black dorsal fins cutting through the cool waters of the Salish Sea, off the coast of Vancouver Island. More than a dozen Bigg’s killer whales, also known as transient killer whales, swimming north in search of food. They surfaced every few minutes, the spray of their … Read more

Researchers find how skin biomarkers in infants can predict early development of food allergies

WASHINGTON: Childhood food allergies are common and can be very serious or even deadly. In the process of creating a programme to stop food allergies, researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered early indicators of the illness.Findings of the study published in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology’s March 2024 issue, skin tape strips … Read more

Lots of new animals are heading for your city, study suggests

When you look out the window or walk your dog in the year 2100, the animals you spot might be quite different from what you see today, a new study suggests. Many wildlife species are moving due to climate change — which means Canadian cities could get an influx of wild climate refugees. They could … Read more

Who’s to blame for contaminated shellfish? Researchers follow the fecal matter to find out

For the shellfish industry, high fecal counts detected in areas where shellfish such as oysters are harvested can mean long — and costly — closures. The fecal matter is associated with human-borne viruses, like norovirus, but the tests that are typically used to measure the fecal matter don’t distinguish between different types of animals, including … 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

Prehistoric kids gathered food, helped with hunting, cared for younger siblings — and even had fun

Archaeologists have been trying to piece together the full human story for a long time, but some members of prehistoric societies have been largely overlooked: kids! It turns out these little people played a much bigger part in human history than we realized. In Little Sapiens, a documentary from The Nature of Things, Sarika Cullis-Suzuki … Read more

Maine mass shooter Robert Card had traumatic brain injury, Boston University CTE researchers find

The Maine mass shooter who was a U.S. Army Reservist had a traumatic brain injury before he killed 18 people and injured more than a dozen others last year, according to Boston University researchers. The family of Robert Card released the findings of his brain tissue analysis through the Concussion Legacy Foundation on Wednesday. In … Read more

North Pacific humpback whale numbers fall by 20%, but some scientists aren’t worried yet

A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species’ remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction.  The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species’ numbers … 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