Canadian-built underwater observatory transmitting data from around Antarctica

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

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

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

Researchers give new insight into tuberculosis treatment

COLOGNE: Researchers discovered new antibiotic molecules that target Mycobacterium tuberculosis and make it less pathogenic for humans in collaboration with research partners in Germany and France. Furthermore, some of the found compounds may enable the re-treatment of tuberculosis with existing treatments, including strains of the bacterium that have already established drug resistance.The findings were published … Read more

How artificial intelligence can help beavers fight floods, droughts and wildfires

A few years ago, a couple of Google employees reached out to a Minnesota scientist with an unusual proposal: What if they could teach computers to spot beaver habitats from space?  “They wanted to know if I thought it was possible to find beaver wetlands from aerial imagery myself, and then if that could be … 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

Synthetic DNA: Researchers find new uses of artificial DNA

CALIFORNIA: Researchers have moved one step closer to realising the potential of synthetic DNA. There are just four letters in the genetic alphabet, which stand for the four nucleotides, which are the molecules that make up all DNA.The practicality of this discovery depends on whether or not cells can recognise and use synthetic nucleotides to … Read more

Brain: Study investigates what happens in brain when daydreaming

TORONTO: A mouse study published in Nature has taken a team led by Harvard Medical School researchers one step closer to understanding what happens in the brain during daydreaming.The researchers monitored the activity of neurons in the visual cortex of mouse brains while the animals were awake and silent. They discovered that these neurons occasionally … Read more

Why scientists are hoping landscaping gravel can help restore Nova Scotia’s kelp

In a converted shipping container perched oceanside in Ketch Harbour, N.S., a group of people gather to peer into tanks filled with fuzzy pieces of gravel.  The rocks are covered with tiny blades of sugar kelp. Soon, the squares of steel mesh they’re fixed to will be suspended in the water at a kelp farming demonstration … Read more

Why scientists are hoping landscaping gravel can help restore Nova Scotia’s kelp

In a converted shipping container perched oceanside in Ketch Harbour, N.S., a group of people gather to peer into tanks filled with fuzzy pieces of gravel.  The rocks are covered with tiny blades of sugar kelp. Soon, the squares of steel mesh they’re fixed to will be suspended in the water at a kelp farming demonstration … Read more