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

Bob picks 10 significant science stories for 2023

2023 was a busy year in science. Here are 10 stories worth revisiting as we wind up the year. 1. Canadian Jeremy Hansen chosen to fly to the moon A Canadian astronaut was selected as part of the crew for NASA’s Artemis II mission to the moon. Jeremy Hansen and three crew mates will fly … Read more

Chimps and bonobos remember friendly faces even after decades apart, study finds

As It Happens6:18Chimps and bonobos remember friends and families’ faces, even after decades apart When Laura Simone Lewis visited Kendall the chimpanzee for the first time in six months, she wasn’t sure how he would react. The researcher had been working with the chimp at the North Carolina Zoo in 2015 as part of her … Read more

NASA streamed its 1st video from deep space via laser. More important, it’s of a cat

It’s not every day that a video of a cat goes viral. OK, it’s not every day that a video of a cat goes viral and marks a historical milestone for space exploration. But that’s what happened when NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high definition streaming video back to Earth on Dec. 11 from 31 million kilometers … 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

Why do these mosquitoes keep perching on the nostrils of frogs who want to eat them?

As It Happens6:28Why do these mosquitos keep perching on the nostrils of frogs who want to eat them? John Gould had been snapping pictures of mosquitoes on frogs for years before he noticed a trend — the bloodsuckers always seem to land right on the amphibians’ noses. “You would think that a frog would be … Read more

‘Most extreme ever’: British Columbia’s rogue wave shatters records, stuns scientists

A colossal rogue wave, reaching a staggering height of 17.6 meters (58 feet), had emerged off the coast of British Columbia in November 2020. This extraordinary phenomenon, officially confirmed recently, stands as the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded at the time, defying conventional expectations, reported Science Alert.Rogue waves, once dismissed as maritime folklore, transitioned … Read more

Glacier melt opens up new territory for salmon — and mining

A new paper published in Science says that as glacier ice melts, new land and rivers are being revealed in the ice-covered transboundary region shared by northern B.C., Alaska, and the Yukon.  The peer-reviewed paper was a collaboration among researchers from Simon Fraser University, the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs’ Office, the University of Montana Flathead Lake … Read more

Solar storm expected to bring spectacular northern lights to Prairies

Christmas lights might not be the only thing lighting up these dark December nights, as a solar storm is expected to bring bright northern lights to the Prairies this weekend. Aurora borealis is considered among the greatest natural wonders and scientists say it starts with the sun. “The sun is sort of spewing off protons and electrons as a … Read more