In case you weren’t aware, outdoor cats are stone-cold killers

In case you weren’t aware, outdoor cats are stone-cold killers

There are differing opinions on cats’ personalities and behaviour: They’re affectionate, they’re aloof, they love you, they hate you. Then there’s the undeniable fact of what they become when left to roam free outside: indiscriminate, stone-cold killers. A new study has found cats roaming free prey upon almost any animal, reptile, insect, and amphibian around the world … Read more

Artist redraws the world with 1,642 free-roaming animals — and no humans

Artist redraws the world with 1,642 free-roaming animals — and no humans

The Current11:34A hand-drawn map with no people, but 1,642 free-roaming animals Artist Anton Thomas wanted to draw a “world map of nature” that would showcase the many different species across the globe — but at one point he was a little worried he’d run out of animals. “I thought before drawing, ‘Oh, surely I would … Read more

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

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

Glacier melt opens up new territory for salmon — and mining

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

A snapshot of marine species swimming in the waters off West Mabou in Cape Breton

A snapshot of marine species swimming in the waters off West Mabou in Cape Breton

An underwater marine survey completed at West Mabou Beach in Port Hood has yielded some interesting results that shed new light on what species dwell in Nova Scotian harbours. The survey was completed by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and their findings were released at a public meeting in the Cape Breton community of Mabou on Monday evening. … Read more

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

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

Mating dance of sea fireflies is ‘the coolest fireworks show that you’ve ever seen’

Mating dance of sea fireflies is ‘the coolest fireworks show that you’ve ever seen’

As It Happens6:32The mating dance of sea fireflies is ‘the coolest fireworks show that you’ve ever seen’: scientist Nicholai Hensley has spent countless hours standing waist-deep in pitch-black waters off the coast of Panama, watching thousands of tiny sea creatures perform dazzling displays of bright blue light. The creatures — each the size of a … Read more

Climate change is already forcing lizards, insects and other species to evolve

Climate change is already forcing lizards, insects and other species to evolve

Climate change is threatening the survival of plants and animals around the globe as temperatures rise and habitats change.Some specieshave been able to meet the challenge with rapid evolutionary adaptation and other changes in behavior or physiology. Dark-colored dragonflies are getting paler in order to reduce the amount of heat they absorb from the sun.Mustard … Read more

As temperatures rise, dengue fever infections keep surging around the world

As temperatures rise, dengue fever infections keep surging around the world

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. In Bangladesh, roughly 300,000 people have been infected with dengue this year during the country’s worst-ever outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted disease. … Read more