Scientists work to stop self-cloning crayfish in Burlington, Ont., pond after 1st detection in Canada

Scientists work to stop self-cloning crayfish in Burlington, Ont., pond after 1st detection in Canada

An invasive species of crayfish that reproduces by cloning itself was discovered last summer in a Burlington, Ont., park — the first time the marbled crayfish has been identified in the wild in North America. Since then, a group of experts has been working to stop the species from spreading.  The crayfish are in City View park, on … Read more

Why Canada has ordered lobster pounds to kill all egg-bearing female lobsters

Why Canada has ordered lobster pounds to kill all egg-bearing female lobsters

In an effort to reduce the spread of marine invasive species, Canada ordered lobster pounds to euthanize all egg-bearing female lobsters. But two years after the measure was introduced, some in the business are still unaware of the requirement. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has banned the long-held practice of releasing egg-bearing or “berried” … Read more

The largest great ape to ever live went extinct because of climate change, study finds

The largest great ape to ever live went extinct because of climate change, study finds

WASHINGOTN: An ancient species of great ape was likely driven to extinction hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favorite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists reported Wednesday. The species Gigantopithecus blacki, which once lived in southern China, represents the largest great ape known to scientists – standing 10 … Read more

Small-brained hominid species challenges human exceptionalism, says paleoanthropologist

Small-brained hominid species challenges human exceptionalism, says paleoanthropologist

The 2013 discovery of the largest collection of hominid fossils ever found is rewriting the origin of complex behaviours we thought were uniquely human, says a renowned paleoanthropologist. The fossilized bones belonged to an entirely new species of ancient human relatives called, Homo naledi, which lived in South Africa several hundred thousand years ago when the first Homo … Read more

Paleontologists discover rare fossils of a Cretaceous-era lizard near Grande Prairie, Alta.

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

The environmental costs of EV batteries that politicians don’t tend to talk about

The environmental costs of EV batteries that politicians don’t tend to talk about

Along with the massive recent manufacturing investments in electric vehicle (EV) technology and talks of a greener, decarbonized future, there are some not-so-green problems.  In its latest New Energy Finance report, Bloomberg News predicts there will be some 730 million EVs on the road by 2040. The year before, Bloomberg predicted half of all U.S. vehicle sales would be battery electric by 2030.  … Read more

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

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

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

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

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

Atlantic halibut thrive in warming Maritime waters, study finds

Atlantic halibut thrive in warming Maritime waters, study finds

Warming ocean temperatures caused by climate change will provide favourable conditions for Atlantic halibut, according to a new study, although what happens to their prey is uncertain. A paper published in the journal FACETS links an exponential increase in Atlantic Canadian landings over the past decade to warming ocean temperatures and predicts that trend is … Read more