Forever chemicals are everywhere. These burnt wood chips could help change that

Forever chemicals are everywhere. These burnt wood chips could help change that

Forever chemicals are everywhere, from cookware to cosmetics to clothes to carpets. For decades, they’ve been building up in the environment and our water – and in our bodies.  Now Canadian researchers say they have developed a practical way to remove the toxic compounds from our drinking water.  “There’s no natural way for this thing … Read more

As temperatures rise, so will the cost of an AC unit

As temperatures rise, so will the cost of an AC unit

Cost of Living5:07The hot, sweaty irony of it all Star Vickery never used to need an air conditioning unit to stay cool in her home in Halifax. But summers are getting warmer, she says, and since she now works from home, it’s become a must.  But cooling your home can be costly. The unit cost … Read more

How a meteorologist helped make Twisters’ storm-chasing science as real as possible

How a meteorologist helped make Twisters’ storm-chasing science as real as possible

The Current21:31Why tornados continue to fascinate The summer blockbuster Twisters has taken the box office by storm and has boosted an already-established interest in storm chasing.  And while meteorologist and storm chaser Sean Waugh says even though parts of the film are exaggerated, the science, gear, and lingo accurately represent what it’s like to research and … Read more

Sand from the Sahara Desert causing recent lull in the hurricane season: scientists

Sand from the Sahara Desert causing recent lull in the hurricane season: scientists

Tiny grains of sand from the Sahara Desert are to blame for the almost month-long lull in this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, scientists say. But it could soon come to an end. Every June and July, there is a peak in the amount of dust from the North African desert that is lifted high above … Read more

July 21 was the hottest day on record, European climate agency says

July 21 was the hottest day on record, European climate agency says

On Sunday, the Earth sizzled to the hottest day ever measured by humans, yet another heat record shattered in the past couple of years, according to the European climate service Copernicus on Tuesday. Preliminary data from Copernicus shows that the global average temperature Sunday was 17.09 C, beating the record set just last year on … Read more

Alberta oil and gas sector exceeded flaring limit in 2023, data shows

Alberta oil and gas sector exceeded flaring limit in 2023, data shows

For the first time, Alberta’s oil and gas industry has exceeded the province’s own regulatory limit for natural gas flaring. A tally by The Canadian Press of Alberta Energy Regulator data shows oil and gas companies in the province flared approximately 754 million cubic metres of natural gas last year, exceeding the annual provincial limit … Read more

Megaconstellations of satellites are burning up in our atmosphere. That could have consequences

Megaconstellations of satellites are burning up in our atmosphere. That could have consequences

If, on a clear night, you were to gaze up into the blackness of the sky, you would expect to see nothing but the magnificent Milky Way stretching out above you, billions of stars twinkling in place. Instead, every few minutes or so, you will most likely also see an ersatz star breaking through an … Read more

SpaceX retrieves space junk from Sask. farmer

SpaceX retrieves space junk from Sask. farmer

SpaceX has retrieved pieces of debris that fell to earth and were found on Saskatchewan farmland in April.  Barry Sawchuk made headlines earlier this year when he said a giant piece of space debris had slammed into his field. On Tuesday, SpaceX employees came to his farm near Ituna, Sask., northeast of Regina, to collect the space … Read more

SpaceX to undergo 4th test launch of its 37-storey Starship rocket

SpaceX to undergo 4th test launch of its 37-storey Starship rocket

Hot on the heels of the successful crewed launch of Boeing’s new CST-100 Starliner on Wednesday, we have another rocket launch: This time it’s SpaceX’s massive Starship. This is the fourth test flight of the rocket — which will be uncrewed — that SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes will one day take astronauts to Mars. The 120-minute … Read more

Trans Mountain pipeline ushers in new economic era for Fort McMurray

Trans Mountain pipeline ushers in new economic era for Fort McMurray

As the urban centre at the heart of Canada’s oilsands industry, Fort McMurray has seen more than its share of ups and downs. A decade and a half ago, the northern Alberta community was this country’s most famous boom town. High oil prices helped to drive unprecedented demand for the thick, viscous bitumen that lies … Read more