What you need to know about mosquito-borne diseases

What you need to know about mosquito-borne diseases

The Dose20:22Why should I be concerned about mosquitoes? Belle River, Ont., teacher Melanie Klimkowski never worried much about mosquitoes, since they never seemed interested in biting her.  After learning more about the bugs at a special workshop with her eighth grade class, she says she now carries small amounts of mosquito repellant at all times … Read more

A rare pygmy sperm whale washes up on Newfoundland’s shore and leaves its inky mark

A rare pygmy sperm whale washes up on Newfoundland’s shore and leaves its inky mark

This pygmy sperm whale washed ashore on the Avalon Peninsula, says Julie Huntington, offering scientists a glimpse into the life of the rarely seen creature. (Submitted by Julie Huntington/Lukas Ward) A dead pygmy sperm whale washed up on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula last week, and one conservationist says the creature was still able to mount a type … 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

Hottest day record broken globally — for 2nd time this week

Hottest day record broken globally — for 2nd time this week

Monday was recorded as the hottest day ever globally — beating a record set the day before — as countries around the world, from Japan to Bolivia to the United States, continue to feel the heat, according to the European climate change service. Provisional satellite data published by the Copernicus climate research program on Wednesday showed that … Read more

‘Otherworldly’ Portuguese man-of-war becoming more common on Nova Scotia’s inshore

‘Otherworldly’ Portuguese man-of-war becoming more common on Nova Scotia’s inshore

With a little help from the warming Gulf Stream, Nova Scotia beachgoers are encountering a strange creature with a balloon-like body whose sting packs a bigger punch than that of jellyfish. Last week, a Portuguese man-of-war appeared at a surfing hot spot on Lawrencetown Beach near Dartmouth, N.S. The animal, a species of siphonophore — … Read more

Coral reefs are vital lines of defence against hurricanes. But their future is in doubt

Coral reefs are vital lines of defence against hurricanes. But their future is in doubt

The hurricane season is off to a roaring start, with Beryl the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic Ocean. Beryl has since been downgraded to a Category 4, yet as of Wednesday, it was still expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica. Typically, coral reefs serve as a … Read more

Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 5 strength as it razes southeast Caribbean islands

Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 5 strength as it razes southeast Caribbean islands

Hurricane Beryl strengthened to Category 5 status late Monday after it ripped doors, windows and roofs off homes across the southeastern Caribbean with devastating winds and storm surge fuelled by the Atlantic’s record warmth. Beryl made landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada as the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic, then late … Read more

How nighttime heat could affect your body today

How nighttime heat could affect your body today

Last year was the hottest in recorded human history, and this year Canada continues to be affected by heat waves and record-breaking temperatures. One big shift is the increase in nighttime temperatures, prompting health concerns across the country as certain nightly forecasts across Eastern Canada predict highs of 24 C, instead of the typical 14 … Read more

Busy 2024 hurricane season expected in Atlantic Ocean

Busy 2024 hurricane season expected in Atlantic Ocean

All signs are pointing to a very busy hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released its annual hurricane season forecast and is projecting 17 to 25 storms, the most it has ever forecasted. Of those storms, eight to 13 are expected to become hurricanes, but it’s still too early … Read more

‘We are losing the Amazon rainforest’: Record number of wildfires in parts of Brazil

‘We are losing the Amazon rainforest’: Record number of wildfires in parts of Brazil

Fire is sucking the life out of parts of the Amazon rainforest. In Roraima State, in northern Brazil, the number of fires in February were more than five times the average, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, and blazes continued to burn through March. “We are losing the Amazon rainforest. These … Read more