Quirks and Quarks

Government to shut down unique fresh water research area

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:48:41 -0500

The Experimental Lakes Area research facility in Northern Ontario is being closed down after 44 years of providing invaluable data to scientists in Canada and internationally, a decision that has stunned researchers and environmental groups.

Underground lab may solve cosmic mystery

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:52:35 -0500

A new astronomical observatory opened this week - one more than 2 kilometres below the ground in Sudbury, Ont. - that may finally answer the mystery of Dark Matter in the universe. SNOLAB will attempt to capture the elusive Dark Matter particles as they pass right through the Earth.

Robots in space are worth every penny

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:46:24 -0500

The Dawn probe mission to the asteroid Vesta proves once again how robots, using the highest technology for spaceflight, can cheaply explore where no one has gone before. And this mission is far from over.

Canadian science writers given freedom of speech award - in Canada

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:40:33 -0500

This past week, the Canadian Science Writers Association, and its Quebec equivalent, received the Press Freedom Award from the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom and Canadian Commission for UNESCO for their efforts to stop the muzzling of Canadian federal scientists. The award was given on May 3, World Press Freedom Day.

Asteroid Klondike?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:59:41 -0500

When gold was discovered in the northwest back in 1896, it sparked a gold rush. Now the same urge is driving space exploration as prospectors turn their eyes to the potential wealth held in asteroids.

The space shuttles belong in a museum, it's time for a fresh look at space

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:03:34 -0500

The shuttles were a grand experiment, some would say a failed experiment; now it's time to place them in the history books where they belong and get on with more efficient and farther-reaching ventures into the unknown.

Poor choice of materials made Titanic more vulnerable

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:46:39 -0500

Studies of the steel that made up the hull and rivets of Titanic have shown that the ship was made with lower-grade metals that were more brittle, suggesting that lives might have been saved had the vessel been constructed with better material.

Fight NDD, get your kids outside

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:16:21 -0500

A recent report out of the UK emphasizes, once again, that children are suffering from NDD, Nature Deficit Disorder, which affects their general well being. So get your kids out of the house this weekend.

Federal budget's bid to spur innovation neglects the basics

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:35:48 -0500

The new federal budget's chapter on innovation and research is almost entirely about supporting more applied science, which may stimulate jobs and the economy, but it is neglecting the basics.

Planetary science loses with NASA's fixation on manned missions

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:30:01 -0500

This week, at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas, there was good news and bad news.

The good news came from the fleet of robots scattered across the solar system, exploring new worlds. The hard news was the dim future for further exploration of this type.

Humanoid robots get the attention but DEXTRE does the work

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:58:06 -0500

An impressive lineup of anthropomorphic robots took the stage this week in France at the Innovation Robot Summit.

Meanwhile in space, Canada's very un-humanlike robot, DEXTRE, began its first chores outside the International Space Station, proving you don't have to look like a human to be dexterous.

Government blind to benefits public sees in PEARL Arctic research

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:54:43 -0500

Since the announcement last week that the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL), located in Canada's High Arctic, will be cut off from government funding and shut down, reaction has been strong - not only from the scientific community, but now from the public as well. And people are willing to dig into their own pockets to keep the operation going themselves.

Planets, Moon to put on celestial show

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:11:04 -0500

If skies are clear any night over the next few weeks, look up and you will see a parade of planets, along with the Moon, spread across the sky. It's an opportunity to get a three-dimensional perspective on our place in the Earth's planetary family.

Polar lab closure deals another blow to Canada's scientific reputation

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:56:46 -0500

The announcement this week that the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Lab (PEARL) in Canada's High Arctic will be closed has once again lowered this country's environmental reputation on the world scene. This is ironic because, also this week, Canada's highest scientific prize, The Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, was awarded to a scientist who studies climate change.

Einstein, a loose cable and good science

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:26:36 -0500

Sources at Science Insider have reported that a loose connection on a fibre-optic cable may have caused erroneous measurements suggesting that neutrinos can travel faster than light. Once again, Einstein has been proven right and the scientific method proven strong.