This Week

June 22: How to Build a Brain

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | Categories:

June 22: How to Build a Brain
Scientists are embarking on ambitious projects to fully understand the incredible complexity of the human brain and to simulate it in a computer.  They hope it will help us understand mental disorders, but also give us insight into the nature of thought, memory, and conciousness.  But how do you build a brain in a box, and what do you do with it once it has awakened?  We'll explore those ideas in our Season Finale feature documentary.

Plus - Tremor Trauma: why the Next Big One could hit the West Coast any day.

Question Road Show from Halifax

Saturday, June 15, 2013 | Categories: Episodes

Question Road Show from Halifax
This week, it's our annual Quirks & Quarks Question Road show - this year recorded live in the lovely Spatz Theatre in downtown Halifax.  On today's program - why do we see stars when we bump our heads? Would a compass work in space? Why do you add vinegar when baking a pie crust? We'll have the answers - all from local scientists and experts - to these and many more questions. 

Read More »

Listen

The Return of Chris Hadfield * Oldest Primate Skeleton * Gill-net Drownings Depress Seabird Populations * Stung! Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean

Saturday, June 8, 2013 | Categories: Episodes

The Return of Chris Hadfield * Oldest Primate Skeleton * Gill-net Drownings Depress Seabird Populations * Stung! Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean
Today on the program, we welcome Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield back to the planet after his five-month mission on the International Space Station. We'll also hear about the discovery of the earliest primate fossil skeleton, which establishes a key branch of our family tree; we'll speak to a scientist from Newfoundland about the high cost of fishing nets on diving seabirds, and we'll meet the author of a new book about the growing impact of jellyfish on the world's oceans.

Read More »

Listen

Wings and White-nose Syndrome in Bats * Moss Revived After Centuries Under Ice * Fleshing out Allosaurus * Glitches in a Neutron Star * How the Turtle got its Shell * Malaria's Malign Modification of Mosquitos

Saturday, June 1, 2013 | Categories: Episodes

Wings and White-nose Syndrome in Bats * Moss Revived After Centuries Under Ice * Fleshing out Allosaurus * Glitches in a Neutron Star * How the Turtle got its Shell * Malaria's Malign Modification of Mosquitos
Today on the program, we start with new insights into white-nose syndrome, which is devastating North American bats.  We also look at the fascinating discovery of moss emerging from under the ice of a retreating glacier; we'll learn about glitchy neutron stars; we'll hear how the turtle got its shell, how Allosaurus defleshed its prey and how malaria manipulates mosquitos.

Read More »

Listen

Arctic Bacteria Survives Below Freezing * Earliest Evidence of Cooking Pots * Entangled Whales Suffer Slow Death * Gila Monster Food Dehydration * The Origin of Feces

Saturday, May 25, 2013 | Categories: Episodes

Arctic Bacteria Survives Below Freezing * Earliest Evidence of Cooking Pots * Entangled Whales Suffer Slow Death * Gila Monster Food Dehydration * The Origin of Feces
Today on the program, we'll speak to the author of a new book, The Origin of Feces, about why waste matters.  Plus, we'll learn about the earliest use of pottery for cooking; we'll hear the heart-breaking tale of the fate of a whale entangled in fishing gear; and we'll find out how the Gila monster can survive a summer without water. But first, life at low temperatures.

Read More »

Listen

Oldest Water May Be Clue to Life on Mars * Oldest Evidence of Human Hunting * Humans and Dogs Evolved together * Apps for Apes * Beetles Make Antifreeze

Saturday, May 18, 2013 | Categories: Episodes

Oldest Water May Be Clue to Life on Mars * Oldest Evidence of Human Hunting * Humans and Dogs Evolved together * Apps for Apes * Beetles Make Antifreeze
Today on the program, we look into a project called Apps for Apes that uses iPads to provide mental stimulation for bored orangutans, and which is teaching researchers about the brains of our ape cousins.  Plus, we'll find out how early humans cracked the craniums of hunted and scavenged animals for some real brain food; we'll learn how dogs and humans evolved together; and we'll hear how longhorn beetles can survive an Arctic winter. But first, ancient water runs deep.

Read More »

Listen

 

Stay Connected with Quirks & Quarks

Most Recent Podcast

Space Exploration

Space Travel Predictions

CBC's Rewind takes a look at space travel predictions since 1946. Listen to great clips from the CBC Radio Archives, with new commentary from Bob McDonald, about where space exploration should have taken us by now.

Books

Science Books on Quirks

Want to hear about some of the latest popular science books from the people who wrote them? Check out our list of recent interviews with science authors.

Watch our Google Hangout

Bob McDonald If you missed our Google Question Hangout - no worries. Watch it now online and find out if time travel is possible.

Latest Audio

Featured Audio

Please download the latest version of Flash Player to view this content.
All show audio »