Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald
Latest
June 25: The Quirks & Quarks listener question show
Why don't humans have a tail? Why is bird poop white? Why can't we remember our early years? What happens when you die in space? And much, much more
Jun 18: Black Death origins, chicken domestication, the life of a mastodon and more…
Elephant seal whiskers and ‘The Secret Perfume of Birds’
Analysis
Moth wings could inspire a new generation of soundproofing material
Bob McDonald's blog: The moth's wings can absorb up to 87% of incoming sound, a handy trait when being hunted by a bat
The Black Death was history's most lethal plague. Now scientists say they know where it started
Gravestones in a cemetery in Kyrgyzstan, several years before the plague broke out in Eurasia and Africa, identified people who died of a "pestilence." Their remains preserved microbial DNA from the bacteria that bore the genetic fingerprint of the Black Death.
Jun 11: Music from the cosmos, thunderbird extinction, Hubble gets the big picture and more…
Invasive species and climate change and the natural history of sound.
Analysis
Hopes for a new generation of electric hydrofoils — a tech with Canadian roots
Bob McDonald's blog: Swedish study finds hydrofoil technology could reduce consumption of fossil fuels used in ships by no less than 80 per cent.
Jun 4: Baby parrot babbling, a supernova stone, buzzing bats mimic hornets and more…
Scallops attracted by disco lights and why mushrooms are ‘world makers’
Analysis
Tom Cruise goes hypersonic in new Top Gun movie, but doing it in real life is a challenge
Bob McDonald's blog: The movie's fictional Darkstar aircraft is based on historical innovations in hypersonic flight
Scientists discover wild baby parrots babble like human babies
Researchers have discovered that baby parrots babble, much like human babies do. The parrots aren't just saying the avian equivalent of goo-goo-ga-ga. Instead, they're repeating back the bird sounds they've already heard from adults and fellow babies.
Q & A
A Canadian researcher makes the case for admiring the mighty mushroom
"What A Mushroon Lives For: Matsutake and the Worlds They Make" is the new book by anthropology professor Michael Hathaway
May 28: Flying salamanders, headbutting animals and brain damage, undersea cable sensors and more…
Secrets of plant survival, why sharks matter and marine mammals and storms.
Analysis
As NASA plans for Mars, Canada works to keep Mars voyagers healthy
Bob McDonald's blog: A priority for Canadian space science, remote medicine, will allow us to keep astronauts healthy on a Mars mission, and has important applications in remote areas on Earth as well.
These salamanders skydive from the world's tallest trees, new study finds
Wandering salamanders skydive to move around in their habitat at the top of the world's tallest trees. A new study looked at their skills by testing them in a miniature indoor skydiving facility.
Q&A
Swimming with sharks and debunking misinformation — all part of the job of a shark scientist
With shark and ray populations having declined 71 per cent over the last 50 years, a new book by David Shiffman says it's time for humans to stop being afraid of sharks — and instead, we should be afraid of losing them.
May 21: Losing sleep over climate change, growing plants in lunar soil, trilobite sex and more…
The sound of biodiversity loss, carbon emissions and medical care and a question of blowing air.
Analysis
Time to consider the impact of rocket exhausts on the atmosphere
Bob McDonald's blog: Researchers analyze how frequent future rocket launches could significantly impact the Earth's climate
Hot nights are disrupting our sleep — and climate change is making it worse, study finds
A new study analyzing the sleep data for thousands of people worldwide has found that we’re getting less sleep as nighttime temperatures increase, and it’s only going to get worse with climate change.
May 14: Ancient oyster mounds, seagrass' sweet secret, saving the Mekong delta and more…
Reading minds to produce sound and next-gen COVID-19 vaccines
Analysis
Europe's space agency needs your eyeballs to study a comet
Bob McDonald's blog: Human eyes are really good at spotting subtle changes on a comet's surface from various viewpoints
Indigenous people harvested huge amounts of oysters sustainably through history, study finds
A recent study shows that for thousands of years, Indigenous peoples were harvesting tonnes of oysters sustainably. Researchers say this shows that it’s possible to do large-scale harvesting without harming ecosystems.
May 7: Endangered tiny porpoise, Mars-quakes, thermal batteries and more…
Bloodworm's metal fangs, finding alternatives to animal experimentation and why does coal release mercury?
Analysis
Join astronomers under the stars to appreciate the magnificence of our universe
Bob McDonald's blog: May 7 is the unofficial holiday Astronomy Day, and stargazers around the world will be marking the day with public events.
Q&A
Meet the Canadian researcher determined to take the animals out of lab testing
A growing number of scientists are calling for an end to the "gold standard" of animal experimentation, because not does it come with ethical concerns, increasingly it may no longer the best way to get results, thanks to technological advances that can replicate human biology for testing drugs and chemicals.
Apr 30 - Avian flu outbreak, prehistoric art and firelight, the dingo genome and more…
Joggers save calories, Canada’s space tourist and what tsunamis do to marine life
Analysis
NASA will fly to an asteroid we once thought could strike Earth
Bob McDonald's blog: An asteroid we once thought was on a collision course with Earth will now be visited by a repurposed spacecraft when the space rock passes close in 2029.
