Quirks & Quarkswith Bob McDonald
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Apr 4: Testing for COVID-19, blood plasma clinical trials begin, vaccine development and more ...
COVID threatens mountain gorillas and these boots were made for running
Analysis
Escape from isolation by exploring space from home
Bob McDonald's science blog: A few ideas to take your mind off the situation on the ground by thinking about our place in the stars
How we test for the COVID-19 virus — and how can we do it faster?
A chemist gives us an understanding of why COVID-19 tests take so long, and how lab tests are different from the new automated tests popping up on the market
We need vaccines for the coronavirus — here's how we'll make them
Scientists around the world are working on different strategies to develop a safe and effective vaccine as quickly as possible
COVID-19 could be treated with blood plasma from those who've recovered
A Canadian clinical trial plans to test if virus-fighting antibodies in plasma can help the sick
The coronavirus could threaten endangered mountain gorillas
Gorillas share about 98 per cent of our DNA, making them susceptible to contracting COVID-19, according to Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a wildlife veterinarian and conservationist.
Electric-assist running boots may be the future of recreational jogging
Researchers have designed an ankle “exoskeleton” that makes running easier.
Mar 2: Mobilizing scientists in the COVID 19 fight, riding the COVID wave and more...
NASA's space salad and Escobar's hippos are restoring an ecosystem
Analysis
Our golden connection to a cosmic explosion
Bob McDonald's science blog: A neutron star merger 100 million years ago may be the source of Earth’s gold
Scientists are mobilizing from the ground up and the top down in our fight against COVID-19
Canada’s Chief Science Advisor says our bottleneck in our testing is due to not enough personnel and test ingredients, but that help is on the way.
COVID 19: Can we control the pandemic and move from 'flattening the curve' to 'riding the wave'?
Epidemiologists at the University of Toronto are working on modelling ways we might manage the COVID-19 pandemic after we've "flattened the curve," so we can return to some semblance of a normal life.
Salads in space: NASA has learned to grow lettuce on the space station
Lettuce grown on the International Space Station is just as nutritious as the stuff grown on Earth.
How Pablo Escobar's escaped hippos are helping to restore an ancient ecosystem
Hippos are an example of how so-called invasive species shape their habitats in a similar way to long-extinct megafauna.
Mar 21: COVID 19 vulnerability, COVID- and climate and more
Firing a cannonball at an asteroid and a fossil ‘wonderchicken’
Analysis
As entertainment shuts down, take in the spectacle nature has to offer
Bob McDonald's science blog: Immersing yourself in nature can have positive effects on your physical and mental health.
How aging increases vulnerability to COVID-19 and how pollution can make it worse
Your body's ability to fight off viruses naturally declines as you get older, becoming more weak and less targeted, and pollution exposure makes it even worse.
COVID-19 has led to huge emissions reductions — can we learn from this?
A global pandemic is not how we'd choose to reduce emissions, but scientists are studying how COVID-19 is affecting climate change, and how climate change could affect COVID-19.
Japanese space scientists shot an asteroid to learn about its past
The tiny, rocky asteroid Ryugu, in orbit between Earth and Mars, gives up some of its secrets.
'Wonderchicken' walked among the dinosaurs just before the mass extinction
Thought to be the oldest modern bird fossil, the 66.7 million-year-old "Wonderchicken" may help scientists understand more about the rise of birds and why they survived the mass extinction.
Mar 14: Coronavirus epidemiology, Greenland glaciers melt and more...
Squatting a better way to be sedentary, SmartICE supports northern life
Analysis
Seismic technology to probe the Earth adapted to probe the brain
Bob McDonald's science blog: Scientists have developed a portable brain scanner that could open up new research opportunities.
COVID-19: Why reacting early and aggressively is the key to avoiding crisis
'If we allow this to get bad, it gets bad fast, and it gets horrible fast. And that's why we have to be proactive.'
How the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting from the bottom up
The shape of the sea floor is flushing warm water underneath the glacier, so it is melting from above and below.
Squat, don't sit: The way we are sedentary could make a big difference to our health
Scientists studied hunter-gatherers to measure the posture muscle activity to get a glimpse into our evolutionary past
SmartICE: Supporting Inuit knowledge of the landscape with technology
Technology for sensing ice thickness helps with judgements about whether hunting or travel is safe
