Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald
Latest
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.
'Like going to the movies': Early humans may have enjoyed animated rock art by firelight
Hunter-gatherers may have enjoyed dynamic, moving pictures long before the first movie was shown some 140 years ago, according to a study that examined engraved stone tablets created around 15,000 years ago.
April 23: Shallow water on Europa, tourists making iguanas diabetic, dolphin social netorking and more…
Working out how dinosaurs walked and what to do to save the world’s coral reefs.
Analysis
Scientists say a return to Uranus should be a highest priority
Bob McDonald's blog: In 1986 Voyager flew by the distant giant planet, but we haven't been back since, and now a U.S. advisory panel says its time to give Uranus a close look.
Ridges on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa could mean water — and life
Scientists have found that Jupiter's moon Europa may have liquid water relatively near the surface, which increases the possibility of the existence of life.
Q&A
New book details race to save coral reefs around the world
Coral reefs support some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, but lately they've been struggling due to pollution, fishing practices and warming oceans. Oceanographer and science writer Juli Berwald lays out the science happening around the world to save coral in her new book called Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs.
Apr 16: Legless fossils, smells of the past, research with Russia and more…
Sleeping sharks and the new story of the first peoples in the Americas.
Apr 9: Arctic plastic pollution, the 'drunken monkey' hypothesis, the songs of the manatee and more…
Indigenous-led caribou conservation, the Norse in brown-land and tropical tree leaves
Does a Canadian millionaire's private flight to the space station mark a new era in space travel?
Bob McDonald's blog: Mark Pathy paid $55M for his ticket to the publicly funded space station. In the future, space tourists may be visiting a private space station.
Indigenous-led conservation program saves caribou herd from extinction
A collaboration between two First Nations in British Columbia led to a program that is being celebrated as one of the first caribou conservation success stories in the world.
Apr 2: New human genome, lion cuddle chemical, Pluto's ice volcanoes and more…
Deconstructing de-extinction, giant crocodiles in BC
Q&A
Scientists sequence complete, gap-free human genome for the first time
When the human genome was first sequenced over 20 years ago, it was a huge scientific feat, often compared to the significance of putting a man on the moon. But it was only 92% complete. Now scientists have a new edition of the human genome that fills in the blanks in the old version.
Northern lights a reminder of the sun's influence on Earth
Bob McDonald's blog: This week, an enormous blob of plasma shot out from the sun like a tornado out of a thunderstorm, resulting in a beautiful light show across our skies.
Mar 26: Boa breathing, green fire retardant vampire bat evolution and more…
Building urban biodiversity and fungal leather
Genetically modified space salad could help prevent astronauts' bone loss, researchers say
Bob McDonald's blog: Scientists have developed a transgenic lettuce that produces a bone stimulating hormone. They say it could help prevent bone loss in astronauts.
Mar 19: A sabretooth hypercarnivore, pack hunting spiders, urban trees and invasive insects, and more…
Testing a baleen whale’s hearing, tire rubber pollution, clothes that listen to you and lithium mining in Ontario.
Analysis
Walking like a dinosaur (or bird): This robot's legs are designed for maximum efficiency
Bob McDonald's blog: Birds and their ancestors the dinosaurs have been walking on two limbs for more than 100 million years, so its not surprising they do it well enough to inspire imitation.
As the problem of feeding the world gets bigger, some farmers go back to the soil
Some experts say our food systems are already at a breaking point and the need to feed an estimated 10 billion people by 2050 will create tremendous pressure on a structure that's been pushed to — and perhaps even past — its environmental limits. But here's how agriculture is changing.
