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Oct 22: Brain cells play pong, genes for surviving the Black Death, a penguins extra egg and more…
Black hole burps and a natural history of spirits
Q&A
In time for a Halloween tipple? A new book about the science of spirits
Alcohol is intertwined with many aspects of human history and culture — and has been for thousands of years. A new book explores spirits like whisky, vodka, and rum in the context of evolution, ecology, history, primatology, chemistry and molecular biology.
Celebrate Bob McDonald's 30 years as host of Quirks & Quarks
Get tickets for our live show on Oct. 25, or contribute a story or memory to the show.
Oct 15: Did life on Mars exterminate itself? Stone-age super-glue, African origins for dinosaurs and more...
Wolves’ attachment to humans, Nobel for Neanderthals and downloading the mind
Analysis
A titanic collision could have formed the moon within hours, new simulation shows
Bob McDonald's blog: Researchers at NASA and in the UK developed the highest resolution simulation of the collision between a hypothetical rogue planet dubbed Theia and a primitive Earth that is the best explanation they have for how the Moon was formed.
Oct 8: Nobel for quantum entanglement, mystery of the missing bear toes, the dinosaurs' last tsunami and more…
The genetics of the Anglo-Saxon takeover of England and activists work to 'Support our Science’
Analysis
Computer simulation recreates the giant tsunami that washed over the dying dinosaurs
Bob McDonald's blog: Researchers have created a computer simulation of the tsunami caused by a giant asteroid impact in the Gulf of Mexico and found it would have created a 1.5 km tall wall of water that decreased in size as it swept around the world.
Oct 1: Redirecting an asteroid, rainforest politics, wildlife and COVID and more…
Megalodon was a monster, Indigenous perspectives on Astronomy
Q&A
Mi'kmaw astronomer says we should acknowledge we live under Indigenous skies
Mi'kmaw astonomer Dr. Hilding Neilson thinks we should go beyond land acknowledgements and think about sky acknowledgments as well, since we live under Indigenous skies. An astrophysicist at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Neilson has been working to integrate Indigenous knowledge and methodologies into Astronomy.
Sep 24: The Milky Way tells its story, raccoon criminal masterminds, back to the water and more...
A medieval hate crime and a city's summer smells.
Analysis
James Webb Space Telescope offers spectacular new picture of Neptune's rings — but Voyager got there first
Bob McDonald's blog: Neptune's faint, dark rings are almost impossible to see using Earth-based telescopes. The best view we've had of them was from the 1989 Voyager 2 flyby. Now the James Webb telescope has produced a beautiful new image.
Q&A
A new book lets the Milky Way speak for itself — and it's kind of a jerk
A new book, "The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy," by astrophysicist Moiya McTier, imagines our galaxy using its own voice to spill the beans on topics like how it came to be, what it really thinks of us humans, its complicated relationships with other galaxies — and how it will likely meet its demise.
How trash bandits, furry and feathered, outsmart humans for food
In their quest for food, animals venture into human environments to access one of the richest urban food sources: garbage. Two new studies published this month detail how cockatoos and raccoons, two notorious trash bandits, are using their smarts to overcome human obstacles and fill their stomachs.
Sep 17: 10,000 steps really are good for you, Astronomers thrilled by JWST, garbage picking cockatoos and more
On thin ice with Canadian glaciologists and red skies at night?
Walking 10K steps a day is a health sweet spot, study finds — and walking faster is even better
In recent years, walking 10,000 steps a day has become a popular fitness goal, but until now, there hasn’t been much scientific research to back that number. A new study looking at people wearing fitness trackers has finally determined that it is indeed a sweet spot for a range of health outcomes, but how fast you walk is also important.
Analysis
On thinning ice: This summer I got up close and personal with glaciers
Bob McDonald's blog: This summer I ventured into the land of ice at the top of the world. I wandered among towering icebergs, and came face to face with calving glaciers.
Sep 10: Our Summer in the Field special
For many of us, summer is the time for things like beaches, bike rides, and BBQs. For some scientists, however, summertime is also when they are at their busiest, travelling to remote locations to get up close and personal with nature.
Analysis
Artemis SLS rocket has taken years longer to develop than the Apollo moon program
Bob McDonald's blog: NASA's giant rocket program, plagued by delays and cost overruns, may finally launch, just as a private competitor might be ready to do it faster and cheaper. But does what looks like a boondoggle have hidden value?
September 3: Best of Quirks & Quarks - Summer Listener Question Show
In this show we'll answer listener questions like: Why don't humans have a tail even though we have a tailbone? Why is bird poop white and mammal poop brown? Why can't we remember our early years? What happens when you die in space? And much, much more
August 27: Best of Quirks & Quarks - Digging up the past
We’re digging up our most captivating interviews that provide a glimmer of insight into our ancient ancestors, such as how humans made clothes 120,000 years ago, where modern horses came from, and the discovery that prehistoric people made animated art in caves.
Feeding the future: As the problem of feeding the world gets bigger, some farmers go smaller
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 its environmental limits. We take a look at some of the ways agriculture is trying to adapt.
August 20: Best of Quirks & Quarks - Feeding the Future
Many experts say that our food systems are at a breaking point, and that the way we eat - and what we eat - has to change. But there are solutions, from resilient agriculture, to waste-free food systems, and even meat grown in a vat.
August 13: Best of Quirks & Quarks - Stories from our water world
We’re bringing you stories from our past season about the water on our planet, like an innovative experiment in Australia to protect the wondrous Great Barrier Reef, the sweet secret of seagrass meadows, historic Indigenous oyster fisheries, and more.
August 6: Best of Quirks & Quarks - Insects, arthropods and creepy crawlies
We share some of our favourite stories about creepy-crawlies from the past season, including how ants communicate by swapping vomit, how social spiders hunt in packs, and why you might want to wear a green shirt in mosquito country.
July 30: Best of Quirks & Quarks - Holiday book show
If you’re interested in a few fascinating science books that may inspire conversation around the campfire this summer, we have some suggestions for you.
