Quirks & Quarkswith Bob McDonald
Latest
Jun 13: What if we hadn't locked down? The return of race science and more...
A dinosaur’s last meal and maybe we can go to Mars, but should we?
Analysis
Science strike for Black Lives Matter
Bob McDonald's blog: shutting down research for a day to focus on how to eliminate anti-Black racism
What if we hadn't locked down? Studies show we saved many millions of lives
Scientists think mandating mask wearing could help us avoid another costly lockdown in the future
The return of race science — the quest to fortify racism with bad biology
A book offers a timely exploration of the re-emergence of 'scientific' attempts to explain perceived racial differences
A dinosaur's last meal of fresh ferns fossilized in incredible detail
Dinosaur died on a full stomach, before being trapped in mud for 100 million years
Pathway to Mars
Is it ethical to go to the red planet?
We consider possible harm to Mars, whether it's ethical to ask astronauts to go on such a dangerous trip, and the potential moral hazards around terraforming and 'colonizing' another planet.
Jun 6: Detecting COVID in sewage, SpaceX's Crew Dragon, pet dogs fail at rescue and more …
AI sources fossil poop, and the insect apocalypse
Analysis
A beacon of hope on World Oceans Day
Bob McDonald's blog: Social media movements focusing on conservation success stories may help restore motivation in the face of often negative news
The key to early detection of COVID-19 outbreaks might be in sewage
'We may actually start seeing genetic signals of the virus up to a week prior to its manifestation within the community.'
SpaceX takes humans to orbit, but who loses in the new landscape of space launch?
SpaceX seems to have won the private race to put humans in space, and competitors like Boeing and the Russian space program could be put in an awkward place.
Experiment shows dogs might be willing to help you in a crisis, but they probably aren't able
Dogs showed anxiety in a situation where their owners were trapped, but most couldn't free them.
Machine learning helps archaeologists identify the source of ancient poop
Ancient feces can be a gold mine of information. But only if scientists know what left it behind.
Can we avoid an 'insect apocalypse' with a new appreciation for creepy-crawlies?
A new study looks at the global health of insect populations, and a new book calls for us to re-think our relationship with bugs in order to help save them.
May 30: Swearing makes pain more tolerable, Mt. St. Helens 40 years later and more…
Turning plants into carnivores and COVID reopening speedbumps
Analysis
A secret military space plane is carrying an experiment to harvest power from space
Bob McDonald's blog: A pizza box-sized prototype will demonstrate the possibility of solar power satellites, which have been a long-held dream of space enthusiasts.
The science of why bad words feel so good during painful moments
Fake swear words like ‘fouch’ and ‘twizpipe’ just can’t compete with the f-word when it comes to helping people tolerate pain
40 years ago, Mount St. Helens blew its top. Here's how it got green again
Four decades after the eruption, the ecosystems in the area have recovered in surprising ways thanks to a few special heroes.
Recycling spare genes was how some plants turned into carnivores
'They were able to move genes for nutrient uptake from the root to the leaf to make the leaf a root'
COVID reopening: hoping it goes right - watching carefully how it might go wrong
With COVID-19 still circulating, how can we know if we need to lock down again. And will people be willing to make that sacrifice?
May 23: Can COVID cut climate emissions permanently? Robot stand-up comedy and more...
Evolving animals from worm guts to fish fingers and adapting to climate change on the prairies
Analysis
Are clear skies a sign that we'll soon retire the combustion engine?
Bob McDonald's blog: Pollution free skies over cities during the pandemic are an opportunity to ponder the next technological revolution.
Turning COVID-related drop in CO2 emissions into a plan to fight climate change
Carbon emissions experience biggest decline since WWII. But how can we keep it that way as lockdowns lift?
A stand-up robot understands that timing is the secret to comedy
A joke telling robot just finished 32 shows where it got a lot of laughs, but also a lot of data that can help scientists better understand human-robot interactions
Fish fingers and bilateral symmetry — new fossils shed light on critical stages of evolution
Recent discoveries give clues about two critical stages in the evolution of modern complex animals
Prairie farmer says he's 'pretty much gambling' with unstable conditions — made worse by climate change
In a documentary from Winnipeg-based producer Tom Jokinen, we look at how tech-savvy farmers and academic scientists are working to adapt to changing conditions on Prairie farms.
