Quirks & Quarkswith Bob McDonald
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Sept. 15, 2018 - Summer Science - Camping under a volcano, plastic in beluga bellies and more
Arctic char and climate change, water filters for African villages and CO2 from forest fires
Bob McDonald's blog
When the Soviets held superiority in space
Bob recounts his visit to some of the sites of the early Soviet space program.
The moment they arrived, the volcano began exploding
An active volcano in Peru provides one Canadian researcher with the experience of a lifetime
Digging deep in a beluga whale's belly looking for plastic pollution
A young researcher investigates whether the Arctic whales are contaminated with microplastic
Will the water be too warm for fish to spawn? Studying climate change and Arctic char
A researcher studying Arctic char in Nunavut attracts a following of hungry bears, wolves and Arctic fox.
Canadian engineering talent helps develop water filters in Africa
A young Canadian researcher is helping to develop a cost effective system in Tanzania
How do CO2 emissions from forest fires compare to those from fossil fuels?
Scientist estimate that the forest fires in British Columbia this summer emitted two to three times as much CO2 as the province emitted from fossil fuel burning
Sept. 8, 2018 - With more species at risk than resources to save them, conservationists face hard choices
Many species are dying out, and there aren’t enough resources to save them all. How do we start a conversation about what to save, and how much we're willing to pay for it?
Bob McDonald's blog
Moving to the west coast made me more of an environmentalist
Years of closeness to the sea, the vistas and the wilderness have been transformative
Sept 1, 2018 - Gene editing in dogs, wildfire prediction, Zika fizzles and more
Extinct cave bears’ DNA legacy, Russians miss a missile, fake news, vaccine and is the Earth gaining weight.
Gene editing fixes muscular dystrophy in dogs — and humans could be next
Researchers used CRISPR gene editing successfully in a large animal to repair DNA mutations
Soot and smoke are the secret to predicting how forest fires might behave
Understanding the elements of fire better will allow controlled burns to be done more safely
The Zika epidemic 'vaccinated' half of Latin America, so it won't happen again
A study in Nicaragua suggests about 50% of the population actually got Zika during the 2015-2016 epidemic
DNA evidence shows huge cave bears mated with brown bears before they went extinct
Modern brown bears still carry DNA from their extinct giant relatives.
One of Russia's missiles is missing — and it could be a secret nuclear disaster
A test flight of what is rumoured to be a nuclear-powered cruise missile ended in a crash in the Barents sea.
This online game could be a 'psychological vaccine' for fake news
How to get the fake news bug out of your system.
Is Earth getting heavier or lighter?
The Earth loses more weight in the form of escaping hydrogen gas every year than it gains by taking in dust and meteors.
Aug. 25th, 2018: An ancient human hybrid child, universal blood, parasites parasitize each other and more
Drones protect airports from birds, machine learning transcends humans and wildfires and wildlife.
'Completely mind-blowing' discovery of a hybrid of two extinct human species
Researchers discover the remains of a child with a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father
UBC researchers have found a way to convert any blood type to the universal O
Researchers have found a new technique that could increase the blood supply for emergencies, when there is little time to test for blood type compatibility.
When one parasite sucks the life out of another parasite
The love vine sucks the life out of the gall wasp as both parasitize a host oak tree.
Drone 'sheepdogs' steer flocks away from airports to prevent bird strikes
Intelligent autonomous drones can herd birds out of the danger zone and could improve flight safety
A computer taught itself the toughest game on the planet. And it's just getting started
A new self-teaching artificial intelligence is now the world's best Go player - and invents new ways to play.
What are the impacts of forest fires on wildlife?
The speed at which a forest fire spreads determines which species can escape, and which ones do not.
August 18, 2018 - Canada bans neonics, tracking animals from space, and more
Also, elephant zombie gene fights cancer, elephant repellents, feeding the world well and moon tides
