Quirks & Quarkswith Bob McDonald
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Dec 7: Inflammation and the brain, NASA visits the sun, climate shrinks birds and more…
Ancient paint from lake goo, smelling without olfactory bulbs and tweeting birds
Bob McDonald's blog
Climate models have been right all along, new study says
A study of past climate models found they were accurate compared to what we've observed.
Our brains could be collateral damage in our body's fight against infection
Inflammation is a double-edged sword in how it fights infections yet can turn on us
NASA's mission to touch the sun reveals 'rogue waves' and flipping magnetic fields
First results from the mission might help explain how the sun's atmosphere reaches such extreme temperatures
Songbirds are shrinking and climate change may be to blame
Smaller size might make it harder for songbirds to migrate each year
Ancient Indigenous people made durable rock paint from lake goo
The paint for the vivid red petroglyphs at Babine Lake, B.C., has an unusual source
Scientists surprised to discover women lacking olfactory bulbs can smell just fine
The olfactory bulb in the brain was thought to be an essential part of our sense of smell
Do different species of birds understand each other's tweets?
Birds of different species do no understand each other's territorial or mating songs, but they do seem to recognize the alarm calls of different species
Nov 30: Tipping into climate catastrophe, blue whale heartbeat, thinking twice on fake news and more…
A swift-swimming tunabot and the life of an ‘under-wolf’
Bob McDonald's blog
Astronomers anxious about plans to launch thousands of new satellites
New constellations of communications satellites could obscure the stars
Climate scientists warn we're on the precipice of disastrous 'tipping points'
Slow temperature changes could 'tip over' into catastrophic, fast and irreversible transformations
Thar she beats! The challenge of measuring a blue whale's pulse
A researcher channels his inner Ahab to attach a heart monitor to the world's largest animal
Think twice about posting once — breaking the fake news cycle
People share fake news less when they're prompted to think about its accuracy
Imitating a swift-swimming fish helps researchers build a speedy 'tunabot'
The tunabot can swim four body lengths per second, making it one of the fastest bio-inspired underwater robots.
The triumphant life of an 'under-wolf' in Yellowstone
Wolf researcher Rick McIntyre's book tell the story of one of the first reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone park
Nov 23: Psychedelics and 'waking-dreams,' adding feeling to virtual reality, the greatest ape and more…
AI learns how music affects us, foreign accent syndrome and the latitude of venomous animals.
Bob McDonald's blog
Yet another claim that someone's seen life on Mars
It's easy to be fooled by fuzzy images of rocks with interesting shapes and tricks of sunlight and shadow.
The psychedelic DMT modifies brain waves to produce 'waking-dreams'
DMT is so powerful it creates a ‘sense of entering other realities or dimensions that feel more real in this reality.’
New device adds a sense of touch to virtual reality
VR has typically worked with sight and sound, but we may be soon playing computer games with feeling
The greatest ape — an extinct, half-ton monster — now has its place on our family tree
Gigantopithecus might have been 3m tall and 600kg, but left behind minimal remains, but a new technique has allowed us to understand how it's related to other apes
Machines on music — AI helps figure out how music tickles your brain and your body
Researchers studied how musical features affected the brain, body and emotional response
'Now I have a lovely Scottish brogue' — The science behind foreign accent syndrome
People who suddenly start speaking with a foreign accent are rare, making it hard to investigate. A recent study by doctors and linguists offers insight into its triggers and what we're really hearing.
Why are there fewer venomous animals in colder climates?
Most venomous animals are ectotherms or cold-blooded animals such as snakes, spiders and jellyfish. Since they're unable to regulate their own temperature, fewer are found in cooler climates.
Nov 16: Watching wildfire with radar, the return of race science and more…
Laundry and microplastic, submarines for your bloodstream and oxygen for airplanes
Bob McDonald's blog
Get some sleep, and get your brain washed
One new study showed a way the brain, during deep sleep, could be cleansing itself of toxic waste. Sadly, our busy lifestyles and addiction to devices is making deep sleep more rare.
