Science

Emily Lu, a student in the environment science graduate program at Ohio State, tries to extract ribonucleic acid (RNA) from wastewater samples to test for fragments of the coronavirus, March 23, 2022 at a school lab in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos)

Canadian scientists watching for new COVID variants in airplane wastewater

‘A sentinel system for new variants — that’s really where we see the value add of airport testing’

Emily Lu, a student in the environment science graduate program at Ohio State, tries to extract ribonucleic acid (RNA) from wastewater samples to test for fragments of the coronavirus, March 23, 2022 at a school lab in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos)
Mothers breastfeed their babies during a worldwide breastfeeding event Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007 in suburban Taguig City, south of Manila, Philippines. A Canadian study suggests children who were not breastfed while receiving antibiotics in the first year of life had triple the risk of developing asthma because they lacked specific protective sugars found in human milk. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Pat Roque

Kids prescribed antibiotics but not fed breast milk at triple risk of asthma: study

Medications have been linked with disrupting the development of a healthy gut microbiome

Mothers breastfeed their babies during a worldwide breastfeeding event Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007 in suburban Taguig City, south of Manila, Philippines. A Canadian study suggests children who were not breastfed while receiving antibiotics in the first year of life had triple the risk of developing asthma because they lacked specific protective sugars found in human milk. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Pat Roque
Exhibitor Toru Yamanaka wears a Loovic augmented reality device during CES Unveiled before the start of the CES tech show, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Las Vegas. The IoT device, worn around the neck, uses tactile notifications and bone conduction audio to help guide the user without having to constantly look at a map app on their phone. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Best of CES 2023: Electric skates, pet tech and AI for birds

Tech companies of all sizes are showing off their latest products at…

Exhibitor Toru Yamanaka wears a Loovic augmented reality device during CES Unveiled before the start of the CES tech show, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Las Vegas. The IoT device, worn around the neck, uses tactile notifications and bone conduction audio to help guide the user without having to constantly look at a map app on their phone. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A mammal’s foot is seen inside the belly of a fossil of a crow-sized, birdlike dinosaur in an undated handout photo. University of Alberta paleontologist Corwin Sullivan says the fossil is an exceedingly rare glimpse into not only how these ancient animals looked, but into how they behaved and what their environment was like. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-University of Alberta, Alex Dececci

Dining dinosaur fossil has mammal in belly, sheds light on ancient ecosystems

A rare fossil of a dining dinosaur is shedding new light on…

A mammal’s foot is seen inside the belly of a fossil of a crow-sized, birdlike dinosaur in an undated handout photo. University of Alberta paleontologist Corwin Sullivan says the fossil is an exceedingly rare glimpse into not only how these ancient animals looked, but into how they behaved and what their environment was like. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-University of Alberta, Alex Dececci
People pass by large letters spelling out UBC at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver on Nov. 22, 2015. Four British Columbia universities will receive $4.3 million from a government research and innovation program to help fund projects in the fields of health, technology and natural resources. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. universities to receive $4.3 million for innovation research funding: minister

Bulk of the funding going to existing projects at the Vancouver and Okanagan UBC campuses

People pass by large letters spelling out UBC at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver on Nov. 22, 2015. Four British Columbia universities will receive $4.3 million from a government research and innovation program to help fund projects in the fields of health, technology and natural resources. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
FILE - This photo made available by NASA was taken during the first drive of the Perseverance rover on Mars on March 4, 2021. A NASA rover on Mars by chance had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed overhead and caught the sound. Scientists released the first-of-its-kind audio Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP, File)

Mars rover captures 1st sound of dust devil on red planet

What’s a dust devil sound like on Mars? A NASA rover by…

FILE - This photo made available by NASA was taken during the first drive of the Perseverance rover on Mars on March 4, 2021. A NASA rover on Mars by chance had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed overhead and caught the sound. Scientists released the first-of-its-kind audio Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP, File)
Chief science advisor Mona Nemer speaks during a news conference, Thursday, April 23, 2020 in Ottawa. Nemer released the recommendations of a taskforce established in the summer to respond to post-COVID condition, or long-COVID, today ahead of the release of her full report. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Canada’s chief science adviser releases recommendations to combat long-COVID

No consensus on the definition of the condition, but firm acknowledgement that it exists

Chief science advisor Mona Nemer speaks during a news conference, Thursday, April 23, 2020 in Ottawa. Nemer released the recommendations of a taskforce established in the summer to respond to post-COVID condition, or long-COVID, today ahead of the release of her full report. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, joined at right by Arati Prabhakar, the president’s science adviser, announces a major scientific breakthrough in fusion research that was made at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, during a news conference at the Department of Energy in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Fusion breakthrough a milestone for climate, clean energy

For first time ever, humanity produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, joined at right by Arati Prabhakar, the president’s science adviser, announces a major scientific breakthrough in fusion research that was made at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, during a news conference at the Department of Energy in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE - A monarch butterfly pauses in a garden, July 11, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction, an international conservation organization said Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List includes more than 150,000 species, including the monarch butterfly. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Dugong, coral, abalone face extinction threat: conservation watchdog

International Union for Conservation of Nature at United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

FILE - A monarch butterfly pauses in a garden, July 11, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction, an international conservation organization said Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List includes more than 150,000 species, including the monarch butterfly. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
FILE - Corn fields are completely dry in the Kochersberg near Strasbourg eastern France, Aug. 28, 2022. The conference known as COP15, which begins Tuesday, Dec. 6, hopes to set goals for the world for the next decade to help conserve the planet’s biodiversity and stem the loss of nature. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

UN summit: Don’t repeat mistakes on nature, scientists warn

Governments ‘have not succeeded in bending the curve on biodiversity decline’: study

FILE - Corn fields are completely dry in the Kochersberg near Strasbourg eastern France, Aug. 28, 2022. The conference known as COP15, which begins Tuesday, Dec. 6, hopes to set goals for the world for the next decade to help conserve the planet’s biodiversity and stem the loss of nature. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
FILE - This Oct. 7, 2003 file photo shows a closeup of a human brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease, on display at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 - and the next question is how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

Drug slows Alzheimer’s but can it make a real difference?

Lecanemab delayed patients’ worsening by about five months over the course of the 18-month study

FILE - This Oct. 7, 2003 file photo shows a closeup of a human brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease, on display at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 - and the next question is how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
Traffic on the Trans Canada highway passing through Canmore, Alta., Sunday, May 30, 2021. A geologist says the largest earthquake ever recorded in Alberta on Tuesday was probably related to seismic events originating in the Rocky Mountains. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Largest recorded Alberta earthquake probably natural, scientist says

5.6 magnitude quake probably too deep to have been artificially caused

Traffic on the Trans Canada highway passing through Canmore, Alta., Sunday, May 30, 2021. A geologist says the largest earthquake ever recorded in Alberta on Tuesday was probably related to seismic events originating in the Rocky Mountains. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Tristan Tarnowski, ORCASat team member and UVic engineering student, during assembly of the UVic satellite. (Courtesy ORCASat)

Mission accomplished: UVic satellite reaches International Space Station

ORCASat to measure how earth’s atmosphere affects light

Tristan Tarnowski, ORCASat team member and UVic engineering student, during assembly of the UVic satellite. (Courtesy ORCASat)
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is seen during a vaccination clinic at the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. A Canadian study suggests cases of myocarditis are rare but higher than expected among young men who got a second dose of Moderna, though there's little to no difference between that COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech following a third shot. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Rourke

B.C. study finds low but increased risk of myocarditis after 2nd Moderna COVID shot

BC Centre for Disease Control finds men between the ages of 18 and 29 are most at risk

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is seen during a vaccination clinic at the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. A Canadian study suggests cases of myocarditis are rare but higher than expected among young men who got a second dose of Moderna, though there's little to no difference between that COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech following a third shot. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Rourke
University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow Yeling Zhu shows samples of biofoam, a biodegradable packing foam made from wood waste, in a Nov. 5, 2022, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-UBC, Lou Bosshart

B.C. scientists and First Nation create decomposing ‘biofoam’ packaging from wood

Biodegradable material could replace Styrofoam, which currently fills up to 30 per cent of landfills

University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow Yeling Zhu shows samples of biofoam, a biodegradable packing foam made from wood waste, in a Nov. 5, 2022, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-UBC, Lou Bosshart
In this photo provided by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ayla Bashir sits with her mother, Sobia Qureshi, during a physical therapy assessment for Ayla at CHEO in Ottawa on Aug. 23, 2022. The toddler is the first child treated as fetus for Pompe disease, an inherited and fatal disorder in which the body fails to make some or all of a crucial protein. (André Coutu/CHEO via AP)

In a first, doctors treat fatal genetic disease before birth

16-month-old Ottawa toddler now an active, happy girl who has met her developmental milestones

In this photo provided by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ayla Bashir sits with her mother, Sobia Qureshi, during a physical therapy assessment for Ayla at CHEO in Ottawa on Aug. 23, 2022. The toddler is the first child treated as fetus for Pompe disease, an inherited and fatal disorder in which the body fails to make some or all of a crucial protein. (André Coutu/CHEO via AP)
Steeve Biondolillo sits for a portrait on campus at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. With an early childhood in Haiti marked by poverty and other trauma, 19-year-old Biondolillo seems to have beat long odds. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)

Does adversity make you stronger? Scientists say not always

Do genes and other inherent traits, or life experiences and social interactions build resiliency?

Steeve Biondolillo sits for a portrait on campus at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. With an early childhood in Haiti marked by poverty and other trauma, 19-year-old Biondolillo seems to have beat long odds. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)
A bull kelp forest is seen underwater near Victoria in a May 13, 2015, in this handout image. Kelp forests, which can grow 20 to 30 metres tall from the ocean floor, provide food and shelter for thousands of marine species while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Liam Coleman, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Scientists have developed a technique to restore kelp forests for future generations

Climate change and other factors are chopping away at the undersea forests

A bull kelp forest is seen underwater near Victoria in a May 13, 2015, in this handout image. Kelp forests, which can grow 20 to 30 metres tall from the ocean floor, provide food and shelter for thousands of marine species while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Liam Coleman, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
This photo provide by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft shows Swedish scientist Svante Paabo in Leipzig, Germany, April 27, 2010. On Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution. (Frank Vinken for Max-Planck-Gesellschaft via AP)

Nobel win for Swede who unlocked secrets of Neanderthal DNA

‘It’s totally reconfigured our understanding of human variation and human history’

This photo provide by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft shows Swedish scientist Svante Paabo in Leipzig, Germany, April 27, 2010. On Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution. (Frank Vinken for Max-Planck-Gesellschaft via AP)
FILE - Tesla Motors, Inc. CEO Elon Musk speaks at the Paris Pantheon Sorbonne University as part of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on Dec. 2, 2015. An early prototype of Tesla Inc.'s proposed Optimus humanoid robot slowly and awkwardly walked onto a stage, turned, and waved to a cheering crowd at the company's artificial intelligence event Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

Tesla robot walks, waves, but doesn’t show off complex tasks

Early prototype of Tesla Inc.’s proposed humanoid creation showcased at company event

FILE - Tesla Motors, Inc. CEO Elon Musk speaks at the Paris Pantheon Sorbonne University as part of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on Dec. 2, 2015. An early prototype of Tesla Inc.'s proposed Optimus humanoid robot slowly and awkwardly walked onto a stage, turned, and waved to a cheering crowd at the company's artificial intelligence event Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)