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Some of the oceans biggest, most powerful predators, like certain sharks and tuna, are “mesothermic” or warm-bodied. Running hot allows them to rapidly convert their food to energy and heat, helping them swim faster and hunt in cold waters. But that advantage may become a disadvantage in a warming climate, meaning these fish need to find new ways of cooling off, or face a new threat to their survival. PLUS: Ancient Peruvians traded parrots across deserts and mountains From the archive: David, Ja...
Gold miners working in the Yukon regularly find ancient ground squirrel burrows throughout the permafrost, many containing fossilized feces. Researchers analyzing these well-preserved poop piles found they contain some of the oldest DNA ever recovered, dating from 30,000 to 700,000 years ago. Tucked inside were traces of a wide range of ancient animals, including woolly mammoths, grasshoppers, steppe bison, ancient horses, American cheetahs, as well as hundreds of plant species. PLUS: ‘Super-goo...
150 years ago, Charles Darwin noticed that birds and humans were both drawn to bright plumage and elaborate display. He called this interspecies esthetic appreciation a “shared taste for the beautiful.” Now, in a recent study, an interdisciplinary team of scientists built an online game exploring the mating calls of 16 different species and discovered, to their surprise, that humans and animals agree on which sounds are more attractive. PLUS: How the brain can learn to truly multitask From the a...
The newly described Tylosaurus rex was a violent bus-sized Komodo dragon-like creature with serrated teeth. Dubbed the ‘T. rex of the sea,’ it would have occupied the top of the food chain in the marine ecosystem over 80 million years ago. PLUS: Pigeons use their livers to find their way home From the archives: How Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars Scientists discover an underground network of lakes hidden under Arctic ice New book explores the million year history of how we sleep — and wh...
Scientists recorded audio and video of 8 different kinds of rockfish living in the wild near British Columbia, and were surprised they could tell the species apart through their various grunts, pops and knocks, even though the fish are closely related. PLUS: DNA identifies four Franklin Expedition sailors — and solves a 160-year-old mystery Immune cells that fight infection get a boost from food Radio waves let us see the unseeable: black holes, pulsars and volcanoes on Venus From the archives: ...
This Quirks and Quarks episode explores diverse scientific mysteries, from the role of infrasound in creating "haunted" sensations to the intricate chemical sensing octopuses use to find mates in the dark. It also delves into the surprising physics behind dandelion seed dispersal and the revolutionary application of digital twin hearts for treating arrhythmias with unprecedented success. Finally, an archival interview revisits the discovery of Lucy, our ancient human ancestor, and a listener question explains the evolutionary advantages of evergreen trees.
On the morning of August 10, 2025, a landslide in a fjord along the southern Alaskan coast triggered a mega tsunami. It generated the second highest wave ever recorded that reached up to 481 metres above sea level. A new study suggests that catastrophic events like this are more likely to occur as our climate warms and glaciers melt. PLUS: The hantavirus at the centre of the outbreak struck Argentina in 2018. What did we learn? Raccoons enjoy solving puzzles, just for the fun of it What animal p...
Cocaine and many other chemicals and drugs are found in many waterways, but especially around wastewater treatment plants. Scientists exposed wild juvenile Atlantic salmon to cocaine and its byproduct to see how it impacted their behaviour in the wild. As a result, the fish swam twice as far, which could put them in more danger.
IDEAS, hosted by Nahlah Ayed is a weekday podcast that explores how ideas shape our world. “One of your tribe is enough.” That’s what Margaret Rossiter was told when she said she wanted to study female scientists in the ‘70s. Nevertheless, Rossiter persisted. She found and documented hundreds of women whose contributions to science had been overlooked, under-credited and misappropriated. Then she made history herself by coining the term “The Matilda Effect” to describe why those women failed to ...
Seabird poop plays a surprising role in bringing life to barren islands, spreading nutrients throughout the ocean, and even creating wealth for an ancient human empire. PLUS: The precursors of written language go back a lot earlier than we thought Dolphins exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill also more likely to be hit by boats From the archives: Canadian astronomer spots a supernova visible to the naked eye Quirks Question: How do beavers choose their trees? Mapping the universe in three ...
We tend to think of animals like snakes, rats and even cockroaches as pests, but in her new book, biologist Marlene Zuk says there's a lot we can learn from these less than desirable creatures, if we just give them a chance. PLUS: A case of mistaken identity: The truth about the world's 'oldest' octopus fossil From the archives: Carl Sagan on the worlds beyond our solar system The evolutionary cost of our relationship with fire We're not speaking as much as we used to — and scientists are concer...
There's been a growing movement to develop new technologies to replace at least some of the animals used in scientific research. Researchers across Canada are working to create these tools, to usher in a new animal-free era for medical science. PLUS: Harbor seals can 'talk' thanks to their parrot-like brains 'Flaming hot' water ice may explain Neptune and Uranus' strange magnetism A thigh bone that could represent the oldest evidence of our human lineage The ravens of Yellowstone remember where ...
On their mission around the moon, Jeremy Hansen and his crewmates will become the only four people on Earth to ever lay eyes on the entire far side of the moon. Since joining the space program, the Artemis astronauts have been undergoing intensive geological training to help train their eyes to look for lunar features that satellites can't pick up. PLUS: How Neanderthals skillfully hunted and butchered a giant elephant Filming fish over their lifetime reveals behaviours that lead to longevity Ho...
New research confirms that dogs were the first animal to form a domestic relationship with humans, dating back to the end of the last Ice Age almost 16,000 years ago. PLUS: Constructing shelters out of Martian soil may be possible with bacterial help Male-on-male cricket 'twerking' and 'booty bumping' is not a case of mistaken identity Narrowing down potential alien signals from 12 billion to 100, thanks to SETI Researchers find a brain switch in mice to turn a deadbeat dad into a doting one...
An unusual hellscape of a planet found 34 light years from Earth has a deep ocean of molten magma surrounded by noxious, hot, rotten egg-type fumes. It just may be the most uninhabitable alien landscape we've ever come across. PLUS: Neanderthal DNA can help explain how human faces form Nearly indestructible teeny tiny tardigrades struggle to survive in Martian dirt Tiny tags on monarch butterflies allow scientists to track their exact migration route A weird fish has a big hole in its head. Scie...
We used to think that of our primate relatives, chimps were the more aggressive ape and bonobos were more peaceful. A recent study found that bonobos are just as antagonistic as chimps, but it's the females targeting males. PLUS: Mission to deflect an asteroid was a smashing success Low gravity environments can lead to stronger blood clots in astronauts From fire to galaxy formation, a celebration of friction as a fundamental force Winter spiders survive subzero temperatures with a potent antifr...
You may have seen Black Hole, the image, but have you heard of the upcoming Black Hole, The Movie? This week, astronomers launched a new campaign to capture video footage of the supermassive black hole pulsing at the heart of the M87 galaxy. PLUS: Sunlight and fungi inspiration can help recycle plastic waste into vinegar Ancient kangaroos were hopping giants How monogamy helps termite colonies number in the millions Our infant universe's primordial soup was soupy, according to new study...
Starfish don't have brains, and yet they're able to mobilize hundreds of tiny hydraulic tube feet to get around. Now scientists are getting an understanding of just how they do that. PLUS: Atmospheric pollution from an individual rocket re-entry event measured for the first time How the Earth’s greenhouse age transitioned into a world with frozen poles What is dark matter? The contenders — from WIMPs to dark matter stars Quirks Question: why doesn’t flowing water freeze at the same temperature a...
From the pressurized space suits to living in underground spaces, it's clear that living on Mars would cause irreversible biological changes to any humans living there, to the point that it may be impossible for them or their descendants to return to Earth. With bigger heads and lighter bodies, might we also end up looking like Martians? PLUS: Yellowstone’s predators battle it out, and wolves remain top dog fossil of the earliest veggie-eater found in Nova Scotia Covid is disappearing in animals...
An elephant’s trunk is incredibly strong and rugged, and yet it is one of the most sensitive touch organs in the animal kingdom. New research reveals that this sensitivity is partly powered by over 1000 whiskers. PLUS: A new 'inside out' solar system is making astronomers question planet formation Paleo-Inuit people in the high Arctic were masterful seafarers, new study shows Two-month-old babies can categorize objects in their brain How insects deal with smog or microplastics can impact them an...
Researchers made the surprising discovery that Alaska beluga whales have swinging sex lives — and that could be their key to survival in the warming Arctic. Plus: mission to the 'doomsday' Thwaites glacier in Antarctica ends in disappointment near-infrared light therapy offers hope to football players with brain injuries with nuclear power making a comeback, what's changed since the last Atomic Age?
Scientists spent nearly 25 years studying close to 800 polar bears in the Barents Sea region and discovered that those polar bears seem to be doing just fine, even though melting sea ice is also a major issue. PLUS: Sargassum seaweed is becoming such a problem, you can see it from space Why some people only get mild sniffles with a cold and others get sick A woolly rhino's DNA found in an ancient wolf’s stomach reveals their quick demise How to change a memory — one scientist's quest to understa...
Some dogs are more adept at learning language than others. Researchers studying these special dogs discovered that, much like toddlers, these smart furry canine companions can pick up words just by eavesdropping on their owners' conversations. PLUS Tracking space debris using seismometers Using nitrogen to boost trees How Mars shapes our climate Extracting ice age mammoth RNA and using lichens to find dino bones
We may share a common ancestor with chimpanzees, but somewhere along the evolutionary line to us, our brains took a major detour. New research suggests that chimpanzees can rationally weigh evidence, a trait that used to be thought as uniquely human. PLUS: Why penguin-eating pumas live closer together in Patagonia Ants sacrifice the strength of individual workers for quantity Mapping the landmass beneath Antarctica's massive ice sheet How deep sea ocean environments affect fish body shape...
An unassuming fossilized slab in the basement of a museum in Brazil turned out to be 110-million-year-old dinosaur vomit, and inside that vomit were the bones of two strange, seagull-sized pterosaurs. PLUS: Loss of fresh groundwater is now the leading driver of sea level rise How doubting your self-doubt makes you doubt less A huge black hole in a peculiar galaxy may date from the universe’s earliest moments Shining a light on where viruses hide out in our bodies, and how they make us sick...
On this week’s episode of Quirks & Quarks, it's our ever-popular and always satisfying Holiday Listener Question Show that includes: Why did a Canadian astronaut's eyesight change when she went to space? How is the dust inside our homes changing? Why do some professional athletes stick out their tongues when they play? Why are most fruits round, but bananas and pineapple are not? What would have happened if the dino-killing asteroid never struck Earth? We'll satisfy all these scientific curi...
In 2000, Quirks & Quarks celebrated its 25th anniversary by travelling forward in time — to 2025 — to find out how science had changed in the years since. In this fictitious future, our present, Zargon the robot, wakes up a Bob McDonald clone from the year 2000 to speak with scientists about 25 years of science. It's a mindbending audio time-capsule with predictions that were oddly prescient, sometimes unsettling or wildly wrong.
We talk to authors of some of this year’s most fascinating science books in our annual Holiday Book Show. INCLUDING: Questioning the purpose of whale song — for love or echolocation? Journeying through deep geological time to better tackle problems of the future Biological sex is complicated but that's what helps animals like humans thrive Mini reviews of: The Martians by David Baron, Dinner With King Tut by Sam Kean and The Mind Electric by Pria Anand....
Next stop - the moon! Jeremy Hansen stops by our studio to chat about how he’s prepping to be the first Canadian to go to the moon. Plus: Santa’s reindeer may be losing their antlers –– and climate change could be the culprit Reindeer are the only animal in the deer family where the females also grow antlers, and they typically have a full rack over the wintertime and drop them in June when they give birth. University of Guelph PhD student Allegra Love was monitoring reindeer on Fogo Island in N...
Scientists are shedding light on the strange, car-sized, armoured fish that lived 360 million years ago in what is now Cleveland. Plus: The cosmic collider that gave us our moon came from our own solar system, soccer fanatics' brains are wired differently than regular fans, industrial chemicals are hurting our microbiome, and scientists are using our brains to build a better computer.
