Deer Sleeping in Snow

February 17, 2023 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

by Jan ThornhillDeer sleeping forms. They're pretty compact when it's below freezing, with their back legs tucked under. Deer put on a lot of fat in the fall, and their winter hair is hollow for added insulation. Their skinny, uninsulated legs are heat exchangers – warm blood pumped from their core runs alongside veins filled with cooled...

Sea That?

February 10, 2023 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

by Margriet RuursNot long ago I was at the Dead Sea in Jordan.This large ‘lake’ is about 65 KM from the capital city of Jordan, called Amman. Amman is at 700 meters above sea level and can be chilly in Fall or Winter. But a one hour drive to the floor of the Jordan River...

Dogs and Smell

February 3, 2023 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

If you ask someone what animal has the best sense of smell, chances are that most people will answer “Dogs”. Not a bad answer, though not quite right. At least two others are better. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell. That's why we use dogs to track and find people who are lost, buried in...

Sci/Why 2023-01-05 22:34:00

January 5, 2023January 5, 2023 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

Branching Outby Joan Marie GalatI love spending time in forest habitat. The air is fresh, animals signs are everywhere, and the world feels like a quieter place. My interest in these giants of the plant world led me to write a book for ages 8-12 that explores how people and animals depend on trees. Branching Out: How...

Learning About River Mapping

December 30, 2022 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

Did you ever wonder what path a raindrop takes when it falls past your window? Will it reach the ocean? WHICH ocean? I asked that question when we were living on a farm north of Edmonton in Alberta, and investigated with maps and online maps. Turns out, the stream on our farm trickles into a...

A Tardigrade Christmas!

December 26, 2022December 26, 2022 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

Check out Nina Munteanu's blog for a charming tale about a tardigrade, blending some science facts with her fiction! Here's the link at https://themeaningofwater.com/2022/12/25/a-tardigrade-christmas-a-different-christmas-story-with-a-nod-to-lewis-carroll/Happy Christmas and other good wishes of the season to all!

Velvet Worms

December 2, 2022 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

by Kim WoolcockWhen I started writing It’s Tough to be Tiny, I didn’t know what a velvet worm was. I stumbled across a reference to them while researching small creatures with superpowers, and the name immediately hooked me. Velvet worms?? Would they be fuzzy and cute? And why had I never heard of them?It turns...

Eat Bugs, Save the Forest?

November 21, 2022November 28, 2022 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

by Anne Munier As a food source, insects have an awful lot going for them. They are extremely nutritious, can be found just about everywhere, reproduce quickly, and -- according to entomophagic enthusiasts (a.k.a. committed bug eaters) -- they taste pretty darn good! Two billion or so people in the world make insects a regular...

Book Launch for Superpower!

November 8, 2022November 8, 2022 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

There's a book launch this week for Sci/Why writer Elaine Kachala. If you're in Toronto, come on down to MAKERKIDS Leaside at 1661 Bayview in East York. On Thursday, November 10 from 6:00 to 8:00pm there will be an open house with Elaine Kachala attending. Show up for STEM activities, snacks & drinks at this...

Spongebob and Patrick sighting!

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022 Sci/Why Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

There's a certain sponge and his friend, a seastar, in a television cartoon. If you've ever caught a few minutes of the cartoon show with SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick, you'll recognise those characters in some real sea creatures filmed by a remotely operated undersea vehicle. Click here for a link to a short article on...

Author: Sci/Why