Robert Gooding-Townsend, Science in Society editor Late this February, gas prices in Vancouver surged to over $1.50 a litre, an increase of 20¢ in just two weeks. This was due to the shutdown of a key refinery in Burnaby. Around the same time, Taiwan was running out of toilet paper, which was partly caused by […]

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by Wendy Ho, Nature Conservancy of Canada, guest author With the springing forward of our clocks and increased daylight, many Canadians are getting antsy for the arrival of spring, perhaps especially for our friends in the Atlantic provinces (darn you, Nor’easter!). What can be more delightful than noticing the little signs that signal the arrival […]

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Katrina Vera Wong, Multimedia co-editor When I was 14, I was asked to mix some chemicals together for an exam. The result was a beaker full of dazzling, golden glitter. Until then, chemistry had been an interesting but purely academic subject. But once I saw that first sparkle, I appreciated it on a deeper level. […]

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By Sri Ray-Chauduri, Technology & Engineering Co-editor By all accounts, this has been a tough flu season. According to FluWatch, a surveillance system that monitors flu and flu-like activity across Canada, there have been more than 46,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza so far this season, thousands of hospitalizations, and, unfortunately, hundreds of deaths. Although the […]

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by Sarah Ludlow Previous blog posts have discussed how small songbirds and big brown bats survive the winter. Those blogs briefly covered some strategies used by birds and mammals. But what about amphibians? How do frogs survive the many months of sub-zero temperatures? Amphibians are ectotherms (or cold-blooded, meaning that their body temperature is regulated […]

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Ainslie Butler, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences Subject Editor A recent report in Science described a new cancer screening blood test, CancerSEEK, that promises to dramatically improve rates of cancer diagnosis. This screening tool, developed at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is called a ‘liquid biopsy’ and it tests for eight common types […]

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Par Nahomi Amberber, Co-éditrice Lois et Politique Est-ce que vous savez le nombre de fois qu’on vous a prescrit un antibiotique ou que vous avez utilisé une crème antifongique pour traiter une irritation soudaine? La plupart de gens ne le savent pas, ce qui en dit long sur le rôle que jouent les antibiotiques dans […]

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Alex Chattwood, Editor, Communications, Education & Outreach People are interested in science communication for all kinds of reasons. Me, I’ve used science communication to escape the humdrum of the lab, to occupy myself when out of work, and as an integral part of my current career in science education. As with anything new, I struggled […]

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A look at the past, the present, and the promising future of treating diabetes By Sunitha Chari, Biology and Life Science co-editor Think of some of your favourite foods: pizza, pasta, bread—or perhaps you have a sweet tooth and enjoy desserts and chocolates. Ever wondered why these foods are so appealing? The answer is sugar, […]

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Chantal Mustoe, Chemistry co-editor Tap. Tap. Tap. Drip… Drip… Drip… It’s the end of February and maple trees across the country are about to be tapped for their sweet sap. Step 1: Drill a small hole. Step 2: Insert a tap. Step 3: Gently tap the tap with a hammer. Step 4: Hang a bucket […]

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