Diving into winter hibernation

January 17, 2019 Nature Conservancy of Canada staff Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences

It’s official: winter has made its way across Canada and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Humans layer up to brave the cold and migratory birds make their way to warmer climates, but turtles have their own way of toughing out the cold, Canadian winters.

“Legends of the Lost” Stays Lost

Pic: A screenshot of the opening sequence of Legends of the Lost In December 2018, the Travel Channel aired a 4-episode special (ratings were so low that I highly doubt a second season will be ordered, so I’m calling it a ‘special’ for now) titled “Legends of the Lost”. Hosted by actress Megan Fox, each episode examined a different archaeological topic and featured Fox travelling to various sites and institutions to talk to experts about whatever topic she was exploring in that particular…

The Other Side

January 16, 2019 Graham Young Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, Environmental and Earth Sciences

Saint Andrews, New Brunswick: August, 2018 Basalt and seaweed at Bar Road, Saint Andrews If you travel in the natural world, you have probably noticed places where the bedrock seems to vary drastically and dramatically over a short distance. Perhaps you have seen a place where rocks of different colours are abutted against one another, or where bedrock textures and lineations change. In some cases, this may represent a variation in the deposition of ancient sediments…

Happy… Middle of January

January 16, 2019 L. E. Carmichael Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, General Science

2019, huh. So far, gotta say, not lovin’ it. To be fair, it’s been an especially challenging two weeks. We opened the year with a funeral for Tech Support’s mother, a wonderful woman who is already deeply missed. Air travel and stress led to illness, which led to cancelling my first school visits of the year… and also attempting to write while my brain was cocooned in bubble wrap, thanks to manuscript revisions that had…

The Pet People to Follow in 2019

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 Zazie Todd Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

The canine and feline scientists, pet professionals, bloggers, and organizations to follow on social media in 2019.Are you looking for some new pet-related accounts to follow in 2019? I’ve updated my list of some of the best people and organizations to follow on Twitter and Facebook if you’re interested in companion animals, science, and the human-animal bond.These are people or groups who produce great content of their own AND also have a varied feed that…

Who is today’s Rachel Carson?

January 16, 2019 Sarah Boon Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences

Rachel Carson is often seen as the driver of the modern environmental movement. But who stands in her shoes today?

Winter on the wet West Coast

January 16, 2019 Nature Conservancy of Canada staff Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences

When you picture winter, images of dripping mosses, lichens and ferns along with long, diffused yellow light rays dappling a lush vibrant green forest floor, combined with the playful cries of the bald eagle may not be what come to mind. However, out here on the wet West Coast of British Columbia, winter is anything but white at sea level.

Yes, I’m teaching a tropical field course. No, it’s not a vacation.

January 15, 2019 Stephen Heard Biology and Life Sciences, General Science

Images: Howler monkey (Alouatta pigra); Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus mexicanus); Helmeted basilisk (Corytophanes cristatus). All photos © 2017 S Heard, CC BY 4.0 In March, I’ll be heading to Belize to teach an undergraduate tropical ecology field course (not alone; I have an excellent batch of co-instructors). I mentioned this to someone last week, and their […]

Dr. Crayfish, I presume?

January 15, 2019 Nature Conservancy of Canada staff Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences

Meet a crayfish enthusiast and researcher who goes by the name Dr. Crayfish.

Faut-il avoir peur du sucre et de l’intelligence artificielle ?

January 14, 2019 Bruno Dubuc Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Je voudrais cette semaine essayer de faire quelques liens entre deux sujets qui ne semblent pas en avoir de prime abord : le sucre et l’intelligence artificielle (IA). Plus précisément, d’une part, la trop grande quantité de sucre de la nourriture industrielle qui a quelque chose d’effrayant tellement on découvre à quel point elle est néfaste pour la santé (directement ou par l’excès calorique qu’elle entraîne). Et d’autre part une seconde peur, celle d’une IA…

Biology and Life Sciences