news 2023

The Northern Québec caribou is the longest migrating land mammal in North America. The wolf is literally right behind it. If Santa's reindeer share the misfortune of migrating caribou in northern Quebec, there's a good chance they'll have a pack of wolves on their heels during their December 25 jaunt.

Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg's killer whales. A study published today in Scientific Reports is the first to find polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in orcas off the coast of B.C., as well as in utero transfer of the chemicals from mother to fetus.

International scientists including UdeM professor Kevin Wilkinson address the worrisome problem of millions of tonnes of plastic being used on farms around the world. Every year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, some 12.5 million tonnes of plastic are used in agricultural production worldwide.

1st-ever prey found inside fossilized juvenile tyrannosaur leads to deeper understanding about feeding habits of these iconic predators The difference between a juvenile and adult tyrannosaur is massive - both figuratively and literally. While adults weighed around 3,000 kilograms, the weight of a pick-up truck, juveniles were much leaner.

The thick layer of sediment accumulated at the bottom of this lake could be used to study climate change, environmental changes and earthquakes that have occurred over hundreds of thousands of years .

Researchers use AI to identify toxic substances in wastewater with greater accuracy and speed An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify microplastics faster and more accurately than ever before. Microplastics are commonly found in food and are dangerous pollutants that cause severe environmental damage - finding them is the key to getting rid of them.

Waterloo research team partners with BMO to turn pollution into renewable energy  By Nicola Kelly Faculty of Engineering An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo aims to tackle CO2 emissions in the value chain by transforming CO2 into valuable chemicals needed by industry. Supported by BMO, the research focuses on the use of green hydrogen to capture CO2 from power plants as well as the iron, steel, and cement industries, and convert it into useful gases via reverse water gas shift reaction.

The first exploration of the piercing microbiome reveals how a sudden disturbance like a piercing can lead to a fundamental ecological shift that increases biodiversity and lay groundwork for developing skin piercings as a model for understanding how communities respond to rapid environmental change In a new study from McGill researchers bring science into an unexpected setting: a tattoo parlor.

A new study from Simon Fraser researchers examines the Canadian military's efforts to reduce the impacts of underwater noise pollution on species during training exercises in the Pacific Ocean but caveat that more can still be done. The paper, published today in Marine Policy , takes aim at a report commissioned by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) to reduce the effects of noise pollution from military small-arms munitions training within "Whiskey Hotel", a 330-square-kilometre area in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the British Columbia coast.

Researchers describe a novel technique used by polar bears to hunt snow geese Bylot Island, Nunavut, August 8, 2021, 1 p.m. A polar bear approaches a pond where some thirty moulting snow geese - unable to fly - have taken refuge. The bear enters the water, swims stealthily along the surface towards a goose and, once within 30 meters of it, disappears beneath the surface of the wave, then suddenly emerges..

Results from new McGill University study suggest the key to maximizing our ability to protect future biodiversity depends on creating a new national strategy for protected areas prioritizing Canada's rich biodiversity At last year's COP15 conference in Montreal, the Government of Canada set the goal of conserving 30 percent of the country's land and water by 2030.

UdeM biologists produce a first-ever social and ecological profile - in multicoloured map form - of over 600 of the country's lakes, identifying which need to be better preserved. Canada has more lakes than any country in the world - more than 900,000 - and its population depends on them for drinking water, water to irrigate crops, and water in which to fish, swim, and boat on.

The OSIRIS-REx mission is NASA's first mission to collect samples from an asteroid - in this case 101955 Bennu - and return to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is an acronym for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer. The sealed capsule landed on Sept. 24 near Salt Lake City, Utah, a feat that was broadcast live by NASA.

McGill biology researchers found that there are patterns regarding the importance of temperature in determining where species live, shedding light on their sensitivity to climate change As the planet gets hotter, animal and plant species around the world will be faced with new, potentially unpredictable living conditions, which could alter ecosystems in unprecedented ways.

UdeM professor Sandra Binning and her colleagues have developed a predictive model of parasitic infection-related migratory behaviour in different animal species. Migration is a survival mechanism for many species. Animals travel to find food, reproduce, reduce competition, escape predators or escape winter.

Science, Health & Technology Lou Corpuz-Bosshart Local adaptation may protect songbirds against climate change Scientists have unlocked the genetic basis underlying the remarkable variation in body size observed in song sparrows, one of North America's most familiar and beloved songbirds. This discovery also provides insights into this species' capacity to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

University of Waterloo scientists capture carbon and turn it into sustainable, clean fuel Scientists at the University of Waterloo have achieved a historic breakthrough in transforming the carbon dioxide emissions driving climate change into clean fuels. The process, which has been refined over a two-year period, could play a significant role to help decarbonize industrial emissions and boost both the environment and national economies.

DNA of extremophiles living in comparably harsh conditions are similar despite being biologically unrelated The signature written in genomic DNA has long been linked to ancestry, not to geographic location. But a recent study using AI from Western University, published in the high impact journal Scientific Reports , provides evidence that living in extreme temperature environments leaves a discernible imprint on the genomes of microbial extremophiles.

Fibers produced from the slime exhibit a strength akin to nylon, yet they can dissolve in water and be reconstituted into new fibers from the solution In the tropical, temperate forests it calls home, the velvet worm uses a projectile "slime" to capture its prey. When it's ejected from the worm, the slime transforms into a gel before solidifying into stiff fibers upon exposure to air.

Both elegant and fierce, killer whales are some of the oceans' top predators, but even they can be exposed to environmental pollution. Now, in the largest study to date on North Atlantic killer whales, researchers in the American Chemical Society' Environmental Science & Technology report the levels of legacy and emerging pollutants in 162 individuals' blubber.