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Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:28:18 EST

In the BBC series "Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life," David Attenborough shares his personal view on Darwin's theory of evolution.

The entire episode is broken into six parts, so be sure to visit YouTube to check them out. As usual, there's stunning nature footage galore, so it's well worth a watch.

There May not be Plenty of Fish in the Sea

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Increased aid to developing countries for sustainable fisheries could increase food security worldwide, says a recentarticle in the Feb. 12 issue of Science.

Still, a lack of policy coordination on the issue among nations is threatening seafood supplies, it says.

While the paper looks at trade policies and private incentives as possible options to make the seafood industry more sustainable, it concludes that increased aid for infrastructure in developing countries is the best option, since ...

Urban Growth Puts Forests Under Pressure

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Who cuts down more tropical forests, rural or urban populations? A new study, published in Nature Geoscience, blames urbanization for deforestation.

"The main drivers of tropical deforestation have shifted from small-scale landholders to domestic and international markets that are distant from the forests," said lead author Ruth DeFries in a release.

Some scientists believed that urbanization and efficiencies created by global trade would slow deforestation. These new findings prove the opposite.

People ...

Photojournalism at its Best

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Recently, photojournalist Brent Foster turned me on to the innovative work of Lucas Oleniuk and Randy Risling over at the Toronto Star.

By taking a series of still photographs and showing them rapidly in sequence, the two have created a style somewhere between animation and video that looks like something you'd see in a zoetrope.

Their subject is equally interesting. Using scraps from a local junkyard in Malawi, Africa, William Kamkwamba harnessed the wind to change the lives of people in ...

All-Black Penguin Defies Convention

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

National Geographic photographer Andrew Evans has captured something you're not likely to see again - a King Penguin without its tux.

The all-black bird took biologists aback when it showed up on the island of South Georgia near Antarctica. "Wow. That looks so bizarre I can't even believe it. Wow," said biologist Dr. Allan Baker of the University of Toronto.

Read the full story to find out what caused this one in a zillion mutation.

Far Below Antarctic Ice, NASA Catches a Shrimp

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:06 EST

The Canadian Press reports that NASA has caught a shrimp-like creature and jellyfish "frolicking beneath a massive Antarctic ice sheet" on tape.

Read the full story.

Life in the Okavango Delta

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Sure you've heard of the Nile Delta with it's life-giving, crop-growing waters. But have you ever heard of the Okavango Delta?

Located in Botswana, this delta is responsible for maintaining one of the largest swamps in the world, and is home to an incredible amount of wildlife, plants and insects - large, miniscule and everything in between. Not only is it important for the flora and fauna, but it also provides valuable resources for the people living on or near it.

The region has been compared ...

Welcome to Antopolis

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Before I saw this video, I doubt I would have believed it if someone told me that ants could build a city the size of a small apartment.

Over three days, a group of scientists pour 10 tonnes of cement into an ant colony and let it dry for one month before beginning to dig. What they uncover is astounding -a massive 50m wide, 50m long and 8m high series of roadways and rooms, an antopolis.

Evolution of the Eye

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:35:54 EST

In only a few short minutes David Attenborough of the BBC explains the evolution of the eye. Did you know you can find each stage of that evolution in animals living today? Watch to learn more.

NASA Observatory Shines light on Dark Energy

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:34:07 EST

New findings from NASA's Chandra Observatory have provided a major advance in understanding a type of supernova critical for studying dark energy.

This is Canoeing

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

In 12 short films, "This is Canoeing" showcases top single-blade paddlers in their pursuit of remote wilderness journeys or challenging white water.

From open canoe slalom races to 1,000 mile birchbark expeditions, the films delve into the diversity of the sport and the quirky, influential people who tell its story.

See world class canoeing in Canada, the U.S., Scotland and Wales like never before. Visit Cackletv.com.

Fancy a 270-Hour Dip in the Pond?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Do you fancy sitting in a bacteria infested pond for 270 hours waiting for the perfect photo? No? Well, obviously you're not a photojournalist.

This is precisely what photographer Greg du Toit did after a year of failed attempts to document wildlife near a watering hole in Kenya's Great Rift Valley. So he donned a wetsuit and hunkered down in the water and waited for the right moment.

But my, was he rewarded - as you can see with these spectacular shots posted on The Guardian website. The ...

Coywolves not so coy

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Across Canada coyote populations have exploded. Humans have eradicated their competition —eagles, wolves, cougars and lynx— and so the coyotes have filled the void "rather like an unwanted guest who moves into one's unused spare bedroom and refuses to leave."

In Ottawa, coyotes have become increasingly visible in the community, and several private hunting competitions have been organized. In February, CTV-Ottawa reported hunters calling for a province-wide bounty on the animals.

Coyotes have ...

Creepy crawlies: Amazing Scanning Electron Microscope pictures of insects and spiders

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:53:59 EST

Check out these very cool, up-close and personal shots with common insects and spiders like you've never seen them before.

Visit The Telegraph.

Canada's Climate Science gets the Ax

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:57:00 EST

Scientists who study climate change from a remote post on Ellesmere Island are planning to shut down their cash-strapped project after the federal government refused to refinance a key climate-change research foundation.

The Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) is located 1,100 kilometres from the North Pole, and collects data on the changing climate of the Far North, where global warming is found to be most intense.

Read the full article at The Globe and Mail.

Journey to the Sun

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:32:42 EST

New beautiful images from the launch of the first satellite of NASA's "Living with a Star" program that aims to learn why our stars are changing our lives.

A Hot Place to Learn about Climate Change

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

The Arctic is a sublimely beautiful place - vast tundras of ice, unfamiliar creatures stalking the land and swimming in the sea, and best of all, you have it all to yourself. Unless, of course, you happen to be vacationing in Svalbard, Norway, for the summer.

Since 1963, when the coal mines on this Norwegian archipelago shut down, the series of islands became increasingly popular. Completely isolated from much of modern life, the research stations that dot the land are filled with scientists ...

Tobacco can help humans?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

While most of us think of tobacco as a carcinogenic, researchers have now shown that it can benefit humans too.

A report examining whether genetically modified tobacco plants can be used to fight off environmental toxins, including pond scum, has been released by researchers in the U.K. Such toxins can turn a safe supply of water into an unsafe source for drinking and swimming.

The scientists hope they can use the tobacco plants to increase the availability of safe drinking water in developing ...

What's Next for the Business of Green Technology?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

The Wall Street Journal provides an update on the bleeding edge of new green technologies.

Great Apes

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Brent Foster, a Canadian Geographic photographer, is in Rwanda teaching multimedia journalism at a University in Kigali. Last week he had the opportunity to get away from teaching for a bit and went out and got some stunning shots of Mountain Gorillas. Looking at them, it's immediately apparent why we have such a visceral connection with these great apes.

For more, have a look at Brent Foster's blog.

Coming up at the end of the week we'll be publishing a Field Report interview with Foster ...

The Grizzly Hunt

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Think the North American Grizzly is a powerful, almost-invincible animal? Think again. For such large beasts, these bears are surprisingly vulnerable to the environmental impact of the most populous mammal on earth: us. They suffer from overfishing - because they depend on the salmon spawn and they're losing more habitat as urban cities sprawl across valuable forest.

Yet now there's another worry for conservationists: the grizzly bear trophy hunt. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, the ...

Giraffe Botch-up

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

The Mountain View Conservation Centre, in Fort Langley B.C., is making headlines across Canada, and it's not good news.

The centre breeds and houses endangered animals so they can eventually be reintroduced to the wild. But in recent months, three of their giraffes have died. Two giraffes died in a cold snap, and one died in early February during a simple operation: hoof-trimming.

This giraffe fiasco drew attention from B.C.'s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. And now the ...

Portraits of America's Endangered Species

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

In an attempt to catalogue quickly vanishing biodiversity, National Geographic contributing photographer Joel Sartore recently published Rare, a book of portraits of endangered species he's taken over the years.
But these photos aren't your average wildlife portraits - Sartore manages to capture the essence of the animal, not in its element but against a white or black backdrop.

A sample of the photos can be found on Sartore's website.

RARE: Behind the Scenes from Joel Sartore on Vimeo.
...

Coming to a Highrise Near You

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:44:07 EST

Check out the trailer for this new, creative looking NFB sponsored documentary called Highrise, a long-term, multi-media collaborative project about the human experience in vertical suburbs by filmmaker Kat Cizek.

Find out more over at the NFB's website.

Could Artificial Photo Synthesis Power our Future?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:50:29 EST

"One drinking water bottle could provide enough energy for an entire household in the developing world if Dan Nocera has his way. A chemist from M.I.T. and founder of the company Sun Catalytix, Nocera has developed a cobalt-based catalyst that allows him to store energy the same way plants do: by splitting water."

Check out the full article
at Scientific American.

Pythons are on the Menu

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Hunting for deer? So last year. And rabbits - pfft, small potatoes. Pythons are where it's at.

Yes, the Florida state government has found a new and creative way to address the problem of invasive species in their most famous ecosystem, the Everglades - and it involves a hunting license.

On Monday, officials announced that there will be a hunting season on all large non-native snake species in the area. This includes the fearsome Burmese python, which can grow up to four to six meters long ...

Art for the 21st Century

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

At the dawn of the 21st century art is changing. Technology is becoming more accessible and you don't need a Phd. in electrical engineering to create digital artworks anymore.

As the field has opened to artists from varied backgrounds, there's been an explosion of new digital works, led prominently by graphic and industrial designers.

Decode, is a new exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, which gathers together some of the most innovative digital works created in the ...

Thunder Bay is Singing

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Thunder Bay gets props from local resident Jordan Burnell in the hip-hop track "My Home Town" by his band Burnz N' Hell.

It's been shooting around the internet for the last couple of weeks, gathering momentum like a snowball rolling downhill. And there's something in it that I think people from small cities across Canada can relate to.

Skepticism and the Age of Global Warming

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:29:29 EST

Climate change is contentious.

This may seem like a obvious statement, as we're bombarded daily by pundits who claim global warming is a sham, while scientists warn us that the planet we live on will be irrevocably changed if we don't do something about it now. It is, at the very least, a war for public opinion.

But it's not as simple as us versus them - a number of scientists object to an over-arcing theory of climate change, and Foreign Policy magazine recently rounded up skeptics and their ...

Al Gore Lashes Back at Climate Deniers

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:48:52 EST

In an ardently articulated op-ed published last Saturday in the New York Times, Al Gore strikes back at climate deniers, mustering a host of facts and reasoned arguments behind him.

It's a good read. Check out the first two paragraphs below, then head over to the NYT for the full article.

"It would be an enormous relief if the recent attacks on the science of global warming actually indicated that we do not face an unimaginable calamity requiring large-scale, preventive measures to protect ...

Desertification: Coming to a Landscape Near You!

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:38:04 EST

Tired of that same old vista of rocks and trees and greenery? Well, change is in the air. Scientists in Spain, and Argentina are estimating that 38% of the world's area may be irrevocably altered by human activities such as vegetable farming and ranching.

How, you ask? Well, we're looking at an increase in the number of deserts on the earth. That's right - deserts. The team of scientists, headed up by Montserrat Núñez of the Institute of Agro Food Research and Technology (IRTA), used GIS and ...

The Future of Food

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:22:30 EST

As the earth warms, causing changes to traditional weather patterns, the pressure is mounting to find agricultural production methods that will adapt to climate change.

At stake is human health. Increasing temperatures alter patterns of crop disease and increase flooding through heavy rainfall - all which lead to food shortages and a decrease in quality of life for many communities.

Researchers argue the key characteristic of future food production will be its ability to make better use ...

Cities Prepare for Life With the Electric Car

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

If electric cars have any future in the U.S., San Francisco may be the city where they arrive first.

The city's building code will soon be revised to require that new structures be wired for car chargers. Across the street from SF City Hall, some drivers are already plugging converted hybrids into a row of charging stations.

Visit the New York Times to read the full article.

Sadly, in late Spetember 2009, the Toronto-based Zenn Motor Company, which produced Canada's revolutionary electric ...

Webcam Catches B.C.'s Elusive Spirit Bear Hibernating

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:09:18 EST

Everyone is going wild for a new webcam placed near the den of one of the rarest bears on earth - B.C.'s Spirit Bear.

We're considering whether to feature the bear on the cover of our upcoming Biodiversity issue this spring. What do you think? Without disturbing it, should we try to capture our own professional video as the bear emerges from hibernation?

For more on the Spirit Bear, click to track the exclusive webcam online.

Giant Oarfish Captured on Film

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:28:55 EST

Extraordinary footage of an elusive giant oarfish has been captured by marine scientists in the Gulf of Mexico.

New Teleportation Technique Helps Physicists Understand the Universe

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Spoiler: this post is going to blow your mind.

Physicists have discovered real life teleportation. The newest development comes from a paper by Masahiro Hotta of Tohoku University in Japan. He's discovered how to teleport energy using the theory of Quantum Entanglement. Read his full paper here.

Physicists have already shown how to teleport quantum information — photons, ions, and atoms — but this new discovery of energy teleportation is exciting because it may help scientists unite the many ...

CG Photographer Paul Nicklen Wins World Press Photo Award

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Paul Nicklen, a wildlife photographer from Canada, has won a prestigious World Press Photo Award for his story on South Georgia, Antarctica. The story was published last December in National Geographic.

Nicklen, who specializes in Arctic and Antarctic photography, is a frequent contributor to the magazine and got his start photographing for Canadian Geographic .

The winning photographs from this contest are displayed in a travelling exhibit viewed by an estimated 2 million people worldwide. ...

Scientists Restore 4000-Year-Old Greenland Man

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:05:46 EST

Danish scientists have completed a project that reveals a number of characteristics of a man who lived in Greenland, around 4000 years ago.

3-Legged Bear Walks Upright

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:16:54 EST

Strange behaviour for a bear. I wonder where she picked it up? An etiquette teacher perhaps?

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm O.K.

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:47:27 EST

Photographer Unknown (C.P.R. Photograph) - A Douglas Fir Log in Forest North of Pt. Haney, B.C., 1933

Running from Jan 23 to Feb 27, O Canada, an exciting new exhibit at the Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto, takes on the weighty theme of defining Canada's culture during our fledgling country's first century.

On display are anonymous shots of lumberjacks and natives, as well as famous photos, such as Prime Minister Trudeau's, pirouette at Buckingham Palace.

Yet most of all this exhibit ...

Copenhagen Elected First 'Bike City' in the World

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:51:49 EST

Copenhagen has been chosen by the UCI, the International Cycling Union, to be the first "Bike City" in the world.

Buildings that go Green are Good for Business

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:45:46 EST

The buildings we live, work and play in are the single largest contributor to climate change.

If you factor in the energy and resources it takes to building them, then consider the power they consume, you're tallying up a huge amount of gas, coal, wood, concrete and other materials.

But we can build greener buildings. It's possible. Although the perception among many developers is that it costs more. Yet this is a short-term view say experts.

In the past two or three years a slew of studies ...

Arctic Sea Ice Melting Fast

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:54:09 EST

Arctic ice is melting and the climate is changing. And although these aren't new ideas, the speed at which it's happening is.

"It's happening much faster than our most pessimistic projections," Arctic scientist David Barber told the CBC.

Barber is a professor at the University of Manitoba and the lead researcher of the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study — the largest Arctic study conducted during the latest International Polar Year.

The CFL study was undertaken to determine the ...

Wolverine V.S. Climate Change

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:54:16 EST

Wolverine is in trouble, and it's not because of the comic book super villain Magneto. A new study in the journal,Population Ecology, shows Canada's melting snow pack habitats are crushing wolverine populations — the first land species proven to be dwindling because of melting snow.

"In provinces where winter snow pack levels are declining fastest, wolverine populations tend to be declining most rapidly," wrote researchers.

You can find wolverines in boreal forests throughout Canada, but they ...

Manitoba Ecosystem Almost Gone Forever

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

We're losing the tall-grass. The symbol of the Canadian Prairies, those 8-foot-tall kings of the grass species are almost gone.

Tall grasses used to cover the prairies all the way down to Kansas. Now they're part of the most endangered land ecosystem in the world, having lost 97.5 percent of their habitat.

When researchers surveyed the Manitoba tall-grass habitat in the 1980's, the results were bleak for species dependent on the ecosystem. But in a new study University of Manitoba researchers ...

Worlds Greenest Homes

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:05:20 EST

For an even more amazing video of what designers can do when faced with a particularly sticky problem requiring an eco-answer, check out this foldable apartment in Hong Kong.

Providing Haiti with Vital Information

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:39:54 EST

UNICEF and other aid organizations work to distribute valuable information to the country's devastated population.

Fish Virus Found in Great Lakes

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

A deadly virus that causes fatal anemia and hemorrhaging in fish has been found in Lake Superior. And its presence here signifies all five Great Lakes are affected.

Scientists tested 848 fish in seven regions of the lake and confirmed infections in fish from Paradise and Skanee in Michigan, and St. Louis and Superior Bay in Wisconsin.

So far, a total of 28 freshwater fish species have tested positive in the Great Lakes watershed, sparking large fish kills in lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron.

The ...

It's Not a Bird, It's Not a Plane, It' s a ... Satellite?

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

To look at the Earth from another planet would be an interesting experience - not only because it is undeniably beautiful to see our home planet suspended in the emptiness of space, but because we could also see the 8000 or so man-made objects that orbit it. While maybe not on a WALL-E-like scale yet (if you've seen the movie, you'll remember the brownish veneer of satellites circling the planet,) there are certainly a lot of objects up there.

These tag-alongs are composed of two classes: satellites ...

Art Accidents

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:33:49 EST

When visiting a museum or gallery we're always reminded not to touch anything. But we're only human. The reality is: accidents happen.

Last week, a woman attending an art class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York lost her balance and fell onto an original Picasso.

When she got up, the 105-year-old artwork titled, "The Actor" sported a vertical six-inch tear in its lower, right hand corner.

Staff at the museum say the painting should be fixed in a couple of weeks, in time for ...

Mars Spirit Rover Renewed

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:53:14 EST

After six years of unprecedented science exploration this month, the Mars Spirit Rover is now designated a stationary science platform.

Could new Stoves for Developing Countries Slow Climate Change?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

If you ask someone from the Aprovecho Research Center, the answer might be yes, stoves can change climate change.

Every year for the past 10 years the ARC has held a Stove Camp. According to an article in The New Yorker, the goal of the camp is to design cheap, clean burning stoves that could be distributed throughout developing countries.

Wood burning stoves in developing countries are significant black carbon emitters. And replacing them has the potential not only to improve environmental ...

Thirty-Metre Telescope

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:02:34 EST

When it comes to telescopes, the bigger the better I always say. A new telescope being planned by the Thirty Metre Telescope Project -an international partnership between the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California- is planned to be 100 times more powerful than any telescope around -even Hubble.

The group funneled $80-million into a project to design the next generation of telescope, which was completed ...

Wild Horses Soon to be Protected

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:52:36 EST

Monday, Environment Minister Jim Prentice and Nova Scotia's Minister of Natural Resources, John MacDonell, announced their governments' commitment to protecting Sable Island as a national park or national wildlife reserve.

The island, located about 300 km southeast of Halifax, is home to between 150 and 400 wild horses that live there alongside the largest congregation of Grey Seals in the world.

To find out more about the history of Sable's wild horses and its sandy landscape -the island's ...

The End is Near for Mars Spirit

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:59:46 EST

The days of NASA's Mars exploration rover Spirit may be numbered - after more than five-and-a-half years, the beloved robots energy source is depleting.

Are Dolphins People Too?

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:24:31 EST

You may have heard about the scientific consensus growing around the idea of granting dolphins special rights as "non-human persons" as it gained momentum earlier this month when two new studies hinted at the depth of the animal's intelligence.

It suggests dolphins have distinct personalities, a strong sense of self and can think about the future. And, as the above video shows, they have sophisticated hunting skills.

The announcement lead to some interesting discussions about the repercussions ...

Salty Roads Kill Frogs.

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

Have you ever wondered what happens to all the salt we use to de-ice our roads and driveways? Although it does seem to magically disappear, taking the ice with it, salt hangs around in the melted water and can have disastrous affects on amphibians if the runoff enters their ecosystem.

In Nova Scotia, researchers at Saint Mary's University have documented the affects salty runoff waters on local ecosystems. They found that spotted salamanders and wood frogs stayed away from ponds with high levels ...

Student Photography for UNICEF

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

Click to view photo gallery.

To celebrate the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child, we are proud to invite you to UNICEF Concordia's first Gala Night - an event featuring guest speakers from the UN, a photo exhibit, a live band, and a wine and cheese table.

The goal is to entertain and inform guests about the importance of this declaration.

To raise money, visitors are encouraged to browse and bid on photographs (like those shown above) taken by Concordia's photography students. All ...

The History and Politics of Climate Change.

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

Explore an interactive infographic of the science and politics of climate change.
I know that here on the CG Compass Blog we write a lot about climate change and it's various challenges, and that sometimes it must get tiring, but there's just so much to talk about. So, without further adieu, we'll move onto today's climate change post!

Another great interactive infographic of global warming has been published by the New York Times. It's worth a look.

How Many People Have Lived on Earth?

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:35:08 EST

Jon Gosier's infographic visualizes the number of humans who have lived.

Have you wondered how many people have ever lived on earth? A fascinating infographic by Jon Gosier of appfrica.net works to visualize the answer. Take a look at the top and you can see just how fast the world's population has exploded in the past century.

The hypothetical carrying capacity of the planet is roughly 10 billion people - a number which we'll reach by 2050, the graphic explains. Right now we're sitting at ...

In Need of a Slightly Used Space Shuttle? Well, We've got a Deal For You!

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

You know it's a sad day when NASA starts selling it's space shuttles to make the rent.

This week the space agency announced it would off load the 30-year-old Discovery, Endeavor, Atlantis and possibly the prototype Enterprise for a cool $28.8-million each.

The Discovery has already found a home at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. However, both the Atlantis and the Endeavor are still up for grabs. NASA hopes to find them climate-controlled, indoor spaces, preferably at schools or ...

Snow Daze

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:32:38 EST

A snapshot of the glorious season that sometimes gives us a day off, featuring the song "untitled #1" by The Cold Hands of God.

What Does Censorship Look Like?

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

Overshadowed by the ongoing troubles in Haiti last week (and rightly so), but no less important, is Google's developing battle with China over censorship.

Last week, Google up and announced that they would no longer censor their search engine in China and said they may pull out of the country altogether. This announcement arises from an internet hack in which a number of Chinese human rights activists reported their gmail accounts had been broken into.

The events sparked people to ask exactly ...

World Destruction Moved Back a Minute

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

For those of you who were concerned about not being ready for the end of the world, don't worry, you now have another 60 seconds.

The doomsday clock that predicts how close mankind is to annihilating itself has been moved back from five minutes before midnight to six minutes.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists says the change was made thanks to efforts by world leaders to reduce nuclear weapons and work together on climate change.

The clock has shifted the timing of Armageddon 18 times since ...

So That's Where Those Tiny Hamburgers Come From...

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:34:34 EST

Well animal lovers, there's a new cow in town! Say hello to the mini cow, which comes in all shapes and breeds but only one size - tiny.

Due to the economic downturn, many farmers are turning to these small bovines as a financial solution to their problems. While a full-grown cow costs around $3 809 to maintain per year, a mini-cow only costs around $658. And not only are they less expensive to keep, but they also yield a higher amount of viable meat - the mini cow gives up 60%, while your average ...

Experimental Eskimos

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:45:29 EST

We've all heard of residential schools — the institutions that tore aboriginal Canadian children away from their families and plunked them into an environment where they were abused and scolded if they spoke their native tongue. But have you heard about the Eskimo experiment?

Experimental Eskimos, a new documentary, recounts the stories of three 12-year-old Inuit boys who were sent to Ottawa in the early 1960's to live with white families and study in white schools. The goal was assimilation. ...

Turtles Rescued from the Cold

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:41:59 EST

Kennedy Space Center and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission team up to rescue hundreds of turtles from freezing temperatures in Florida.

Winter Wildlife Photos at The Globe

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:18:40 EST

The Globe and Mail is inviting all shutterbugs and wildlife enthusiasts to share their winter wildlife shots. Head over to their site for more info about how you can contribute.

Hopefully it will help tide you over until this spring when our Photo Club launches its third Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest. If you're in the mood for even more spectacular wildlife shots you can check out a gallery of our 2009 winners right now.

Evolution and the Engineer

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

To celebrate the recent anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," we dug up this video on evolution and how we can apply it to growing technological trends. Visit Ted.com.

Broken Bees

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

The honeybee's health may reflect the overall well-being of the planet. In the documentary "To Bee or not to Bee," which premiered on David Suzuki's Nature of Things last Thursday, Suzuki examined the factors causing the honey bee's decline and why they're vitally important to our global ecosystem.

News broke three and a half years ago that,at an alarming rate, honey bee populations were declining worldwide. A disease called Colony Collapse Disorder has been wiping out entire communities of bees ...

The Story of Stuff

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:41:04 EST

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration.

Learn more at the story of stuff.com.

CG Photo Contest Winners on City TV

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:08:35 EST

In our December issue, we announced the winners of our second Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest. In May Canada Post will launch a new line of stamps featuring the photos that took top prize in each category.

Already the finalists are attracting attention. Laura Haughey and Wing Yan Tam both live in Edmonton and ranked high in the kids category. Last week they were featured in City TV's local newscast in their home town.

Congrats girls!

Clams Work as Toxin Detectives

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST

For most people clams are just for eating, but it's a different case for biologists in Washington D.C who are using them to determine sources of water pollution.

Clams work almost like trees: taking in water, feeding absorbent toxins into their tissues and then releasing clean water.

By holding in harmful agents commonly found in water systems such as pesticides, lead, PCB's and arsenic, biologists can use clams as pollution traps, enabling them to see where specific toxins are located in ...

The Seed

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:13:25 EST

A two-minute animated voyage through nature's life cycle, following the trials and tribulations of a humble apple seed.

Soundtrack by Jape. It was made using a mixture of stop motion papercraft and 2D drawn animation.

Twitter's World Domination Continues.

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:37:17 EST

Social networking site Twitter, made famous by such stars as Ashton Kutcher, Stephen Fry, and Al Gore, has now acquired a geolocation firm. So while wit is tweeted across the globe, you can now discover where that person is writing from.

Though the creators of Twitter claim that this could be useful ("twittering 'Earthquake!' alone is not as informative as 'Earthquake!' coupled with your current location"), it makes me sort of nervous. I'm not sure I would want everyone to know where I was all ...