Science & Climate

Some big tech companies say that they’re just a few years away from artificial general intelligence, a type of AI that can think, take action and even learn. But skeptics say you shouldn’t believe the hype.  Creating artificial general intelligence (AGI) would mean machines as smart as humans. These days …

NASA scientists say pending cuts to the space agency could compromise mission safety and pave the way for another tragedy like the 1986 Challenger disaster.  More than 360 current and former NASA workers sign letter, but half remain anonymous due to fear of reprisal. NASA scientists say pending cuts to …

On Tuesday, a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the area around Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, resulting in tsunami warnings being issued around the world. But how often do they occur and is Canada at risk? 80 per cent of tsunamis are generated by earthquakes, but that’s not their only source. On …

The kind of plants you can grow have changed slightly in most regions of Canada according to the federal government’s latest Plant Hardiness Zones map, the first such update since 2014. Palms, hardy citrus: new plant hardiness map shows shift in growing zones across Canada. Some gardeners may be able …

Until this spring, the world’s smallest species of snake was considered lost to science, and quite possibly extinct — until Connor Blades and his colleague found one under a small rock in the forest.  The Barbados threadsnake, last seen decades ago, is native to the country’s mostly razed forests, Until …

Wild turnip picking has been a tradition spanning generations in some Nakoda and Lakota communities. Families will go out on the lands together and dig up and harvest wild turnips in the month of June which are then used for food and medicines.  ‘I like the thought of this plant, …

Finding fake Norval Morrisseau paintings is a time consuming pursuit that requires co-operation from galleries and collectors, as well as a a trained, critical eye. But a new tool has emerged to help in the battle: artificial intelligence.  Norval Morrisseau’s estate created AI to detect fakes, student creates robot to …

Astronomers believe they have captured an image of a planet in the act of forming, something that has never before been witnessed.  Object is twice the size of Jupiter and orbits host star at a distance similar to Neptune’s distance from sun. Astronomers believe they have caught a planet in …

The 10-year project began in 2019, although the zoo was releasing turtles before that and has freed around 3,000 of them over the past decade. The Greater Vancouver Zoo collects western painted turtle eggs in the wild and hatches them. Menita Prasad knows that turtles don’t get the same kind …

Dolphins off the coast of Australia are swimming around with sponges on their noses. But unlike the orcas who wear salmon on their heads, “sponging” isn’t a fashion statement or a cultural trend; it’s a sophisticated foraging technique passed down through generations. New study explores why ‘sponging’ is passed down …