Tech News

It’s unlikely that aliens, should they exist, will have a single brain and walk on two legs like they do in the movies, writes Bob McDonald.  The cephalopod’s nervous system diverged in many unexpected ways compared to humans. Everything about the octopus seems strange — unworldly, even, as some have …

Controlling feral cat populations is controversial and often involves capturing, surgically sterilizing and releasing the animals, which is complex and expensive. U.S. scientists have developed a new method for cat contraception that involves a single injection of a gene that prevents cat eggs from maturing.  An alternative to resource-intensive spay …

In this week’s issue of our environment newsletter, we explore how “clam gardens” can be a climate solution and learn about the importance of biodiversity in forests.  Also: An underwater art exhibit. Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This weekly newsletter is part of a CBC News initiative …

Rungholt was once a booming trade town where residents reaped profits from the land’s bountiful natural resources — until a changing climate and rising sea levels ripped it all away.  Researchers find what they believe is the central church of Rungholt, the ‘Atlantis of the North Sea.’ Rungholt was once …

Tipping is now commonplace in all sorts of Canadian businesses, and one expert says the prompts employed can play on our desire to seem generous.  Being observed while paying can play on desire to seem generous: Olivier St-Cyr. Read transcribed audio For many Canadians, picking up your morning coffee now …

On Monday, Apple unveiled a new product that’s either revolutionary, or very expensive hype, depending on whether you read the company description of the Vision Pro or media reviews of its unveiling.  Costing $5K, the new Apple Vision Pro headseat is the latest big bet on virtual and augmented reality. …

Quebec’s boreal forest is not suited to frequent devastating fires, experts warn, and the current blazes could damage the delicate “mosaic” of the habitat.  If fires last through summer it ‘may take years for habitat to recover’ says biologist. Biologist Steeve Côté has seen forest fires engulf parts of the …

A distillery known for vodka distilled from milk byproduct has partnered with a U.S. dairy producer who will use the eastern Ontario company’s process to produce eight million litres of ethanol fuel that is better for the environment.  Ethanol made from milk seen as a way to offset carbon. A …

A paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature has concluded that northern waters could be open for months at a time as early as 2030, even if humanity manages to drastically scale back its greenhouse gas emissions.  Past estimates suggested summer ice wouldn’t disappear until the 2040s, or might even …

A new study shows air filtering systems across the world have been collecting DNA from wildlife for decades, which could be used to help researchers identify and quantify biodiversity.  Networks that measure air pollution could be used to gather vital wildlife genetic data say researchers. It’s no surprise that along …