Tech News

When it comes to reading cues from human drivers, autonomous vehicles have a ways to go. Driving a vehicle involves more than following the rules of the road. It is a social activity involving subtle interactions with other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians where everyone tries to avoid each other — …

Industrialized nations have pledged $100 billion US per year to help poorer nations cut emissions and adapt to climate change. But what does that ‘climate finance’ pay for? Among other things, a coal plant, gelato shops, and hotel and airport expansions, Reuters and Big Local News have found.  No rules …

Makers of PFAS, a class of chemicals used in everything from cookware to food containers and makeup, knew the substances were toxic as early as the 1970s and obscured the danger, according to a new study based on industry archives held at the University of California.  Researchers in California examined …

Tree diversity is declining in forests around the world, but advocates are urging better management practices in the wake of new research that shows diverse species can increase a forest’s carbon storage ability.  Study is first to demonstrate tree diversity can increase soil carbon in natural forests. The Prairies Climate …

More than 350 top executives and researchers in artificial intelligence have signed a statement urging policymakers to see the serious risks posed by unregulated AI, warning the future of humanity may be at stake.  More than 350 industry leaders sign letter equating potential AI risks with pandemics, nuclear war. More …

A group involving McMaster University scientists have used artificial intelligence to find a treatment for Acinetobacter baumannii, a deadly superbug that, until now, was resistant to previously known antibiotics.  ‘If it helps us get to discoveries even 10 per cent faster, that’s a huge win for society,’ says scientist. Read …

Canada has been a world leader in regulating methane emissions from its oil and gas sector, putting out regulations well ahead of many other major emitters, but it needs to now update those regulations or risk falling behind the U.S. and Europe, experts say.  Canada may need to align methane …

Years after 16 wild bison were reintroduced to Banff National Park in 2017, their population is expected to swell to around 100 after this year’s calving season. It’s one of several efforts to reintroduce bison to parts of Alberta.  ‘It makes us whole again,’ says Violet Meguinis. Read transcribed audio …

Plans for low or zero-emissions hydrogen projects are beginning to take shape across the country. But, at the moment, hydrogen is far from a low-emissions fuel, which is why some experts suggest expectations for the resource should be tempered.  The industry is earning international interest, but some suggest expectations should …

For decades, detectives and Sharron’s family searched for her killer, with no luck. Thanks to new DNA testing tools, they now know he was Franklin Romine — an American who’d been living in Montreal at the time of the murder.  For decades, nobody knew who killed Sharron Prior. On March …