Science

Hundreds of wild goldfish, which measure up to 25 centimetres long, have overrun two storm water ponds in Okotoks. Officials worry they could spill over into the Sheep and Bow rivers and their tributaries, where they could out-eat and out-live native fish while spreading disease among plants. “They have no natural predators, and they can grow really large and get ... Read More »

New study, from Imperial College London, suggests that it is possible to create a new form of light by binding light to a single electron, combining the properties of both. In normal materials, light interacts with a whole host of electrons present on the surface and within the material. But by using theoretical physics to model the behaviour of light ... Read More »

The number of honey bee colonies fell by almost 12 per cent across 29 countries last winter with the UK and Spain worst affected, according to an international study involving the University of Strathclyde and honey bee research association COLOSS. Cases of colonies perishing after problems occurred with their queen were higher than expected. Dr Alison Gray, of Strathclyde’s Department of ... Read More »

Shape-shifting electronic circuits that can self-assemble are inching closer. Engineers in Australia and Switzerland have manipulated the movements and shape of a drop of liquid metal by adjusting the acidity of its watery environment. The team, led by Melbourne’s RMIT University’s Kourosh Kalatar-zadeh, says the work could help dynamic elastic electronic components that move autonomously to create new circuits, rather ... Read More »

Scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland unveiled a first-of-its-kind fully programmable and reconfigurable quantum computer. The five-qubit machine, which is described in the journal Nature, represents a dramatic step toward general-purpose quantum computing—and, with it, an upending of what we can even consider to be computable. At the heart of the device are just five ... Read More »

Whale-watching tourists in Quebec got a big surprise when a fin whale nearly collided with their boat. Eric Mouellic, who was visiting from France, captured video of the encounter. He describes the experience as “magic” and that it was “unforgettable”. In the footage, passengers aboard the yellow inflatable boat can be seen backing away as the whale surfaces while turning ... Read More »

A new research about effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on male bees has confirmed what many London-area beekeepers are noticing. A previously unknown and harmful effect of neonicotinoids has been identified by researchers at the Mainz University Medical Center and Goethe University Frankfurt. They discovered that neonicotinoids in low and field-relevant concentrations reduce the concentration of acetylcholine in the royal jelly/larval ... Read More »

Researchers have managed to create the world’s creepiest robot, able to make decisions completely of it’s own accord without any human intervention. The Atler robot instead uses its own neural network that allows it to respond to its environment through an array of sensors that detect sound, temperature, humidity and proximity. Developed by researchers at the University of Tokyo and ... Read More »

The Perseids are here: The dazzling meteor shower’s peak of activity is Aug. 12, but you can already see its streaks of light peppering the sky. Perseids, one of the more prolific meteor showers every year, are associated with the Swift-Tuttle comet and are so-named because they appear to originate from the Perseus constellation, visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Starting ... Read More »

Methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin has been found in sea ice in the Southern Ocean, according to new research. This latest study demonstrates how sea ice bacteria can change mercury into its more lethal form, contaminating marine life and birds. If ingested, methylmercury can travel to the brain, causing developmental and physical problems in foetuses, infants and children. The findings were ... Read More »

The first spacecraft to land on a comet has now been cut off from Earth forever. Mission controllers at the European Space Agency (Esa) took the decision after Philae had remained silent for a year. Keeping the link open would have drained vital power needed by its Rosetta mother ship, in orbit around the comet. Philae’s landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko ... Read More »