Science
Federal COVID Alert app wasn’t working for some users for much of November
The developers of Canada’s COVID Alert app fixed a glitch last week that left some users without exposure notifications for much of November. An update to...
The 1976 U.S. swine flu vaccinations may offer lessons for the COVID-19 pandemic
For Pascal Imperato, a communicable disease epidemiologist who in 1976 was in charge of immunizing New York City against a potential swine flu epidemic, the...
Weaker penis bones in river otters linked to oilsands contaminants in new study
A new study has found that hydrocarbon contaminants typically associated with oilsands operations are contributing to decreased penis bone strength among river otters. That might...
What transporting ice cream across Canada tells us about vaccine logistics
The multiple announcements of potential vaccine candidates in the fight against COVID-19 has been greeted positively around the world, but rolling out immunization...
Her classroom is a school change room. Here’s how she’s making online teaching work
There are no windows in Robyn O’Drowsky’s classroom. Her walls would usually be plastered with posters and kids’ art. Instead, she’s staring at drab...
Is it possible to make a sustainable smartphone?
Hello, Earthlings! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more...
How the health system is addressing vaccine hesitancy, a looming hurdle in race to end pandemic
Tanya Hayles is not an anti-vaxxer. The Torontonian has made sure her eight-year-old son Jackson is up to date with the standard vaccines,...
Students burnt out by pandemic learning push more universities toward longer winter breaks
When McMaster University student Elisa Do learned last week that her school would be delaying the start of classes in January following the...
Heading to the lake for some shinny this winter? New study finds more children dying due to unstable ice
Marc Chartrand remembers falling through the ice. It was Halloween night in 2019. It was cold, but not too cold, and snow had...
Meng Wanzhou back in court as observers ponder influence of Biden presidency
A supervisor who oversaw Canada Border Services Agency officers at Vancouver’s airport on the day Meng Wanzhou was arrested will resume testimony at...
The environmental policy the oilpatch wants from Ottawa ASAP
Shell Canada will plant more than 800,000 trees in the interior of British Columbia next year, a project that the company hopes will create valuable carbon...
Ontario’s COVID-19 resurgence is threatening Christmas gatherings. Will people adjust their plans?
Ontario’s latest COVID-19 modelling data suggests that public health officials could soon be faced with an exceptionally difficult task: convincing weary Ontarians to...
What Ontario’s new modelling for the COVID-19 second wave can — and can’t — tell us
Ontario will release updated modelling on Thursday forecasting the course of its second wave of COVID-19, as some epidemiologists already project the province...
High schoolers, educators worry condensed schedules will bring ‘information overload’
High schoolers After landing her best-ever grade in math last year, high school senior Kamaldeep Dhillon has struggled with the subject this year...
Why COVID-19 cases are surging across Canada and what needs to be done
This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven’t subscribed yet,...
In the Arctic, ‘everything is changing,’ massive animal tracking study finds
Animals across the Arctic are changing where and when they breed, migrate and forage in response to climate change, says a new study...
