We talk to two of this year’s newest Nobel Laureates, Dr. Karl Deisseroth and Peter Hegemann, about their discoveries in optogenetics, a technique that has transformed what we know about the brain — all thanks to a light-detecting algal protein. Also today: Gut microbes can encourage fever after vaccination Weather forecasters are less confident in their predictions these days. Here’s why What rac

Black holes are voracious eaters, but they’re also quite messy, and often after devouring a star, they’ll let out a big burp, launching jets of high energy particles through space. Now, in a recent study, a team of astrophysicists has figured out the formula behind the timing of these burps. Also today: Skiing, hiking and roads are taking a toll on wolverines The buzzy, chirpy sounds of the Jurass

The El Niño underway in the Pacific Ocean is a natural climate phenomenon but its warming effects are being boosted by climate change. Researchers recently used corals growing around the Galapagos Islands to create a local temperature record of the ocean going back 1,000 years. Also today: Massive study redraws bat family tree and uncovers genetic oddities How the Surinam toad uses star-shaped fin

It’s long been a mystery why one particular avian dinosaur was the only kind to survive mass extinction, but the recent discovery of a perfectly preserved fossilized feather, found in a cherry-sized piece of dinosaur poop, offers new clues. Also today: Why citizen scientists buried thousands of undies How climate change tipped the scales on a catastrophic Himalayan avalanche Why an AI leap has lef

Summer is fieldwork time for many scientists. We talk to researchers who have been busy hiking on fresh lava, capturing thousands of ticks, shooing away moose from their study sites, and even spelunking for Neanderthals — all in the ever-important quest for data.

Quirks & Quarks has been taking your burning questions for 50 years. And while we thought we might have answered every question there is, our listeners proved there are always more science questions for us to tackle. Including: What does the black hole orbit? What do you sweat out in a sauna? Why are robins' eggs blue? What if we no longer had a moon? Did dinosaurs produce milk? Were there ever gi

From doubting our doubts to sleuthing out scientific fraud, this week we revisit some of our favourite stories about humans.

For our 50th anniversary celebration last October, we spoke with some of Canada's top scientists about their predictions for the future. We revisit our conversations with: Evan Fraser, director of Arrell Food Institute and professor of geography at the University of Guelph Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Luke Stark

From filming a black hole to flaming hot water ice on Neptune, we revisit some of our favourite space-related stories from the past season.

On this week’s best of Quirks & Quarks , we revisit our annual holiday listener question show, with fascinating queries like: Why did a Canadian astronaut's eyesight change when she went to space? How is the dust inside our homes changing? Why do some professional athletes stick out their tongues when they play? Why are most fruits round, but bananas and pineapple are not? What would have happened

From the science of how we sweat to solving golf's greatest mystery, we revisit some of our favourite summery segments from the past season.

From elephant whiskers to Arctic rhinos and even science programming in prisons, we revisit some of our producers’ favourite stories from this season. Including: One of the world's earliest plant-eaters discovered in Nova Scotia Elephant trunk whiskers increase their sensitivity to better 'feel' their surroundings Yogurt with a creepy-crawly secret ingredient Rhinos roamed Arctic Canada 23 million

We revisit our conversations with authors of some of the year’s most fascinating science books in our annual holiday book show. Featuring: Questioning the purpose of whale song — for love or echolocation? Journeying through deep geological time to better tackle problems of the future Biological sex is complicated, but that's what helps animals like humans thrive Plus, science journalist and BookLa

From tiny T. rexes to a car-sized sea monster, we revisit some of our favourite stories about predators in their prime, like: Smaller tyrannosaur solves decades-long debate about the T. rex Among Yellowstone’s top predators, wolves beat out cougars as the top dog Bears with us. Tracking grizzlies in B.C. Cleveland’s ancient car-sized sea monster had bony fangs made out of its skull Wild wolves run

From camping out on 'bird poop island,' chasing down wild dogs in Madagascar, or even looking for bombs in a bog in Ottawa –– no one quite does summer like scientists. This week, we revisit some of the hijinks that Canadian researchers got up to last year as they left their labs to get their hands dirty in the field. FEATURING: Camping out on a remote island with thousands of screaming, pooping, b

Quirks & Quarks has been taking your burning science questions for half a century. And while we thought we might have answered every question there is to answer over the years, our listeners proved there are always more fascinating head-scratchers for us to tackle. Like: Are comets eternal? In a sauna, what am I sweating out? Did dinosaurs produce milk? If heat rises, why is there snow on the top

Some of the oceans biggest, most powerful predators, like certain sharks and tuna, are “mesothermic” or warm-bodied. Running hot allows them to rapidly convert their food to energy and heat, helping them swim faster and hunt in cold waters. But that advantage may become a disadvantage in a warming climate, meaning these fish need to find new ways of cooling off, or face a new threat to their survi

Gold miners working in the Yukon regularly find ancient ground squirrel burrows throughout the permafrost, many containing fossilized feces. Researchers analyzing these well-preserved poop piles found they contain some of the oldest DNA ever recovered, dating from 30,000 to 700,000 years ago. Tucked inside were traces of a wide range of ancient animals, including woolly mammoths, grasshoppers, ste

150 years ago, Charles Darwin noticed that birds and humans were both drawn to bright plumage and elaborate display. He called this interspecies esthetic appreciation a “shared taste for the beautiful.” Now, in a recent study, an interdisciplinary team of scientists built an online game exploring the mating calls of 16 different species and discovered, to their surprise, that humans and animals ag

The newly described Tylosaurus rex was a violent bus-sized Komodo dragon-like creature with serrated teeth. Dubbed the ‘T. rex of the sea,’ it would have occupied the top of the food chain in the marine ecosystem over 80 million years ago. PLUS: Pigeons use their livers to find their way home From the archives: How Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars Scientists discover an underground network