Researchers at the University of Guelph have developed a system to help track the spread of infectious diseases using Twitter, a framework they say has the potential to identify outbreaks faster than official monitoring agencies. The study, which tracked global outbreaks of avian flu, may be the first of its kind to use the social network as…

A robotic servicing satellite brought new life to a defunct communication satellite in a major step towards reducing the growing problem of space junk orbiting Earth. Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1), which was launched last October, caught up to, then attached itself to INTELSAT 901, in the first ever docking of two…

On a cold winter day in Idaho in 2017, a light dusting of snow fell from the sky. For the first time, scientists are able to say with certainty that it fell because humans made it happen. “We were really, really excited,” atmospheric scientist Katja Friedrich told Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald. “We got really hooked…

University of British Columbia astronomy student Michelle Kunimoto has an out-of-this world job.  Kunimoto scours space for undiscovered planets. And she’s just uncovered 17 new possible ones, including a potentially habitable, Earth-sized world. “This is a big discovery and definitely one that I’m most excited about,” said Kunimoto. Her findings are still considered planet candidates,…

Each year, grey whales travel more than 16,000 kilometres along the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to Alaska and back. But every so often, many of them — sometimes hundreds — become stranded. It’s not completely clear how grey whales navigate the depths of the ocean during this long journey, but one hypothesis is they use Earth’s magnetic field…

Hello, people! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. (Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.) This week: Even if geoengineering can help mitigate climate change, is it ethical? Palm oil production is on the rise Reader feedback…