Technology & Science

CBC News
Global News

Tonquin herd caribou with a radio collar

What happens to Jasper's animals when wildfire rips through their home?

News/Science | Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:54:16 EDT

Thousands of people have fled the raging wildfires that ripped through Jasper National Park and its town this week. But what about the parks' wild residents, such as caribou and elk? Here's how conservationists think they'll fare. read more

A stock image shows a man and two women smiling self-consciously and singing karaoke

Why scientists had people watch videos of themselves doing karaoke until they blushed

Radio/As It Happens | Tue, 23 Jul 2024 17:30:50 EDT

When researchers set out to learn what happens to our brains when we blush, they faced a conundrum: how could they sufficiently humiliate their study’s subjects as they lay alone in a dark MRI machine? read more

A lump of mineral with gold flecks sits on a black table

Researchers say oxygen is being produced on the ocean floor. The mining company funding them isn't happy

News/Science | Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:34:53 EDT

The discovery of oxygen being produced on the ocean floor — apparently by ancient lumps of metal — has put the scientists behind the landmark study at odds with the Canada-based mining company that funded them. read more

Icons showing a person, a dairy cow, and a bird - all species getting infected with H5N1 avian flu.

Human H5N1 cases in the U.S. are rising. That's bad timing with flu season, bird migrations just months away

News/Health | Thu, 25 Jul 2024 04:00:00 EDT

A new, unusual cluster of human H5N1 cases in Colorado hints at looming challenges to come, all while the broader U.S. bird flu outbreak may be surging out of control, several scientists told CBC News. read more

A grizzly bear cub walks on short grass.

Man punches grizzly in face during bear attack in northern B.C.

News/Canada/British Columbia | Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:00:00 EDT

A B.C. cyclist is recovering after a run-in with a grizzly that ended with the bear getting punched in the face. read more

In the foreground to the left is a sphere half illuminated on the right side, almost filling the image vertically. The surface consists of several parallel, pale-coloured bands aligned horizontally. To the top right is a much smaller orange, circular light source, illuminating the large sphere in the foreground. The background is black with numerous tiny white dots.

Jupiter-like planet more massive than first thought, according to new space telescope images

News/Science | Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:19:21 EDT

Astronomers have directly imaged a 'cold' gas giant planet that is just 12 light-years from Earth and is more massive than previously believed. read more

A man with a shirt over his head looks down at the hood of a car.

Hottest day record broken globally — for 2nd time this week

News/Science | Wed, 24 Jul 2024 12:45:05 EDT

Monday was recorded as the hottest day ever globally, beating a record set the day before, as countries around the world from Japan to Bolivia to the United States continue to feel the heat, according to the European climate change service. read more

An illustration of a tube-like structure that envelopes a marine creature with a lobster-like tail.

Meet this 500 million-year-old, taco-shaped marine creature that has 30 pairs of legs

News/Science | Tue, 23 Jul 2024 19:01:00 EDT

Paleontologists have revealed new details about an ancient animal that is related to centipedes, crabs and, yes, even sea monkeys. read more

Smoke and fire rises behind a row of school buses.

July 21 was the hottest day on record, European climate agency says

News/World | Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:18:06 EDT

Preliminary data from Copernicus shows that the global average temperature Sunday was 17.09 C, beating the record set just last year on July 6, 2023 by 0.01 C. Both Sunday's mark and last year's record obliterate the previous record of 16.8 C, which itself was only a few years old, set in 2016. read more

Scientists monitor the Outaouais' bat population to fight back against white-nose syndrome

News/Canada/Ottawa | Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:00:00 EDT

Many people think of bats as nothing more than unwelcome pests that roost in our attics. But there are scientists working hard in the Outaouais to monitor and preserve the region's bat population, which has experienced a drastic decline due to a deadly fungal disease. read more

A white rocket leaves a trail of smoke on a launch pad as it soars into a blue sky dotted by white clouds.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket grounded after mishap in space, leaving fate of upcoming missions uncertain

News/Science | Sat, 20 Jul 2024 04:00:00 EDT

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket experienced a mishap in space, causing the Federal Aviation Administration to ground the rocket, potentially delaying an ambitious private mission that would see the first commercial spacewalk. read more

A black wasp and a golden-brown fly on top of a blueberry crown.

Scientists researching wasps that may protect B.C. berries

News/Canada/British Columbia | Sat, 20 Jul 2024 08:00:00 EDT

Tiny wasps that lay body-bursting eggs in invasive insects may be able to help B.C. berry growers protect their crops. read more

New-age prospectors finding rare earth elements in tailings from Alberta oilsands

News/Canada/Edmonton | Sat, 20 Jul 2024 06:00:00 EDT

Rare earth elements are a key part of the transition to a green economy. From magnets in wind turbines to batteries in electric vehicles, they’re needed for technology that is increasingly in demand. read more

A man stands on a shirt with the words 'OpenAI' on a screen behind him.

AI has a lot of fans in business. But does it actually make money?

News/Business | Thu, 18 Jul 2024 04:00:00 EDT

While AI's inevitability has been a recurring refrain in much of the business media, there has been a small chorus of skeptics demanding proof of its ability to do what corporations need most: make money. read more

A woman in glasses, wearing a blue NASA jumpsuit, speaks into a microphone

How a 378-day Mars simulation changed this Canadian scientist's outlook on life

Radio/As It Happens | Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:12:45 EDT

When Kelly Haston emerged from NASA's Mars simulation project, she was met with flashing cameras, beaming colleagues and vigorous applause. It was a stark change from the previous 378 days, during which she and her three crew members shared a 157-square-metre habitat meant to simulate an eventual mission to Mars. read more

Two men outdoors, kneeling over a hairy, brown hide. One man is prodding it with a tool, while the other films with his phone.

Jerky-like skin of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth could change what we know about ancient DNA

Radio/As It Happens | Tue, 16 Jul 2024 18:04:32 EDT

The leathery, mulleted remains of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth known as Chris Waddle aren’t much to look at, says geneticist Olga Dudchenko — but the information they contain is invaluable. read more

Millions of bats have died from this disease. Now it's been found in Alberta

News/Canada/Edmonton | Sat, 13 Jul 2024 04:00:00 EDT

Three little brown bats in two separate areas of southeastern Alberta have tested positive for white-nose syndrome, and there's no cure. Biologists consider white-nose syndrome one of the worst wildlife diseases in modern times in North America. read more

MaryAnn Harris in hospital on a ventilator.

Tick-spread illnesses are on the rise in Canada. Are surveillance, awareness efforts keeping up?

News/Health | Sat, 13 Jul 2024 04:00:00 EDT

For years, medical experts have warned a rising number of Canadians are being exposed to ticks carrying an array of dangerous pathogens. Lyme disease is the most familiar, but concerns about anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus are also growing. Are surveillance and awareness efforts keeping pace? read more

Two men stand in the sand near a sign reading, 'Carcross Desert.'

Drawn to Mars, these researchers found themselves in Yukon instead

News/Canada/North | Sat, 13 Jul 2024 10:21:57 EDT

The surprising similarities between Mars and the North brought around 80 astroscientists to the Yukon this week, representing universities and space agencies from all over the world. read more

CrowdStrike says global tech outage was due to a quality control bug

Tech/World/CrowdStrike | Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:50:06 +0000

A CrowdStrike software update that crashed computers globally last week was caused by a bug in the U.S. cybersecurity firm's quality control mechanism, the company said. read more

B.C. legal tech firm Clio nets US$900M in historic funding round

Canada/Money/Tech | Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:32:02 +0000

Legal tech company Clio said on Tuesday it had raised US$900 million in one of the largest fundraises ever from a Canadian startup. read more

What is CrowdStrike? How a cybersecurity update caused a global tech outage

News/Tech/Trending | Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:30:33 +0000

A single software update has brought the digital world to its knees as workers around the world woke up on Friday and found they couldn't boot up their computers. read more

CrowdStrike outage: Canadian flights, health care disrupted after faulty update

Canada/Consumer/Entertainment | Fri, 19 Jul 2024 11:41:33 +0000

Dozens of Canadian flights and several hospitals across the country were impacted on Friday amid a global technology outage related to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. read more

Group in charge of Google’s $100M for news outlets lays out its governance model

Canada/Money/Tech | Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:51:18 +0000

The Canadian Journalism Collective submitted plans to Canada's broadcasting regulator this week outlining the structure of the board that will ultimately oversee the funds. read more

B.C.-made material to be used by Max Space, NASA for habitats on moon

Canada/Environment/Features | Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:10:41 +0000

A small West Coast company is helping astronauts return to the moon in 2026. ALUULA Composites has signed on to provide its durable, lightweight fabric to build space habitats. read more

EU charges X under social media laws, takes aim at platform’s blue checks

Tech/World/Elon Musk | Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:27:42 +0000

The European Commission outlined the preliminary findings from its investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter, under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act. read more

Massive AT&T data breach includes calls to Canada

Tech/U.S. News/AT&T | Fri, 12 Jul 2024 12:56:39 +0000

An AT&T spokesperson confirmed Friday that the cellular data affected in a recent massive breach includes made calls to Canadian numbers. read more

Canada warns Russian ‘bot farm’ is using AI to spread online disinformation

Canada/Tech/bot farm | Wed, 10 Jul 2024 20:47:11 +0000

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said individuals affiliated with RT have been using a social-media bot farm at the direction of the Russian government. read more

Intuit to close Edmonton offices as company cuts jobs, invests in AI

Canada/Consumer/Money | Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:58:10 +0000

TurboTax-parent company Intuit will layoff 1,800 employees and close offices in Edmonton and Idaho to focus on its AI-powered tax preparation software and other financial products. read more