Small but mighty: How citizen science can have a positive impact on the planet

hoto by Mount Rainier National Park, NPS, CC BY 2.0

Silvie Harder, Policy and Politics editor The Anna’s hummingbird is a tiny, bejewelled bird with shimmering fuchsia and lime green feathers. It weighs about as much as a cherry or grape, between three and six grams, and measures around 10 centimetres in length, about the same length as an apple. Their nests are four centimetres […]

Continue reading


A new threat to honey bees comes to Canada’s west coast

Photo by Alex Bartok, CC BY-SA-NC

Emily Olson, Communications, Education & Outreach editor Our story begins one late summer morning in 2019, in an apiary in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Along the avenue of trees sits a group of honey bee hives – white boxes stacked one upon another and filled with honey, pollen, and European honey bees. As the sun warms […]

Continue reading


The calming effects of natural soundscapes

Image by André Cook from Pexels

Jaspreet Sanghera, Biology and Life Sciences editor Birds chirping, wind brushing through treetops, the babble of running water – nature’s music is abundant and has long been a source of comfort for humanity. Shakespeare noted the beauty of nature’s sounds in The Tempest: The isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs, that give […]

Continue reading


Lipid nanoparticles: The underrated invention behind the vaccine revolution

CC0 image by torstensimon from Pixabay

Nada Salem, Chemistry editor The race to develop vaccines for COVID-19 marks the beginning of a new chapter in medicine: one where we have solutions for previously incurable diseases, more precise therapies, and phenomenally faster drug development. New frontiers in ribonucleic acid (RNA) medicine play a prominent role in this development. Ribonucleic acid is a […]

Continue reading


The effects of “outdoor” domestic cats on wildlife

bird-killing cat from Pixabay

Tanya Samman and Alina Fisher, Environmental and Earth Sciences co-editors Disclaimer: Both Alina and Tanya are fans of both cats and wildlife. This post is not intended to alienate any outdoor cat owners. The intention is to demonstrate the effects these animals have on wildlife. The crime scene You open your door to find a […]

Continue reading