Researchers have created a device capable of harvesting the mechanical energy generated by chewing or talking. The device works via the piezoelectic effect, in which certain materials generate electricity when stretched or squeezed. In this case, the chin strap contains a strip of piezoelectric material made of electrodes that are embedded into plastic. Chewing gum […]
Posts by SMCCadmin (SMCCadmin)
Science Culture: Where Canada Stands | SMCC Webinar
Science Culture: Where Canada Stands | SMCC Webinar | 12:00 PM ET, Wednesday, August 27, 2014 How do Canadians use, think about, and interact with science? How do we compare with our peers in other developed nations? Are we ready to embrace science for the future of our country? These are just some of the […]
Keystone XL : émissions de gaz carbonique
Une nouvelle étude publiée dimanche dans Nature Climate Change utilise un modèle économique pour quantifier l’impact qu’aurait la construction de l’oléoduc Keystone XL sur les émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Le projet Keystone XL permettrait le transport de pétrole brut de l’industrie des sables bitumineux en Alberta jusqu’à raffineries américaines. Les auteurs expliquent […]
EcoHealth – Tisser des liens pour la santé, les écosystèmes et la société – Webinaire du CCSM
Ebola, MERS, SRAS : personne ne sait quand la prochaine pandémie frappera, mais les chercheurs n’attendent pas les bras croisés. Certains d’entre eux vont au-delà des initiatives de santé publique traditionnelles que sont les vaccins, les antibiotiques et les pesticides. Ils font partie du domaine d’étude de l’écosanté qui considère que la santé humaine d’une […]
EcoHealth – Emerging Diseases, Human Health and the Environment | SMCC Webinar
EcoHealth – Emerging Diseases, Human Health and the Environment | SMCC Webinar | 12:00 PM ET, Thursday, August 7, 2014 Ebola, MERS and SARS – as we worry about the next pandemic and the spread of already established diseases, researchers are looking beyond the traditional public health initiatives of vaccines, antibiotics and pesticides. The field […]
Webinaire | Lac-Mégantic : un an après
Le 6 juillet 2013, un train de marchandises d’une longueur de 72 wagons transporte du pétrole brut en provenance de la formation de Bakken dans le Dakota du Nord. Il explose en plein centre-ville à Lac-Mégantic et cause la mort de 47 personnes. Cet accident a été l’un des plus mortels de l’histoire ferroviaire canadienne en plus de […]
Lac-Mégantic, One Year Later | SMCC Webinar
Lac-Mégantic, One Year Later | SMCC Webinar | 12:00 PM ET, July 2, 2014 On July 6, 2013, a 72-car runaway freight train rolled into the town of Lac-Mégantic, QC. There it derailed and its cargo – crude oil extracted from the the Bakken formation, near North Dakota – exploded, destroying large parts of […]
GM rats and maize | Expert Comments
Expert Comments – GM maize and rats In 2012, a study was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology by Séralini et al. titled “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize.” The paper’s design, methodology and use of statistical tools attracted a great deal of criticism from the scientific […]
Lancement de deux nanosatellites canadiens
Deux satellites de conception canadienne ont été mis en orbite le 19 juin 2014 dernier depuis Yasny en Russie. Les deux satellites baptisés BRITE-Toronto et BRITE-Montréal ne sont pas plus gros que des batteries de voiture. Ceux-ci observeront à l’aide de télescope les étoiles les plus brillantes du ciel afin de détecter des changements de luminosité […]
Launch of two Canadian nanosatellites
At 15:11:11 Eastern Daylight Time on July 19, 2014, two Canadian-designed satellites were launched from Yasny, Russia. Named BRITE-Toronto and BRITE-Montreal, these devices – no bigger than a car battery – will stare for long periods of time at the brightest stars in the night sky, monitoring shifts in their brightness and colour. Monitoring these shifts […]
Alberta’s Bow River: Climate change and human impacts | SMCC Backgrounder
In the days leading up to June 20, 2013, Alberta experienced extreme rainfall that led to flooding on the Bow River and its associated watershed. Total damage was estimated at $3 to 5 billion. While there is no way to prevent such floods, scientific research by climatologists, hydrologists and other experts can help us understand […]
Le nouveau pergélisol en Arctique ne durera pas
Alors que les lacs arctiques réduisent comme peau de chagrin, du nouveau pergélisol se forme autour de ceux-ci. Une nouvelle étude montre toutefois que ce pergélisol fondra d’ici la fin du siècle. Des chercheurs de l’Université McGill ont suivi la réduction d’un lac en Alaska et ont observé que du nouveau pergélisol se forme autour de […]
New Arctic permafrost won’t last
As Arctic lakes shrink, new permafrost develops around them, but according to a new study, it’s not expected to last the century. Researchers looked at a retreating lake in Alaska and saw new permafrost had formed along the old lakebed in areas where willow trees had altered the soil’s moisture and heat content. The new […]
New method to detect bogus ‘male enhancement’ drugs
A new technique can successfully distinguish between 82 different compounds used in both real and bogus ‘male enhancement’ pills in less than 10 minutes. Compounds – both natural and synthetic – that are chemically similar to the active ingredients in erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra and Cialis are often mixed into pills and sold as […]
Groundwater depletion in California may move mountains
Removal of groundwater in California’s San Joaquin valley may be causing small seismic events, according to a new paper. Researchers used GPS measurements to show that land surrounding the valley is rising by between 1 and 3 mm per year, in response to draining of the underlying aquifer. The pattern is correlated with wet and […]
Expert Comments – Carbon Impact of Keystone XL
A study published Sunday in Nature Climate Change uses an economic model to quantify the potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport crude oil from Canadian oil sands projects to refineries in the US. The authors say that previous analyses did not adequately account for the ways […]