Researchers conduct most comprehensive airborne mercury testing in Toronto area

University of Toronto researchers say they have conducted the most comprehensive monitoring of airborne mercury ever in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), finding that although mercury concentrations continue to be low, emission levels officially reported to the government are often inaccurate.

For grassland bird conservation, it’s not the size that matters

University of Manitoba researchers have published new findings that can help us save grassland birds, whose populations have declined more severely than species of any other Canadian ecosystem.

Fishing fleets travelling further to catch fewer fish

Industrial fishing fleets have doubled the distance they travel to fishing grounds since 1950 but catch only a third of what they did 65 years ago per kilometre travelled, a new study has found.

NOAA forecasters lower Atlantic hurricane season prediction

Conditions in the ocean and the atmosphere are conspiring to produce a less active Atlantic hurricane season than initially predicted in May, though NOAA and FEMA are raising caution as the season enters its peak months.

Common Skin Cancer Can Signal Increased Risk of Other Cancers

People who develop abnormally frequent cases of a skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma appear to be at significantly increased risk for the development of other cancers, including blood, breast, colon and prostate cancers, according to a preliminary study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Environmental Regulations Drove Steep Declines in U.S. Factory Pollution

The federal Clean Air Act and associated environmental regulations have driven steep declines in air pollution emissions over the past several decades, even as U.S. manufacturers increased production, a study by two University of California, Berkeley, economists has shown.

The Underestimated Cooling Effect on the Planet from Historic Fires

Historic levels of particles in the atmosphere released from pre-industrial era fires, and their cooling effect on the planet, may have been significantly underestimated according to a new study.

An Ancient Medicine Shows New Promise: Arsenic in Combination with an Existing Drug Could Combat Cancer

Investigators have discovered that arsenic in combination with an existing leukemia drug work together to target a master cancer regulator. The team, led by researchers at the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), is hopeful that the discovery could lead to new treatment strategies for diverse types of cancer. Their findings were published today online in Nature Communications. 

A Diverse Diet May Not Be the Healthiest One

Encouraging people to eat a wide variety of foods to ensure they meet all their dietary needs may backfire, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association that provides an overview of recent scientific studies.

Why House Sparrows Lay Both Big and Small Eggs

Why does the egg size of house sparrows vary so much? Isn’t it always an advantage to be big?

Perhaps not surprisingly, baby sparrows that hatch from large eggs are consistently bigger their small egg counterparts. They can store up more reserves if food becomes scarce. So you would think that it’s always a good idea to lay big eggs because your offspring would seem to have a greater chance of survival.