technology
Uh oh. The dreaded polar vortex may be making an appearance very soon
In 2014, the term “polar vortex” burst on the scene across Canada and the U.S. as temperatures plunged. In some places, it was colder than it was on Mars. Well, get ready to hear more about it. Source link
Why Sable Island didn't struggle with this year's drought
While the Maritimes suffered through a long drought this year, Sable Island didn’t have the same problem. That’s because the island located 290 kilometres southeast of Halifax has a large underground supply of fresh water. Source link
Coastal communities help track N.S. marine life using environmental DNA
The Community-Oriented Coastal Observatory needs samples from around the province, so they’re recruiting volunteers just like them to help with this project. Source link
Saint John bird observatory marks 30 years and 1.7 million seabirds
The Point Lepreau Bird Observatory is marking 30 years of monitoring the seabird migration in a location perfectly positioned to capture the entire migration pattern of more than 100 different species. Source link
Alberta government eyes AI to write legislation for 1st time
The Alberta government is considering using AI technology to write a law for the first time, eyeing a forthcoming piece of whisky legislation as its test case. Source link
Meet the B.C. man bringing Space Race history down to scale
Downtown Dawson Creek isn’t where you might expect to take a tour of the history of the Space Race. But hidden inside an autobody shop, space historian Nick Proach has filled the city’s newest museum with dozens of scale model rockets that have appeared in museums, world fair exhibits, and even aboard NASA spacecraft. Source link
Does Alexa understand your toddler? Western University researchers are looking into it
Two researchers at Western University in London, Ont., are studying how to improve the way artificial intelligence understands toddlers’ speaking patterns. They’re recruiting preschool-age children to examine how they speak and use that data to train an AI model. Source link
This moss survived 9 months outside the International Space Station in the harshness of space
Space is a harsh environment: it’s a vacuum with freezing temperatures, super high ultraviolet radiation and, of course, almost no oxygen. But Japanese researchers have found a type of moss that doesn’t really care about much of that. Source link
Have you seen spotted lanternfly eggs in Windsor-Essex? Invasive Species Centre urges vigilance
Canada’s Invasive Species Centre held a workshop at Windsor’s Ojibway Nature Centre to raise local awareness of the spotted lanternfly — and its egg masses. The Asian plant-eating insect is expected to have a major impact on Canada’s wine and fruit-farming industries. Source link
Thousands of bald eagles descend on B.C.’s Fraser Valley for winter migration
Every winter, tens of thousands of bald eagles descend on the lower Fraser Valley — a migration biologists say forms the world’s largest congregation of eagles. Source link