
Quirks and Quarks
CBC
Kategorien: Wissenschaft und Medizin
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A little bit of scratching can do some good, but too much can hurt
Scratching an itch can feel great, so scientists decided to dig into why that is the case since we know too much scratching isn’t good for us. Dr. Dan Kaplan, a professor of dermatology and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh, said they found that scratching drives inflammation to the skin, which, in light moderation, helps to fight bacterial skin infections. But he warns that continual or excessive scratching can prolong an itch and potentially damage the skin. Their study is in the journal Science.
Bear hazing goes high-tech with drones
A wildlife manager in the US has found that drones can be a safe and effective way to discourage problem bears from troubling human habitation and livestock. Wesley Sarmento started working in the prairies of Montana to prevent bear-human conflicts, but found the usual tricks of the trade were not as effective as he wanted them to be. Previously he tried to use noisemakers, dogs, trucks, and firearms, but buzzing bears with flying robots turned out to work much better. Now a PhD student at the University of Montana, he published an article about his hazing research in Frontiers in Conservation Science.
Ants can remember and hold grudges against those who trouble them
When ants fight with those from another nearby colony, it makes an impression. A new study has found the insects can remember the chemical signature of the aggressors, and will respond more vigorously and violently the next time they cross paths. Dr. Volker Nehring, a researcher at the University of Freiburg, Germany, describes the phenomenon as “the nasty neighbour" where ants are most aggressive to ant colonies closest to them, and says this is due to resource protection. Dr Nehring and his team’s research was published in the journal Current Biology.
Scientists on the front line of permafrost thaw describe changes in the Arctic
The acceleration of change in the Arctic due to global warming is transforming the landscape on a year-to-year basis, often in surprising ways. That’s according to scientists who’ve been studying the effects of climate change in the North.
One study found that lakes in Western Greenland shifted from pristine blue to dirty brown from one year to the next due to increased permafrost melting and runoff. Jasmine Saros, a lake ecologist from the University of Maine, said they were astonished by the magnitude of change they saw in all 10 lakes they studied and how quickly it happened. That study was published in the journal PNAS.
We also speak with William Quinton, a permafrost hydrologist from Wilfred Laurier University and the director of the Scotty Creek Research Station in southern Northwest Territories, an area he describes as “the frontline of permafrost thaw.” Quinton was part of a research team, led by Anna Virkkala from the Woodwell Climate Research Centre, that found that 34 per cent of the Arctic Boreal Zone — a region where carbon was safely locked up in the permafrost for thousands of years — has now become a carbon source. That study is in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Vorherige Folgen
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647 - The rapidly changing Arctic, and more Fri, 07 Feb 2025
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646 - Technology to preserve biodiversity and more… Fri, 31 Jan 2025
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645 - Solving mysteries in our solar system, and more Fri, 24 Jan 2025
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644 - Climate scientists as physicians of the planet, and more Fri, 17 Jan 2025
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643 - How crocheted hats help scientists learn about cats, and more Fri, 10 Jan 2025
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642 - Our Listener Question Show Fri, 03 Jan 2025
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641 - Silly seals sabotage serious science and more… Fri, 27 Dec 2024
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640 - Our holiday science book show Fri, 20 Dec 2024
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639 - The Human Cell Atlas: ‘Google Maps’ for our bodies, and more… Fri, 13 Dec 2024
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638 - Hacking photosynthesis — how we'll improve on Mother Nature Fri, 06 Dec 2024
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637 - Exploring the limits of human longevity, and more Fri, 29 Nov 2024
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636 - A brain ‘car wash’ could prevent neurological diseases and more… Fri, 22 Nov 2024
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635 - An environmental historian looks at our symbiosis with trees and more… Fri, 15 Nov 2024
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634 - New fishing technology could save endangered Right whales and more… Fri, 08 Nov 2024
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633 - The science of art appreciation, and more Fri, 01 Nov 2024
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632 - The amazing, brilliant, fascinating world of spiders and more Fri, 25 Oct 2024
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631 - Can we dump antacids in the ocean to soak up carbon dioxide? And more. Fri, 18 Oct 2024
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630 - Quirks & Quarks presents Galactic Trailblazers: Renegade Women Wed, 16 Oct 2024
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629 - A Nobel for microRNA and more Fri, 11 Oct 2024
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628 - The FBI's chief explosives scientist deconstructs bomb forensic investigations and more... Fri, 04 Oct 2024
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627 - Plastic: We need to understand the problem and the solutions, and more Fri, 27 Sep 2024
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626 - An astronaut takes a birds-eye view of migration and more Fri, 20 Sep 2024
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625 - Science in the Field special. Catching up on the sights and sounds of what Canadian researchers did this summer Fri, 13 Sep 2024
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624 - Overheated Bonus Podcast -- a hostful behind-the-scenes chat Mon, 09 Sep 2024
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623 - Overheated - a Quirks & Quarks special about urban heat Fri, 06 Sep 2024