Sometimes, I feel as if I should stay away from vacations and personal downtime completely. Case in point – I’m on vacation this week and the thing I did first? Redesigned the blog. But… there is method behind my madness. Here’s the lowdown, for anyone interested in the thought process behind a blog design. I’ve… [Continue Reading]

Of Blog Design Changes and Looking to the Future originally appeared on Danny Brown – under a Creative Commons license.

Most people accept, at least tacitly, the majority of scientific claims: general relativity, quantum mechanics, pharmaceuticals; people accept that these work more or less the way the scientists say they do. Indeed, in almost all aspects of our live…

As herbicide-resistant weeds grow harder to control, agriculture companies have designed a new generation of plants to withstand heavier doses of multiple weed-killing chemicals. It’s the latest, more-intensive version of the same approach that’s made so-called superweeds such a problem — and some scientists think it will fuel the evolution of the worst superweeds yet.

The opponents of science education have achieved a second success, next to a law passed in Louisiana — the passage of a new law in Tennessee.

Looking at ancient bird fossils is an opportunity to see what birding might have been like millions of years ago. Back then, many birds had enormous teeth, long snouts and long, bony tails. We’ve compiled a quick guide to birding in China’s primitive forest-filled aviary, which thrived about 125 to 120 million years ago.

Dutch impressionist Vincent van Gogh obsessed himself with sunflowers until his death in 1890, later earning avid collectors tens of millions of dollars for single paintings. These days researchers have developed their own sunflower obsession: Solving the genetic origin of mutant “teddy bear” sunflowers depicted in van Gogh’s ochre-splashed canvases.

Calgary is on the verge of a game changing construction boom that’s set to revitalize the city. The city is looking to build inwards to change the face of its downtown and city centres, after buyers in the past few decades have moved to the suburbs and left Calgary’s downtown district lacking vibrancy. “It’s a new chapter for Calgary – it’s redefining the shape of the downtown core, the way we perceive living in downtown Calgary,” Susan Veres, a Calgary … Read More

Evolution, a new Calgary-based project by Bosa Development and Embassy Development, is about to launch its first phase, Fuse, and we’ve got the scoop on the red hot project. Located in Calgary’s uber cool East Village, Evolution has a huge variety of suites, ranging from townhouses, mid-rise homes, rooftop garden level homes, tower condominium units and penthouses. Boasting world-class design, quality, and sustainability in downtown Calgary, Architect James KM Cheng has been appointed to showcase the incredible designs. Fuse features … Read More

For three decades, Bernie Krause has collected the sounds of nature, from Amazon jungles to Antarctic glaciers and even ant colonies. For Krause, the sounds aren’t ambience, but biological orchestras of extraordinary beauty and complexity. In this gallery, you can hear some of his favorite recordings.

A giant squid’s soccer ball-sized eyeballs are three times wider than any other animal’s, but explaining why has kept squid researchers busy. Now, thanks to a rare well-preserved squid specimen, they have an idea: The enormous peepers likely evolved to see bioluminescent trails of light left by sperm whales, the squids’ great predator.

Remains found in southern China may be those of a new humanoid species.

Any pet owner can attest that having a cute loving animal around can make you feel better, but did you know that having a pet can make you physically healthier? What’s even better is that animals benefit benefit in a similar way that we do. I won…

Nature is supposed to be red in tooth and claw, and domestication an artificial process for making animals gentle. But it appears that some corners of the animal kingdom are becoming kinder, gentler places. Certain creatures may be domesticating themselves.

A blue-eyed Chinese boy born with cat-like night vision may offer clues to the future of human evolution.

If you’ve ever wondered whether mammalian evolution has a speed limit, here’s a number for you: 24 million generations.

Areas of inquiry once reserved for historians and social scientists are now studied by neuroscientists, and among the most fascinating is cultural conflict: Why do different groups behave differently? Why can’t we all get along? Science alone won’t provide the answers, but it can offer new insights into how social behavior reflects — and perhaps even shapes — human biology.

An evolutionary transition that took several billion years to occur in nature has happened in a laboratory, and it needed just 60 days.

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I’ve been harping a lot lately on the fact-checkers, like PolitiFact, and how they too often fall for a type of phony journalistic “balance” that those of us who p…

Dear Readers; ‘Perspective on Canada’ has learned that certain factions within the right wing movement here in North America are slowly coming around to a more scientific point of view on  human development that does not depend on a purely ‘Creationist’  doctrine to explain our rise up the food chain. However, since science is not [...]

Even though 7 billion people live in Earth’s every corner, and several centuries of scientists have catalogued its natural wonders, unknown creatures continue to be found.