Our May general meeting (online only via Zoom) has been announced! Check out the link in bio for more information!

WEIGH THE UNIVERSE – WITH YOUR BATHROOM SCALE with Jason Nishiyama (@evilscientistca.bsky.social)

🗓️ Thursday, May 21, 2026 @ 7:30 PM MDT

Increase support for public-facing academics, universities urged Trust in science not in crisis, researchers say, but those speaking out on politically contested issues ‘vulnerable’

Increase support for public-facing academics, universities urge. Trust in science not in crisis, researchers say, but those speaking out on politically contested issues ‘vulnerable’. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/increas... via via @timeshighered.bsky.social #SciComm #science #SciChat

Absence is harder to track and feel than presence. The ghosts of gone birds fade quickly from memory.

Magnolia molecules: fragrance, pigments and medicines The delicate pink-hued magnolia blooms herald the start of spring, and also harbour a range of fragrant and medicinal chemical compounds. Some of these compounds are even unique to magnolia trees and ...

The delicate pink-hued magnolia blooms herald the start of spring, and also harbour a range of fragrant and medicinal chemical compounds. compoundchem.com/2026/04/20/m... #SciEd #chemistry #STEM #SciChat

ICYMI: The latest Praxis 'Science Smarts' column in the Medicine Hat News (April 18):

“Cartesian Divers”

praxissciencesmarts.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/p...

Some science to do "Under Pressure"!

#MedHat #STEM #SciChat #SciEd #FamilyScience

450-million year old jellyfish ancestor looks like a flailing carwash tubeman ‘Paleocanna tentaculum’ was more closely related to today’s marine invertebrates than its prehistoric relatives.

450-million year old jellyfish ancestor looks like a flailing carwash tubeman. ‘Paleocanna tentaculum’ was more closely related to today’s marine invertebrates than its prehistoric relatives. www.popsci.com/science/jell... #CdnSci #palaeontology #biology #science #SciChat

Groups Sue Administration Over Approval Of Ultra-Deepwater Oil Drilling Project In Gulf Five Gulf and environmental groups have sued the Trump administration over its approval of BP’s new ultra-deepwater oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.

"BP’s first completely new oilfield in the Gulf since the company’s Deepwater Horizon disaster 16 years ago.

It will be deeper than Deepwater Horizon, and in riskier waters... drilling 6 miles below the sea floor, deeper than the height of Mt. Everest"

www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2026/04/grou...

What Did Prehistoric Europeans Eat? Scientists Uncover Surprising Answers Ancient diets in Poland reveal how food, identity, and inequality shaped prehistoric life. An international team of archaeologists and scientists has pieced together the diets of prehistoric populatio...

What Did Prehistoric Europeans Eat? Scientists Uncover Surprising Answers: Results highlight both the adaptability & the independence of prehistoric groups as they navigated environmental & social change. scitechdaily.com/what-did-pre... #anthropology #archaeology #science #SciChat

Calgary and Edmonton drove the the 'No' vote in Alberta's 2021 referendum on permanent daylight savings The question — Do you want Alberta to adopt year-round Daylight Saving Time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year? — was narrowly defeated by a vote of 50.2% to 49.8% provincewide. But the vote breakdown varied by geography. Source: Elections Alberta Chart: Robson Fletcher, Data & Storytelling Strategist

Albertans narrowly rejected permanent daylight saving time in a 2021 referendum.

But today Premier Danielle Smith revealed the province *is* going ahead with it anyway.

Opposition in the referendum was strongest in the biggest cities, while support was stronger in smaller towns and rural areas.

Electric ferry aims to reduce underwater noise, but threats still remain for humpbacks in B.C. | CBC News A new all-electric passenger ferry is moving ahead and while it will reduce underwater noise pollution, marine mammal experts and researchers says it is increasing another risk to humpback whales.

Electric ferry aims to reduce underwater noise, but threats still remain for humpbacks in B.C. 3 humpback whales were found dead last fall in B.C., 2 died from vessel strikes. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #CdnSci #zoology #environment #ecology #SciChat

They Are Killing Our People This past week, the Mikisew Cree First Nation of Alberta released a report on the massive cancer rates in their community.

open.substack.com/pub/charliea...

The Alberta goverment does nothing right these days.

What does the future hold for the thawing Arctic? Two experts unpack how trends in climate and geopolitics might unfold to shape the far north.

What does the future hold for the thawing Arctic? Two experts unpack how trends in climate & geopolitics might unfold to shape the far north. nature.com/articles/d41... via @nature.com
#SciComm #environment #ClimateScience #ecology #SciChat

Donald Trump’s own energy secretary says gas prices could stay high until 2027.

Trump promised to lower costs on Day One. This war with Iran is causing prices to soar.

Madagascar’s ancient baobabs store 700 years of climate secrets – what they reveal Ancient baobabs in Madagascar have unlocked a 700-year rainfall record that is set to help scientists figure out how to adapt to climate change.

Madagascar’s ancient baobabs store 700 years of climate secrets. The records could tell society what it needs to know about the climate history of Madagascar. theconversation.com/madagascars-... via @africa.theconversation.com #palaeoecology #ClimateScience #ecology #environment #SciChat

Oil prices rise and markets fall after US seizure of ship hits Iran peace deal hopes FTSE 100 slides and UK gas prices up amid fears strait of Hormuz will be closed for extended period

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

On 20 Apr 1798, Sir William Edmond Logan, one of Canada’s great scientists, was born.
todayinsci.com/L/Logan_Will... #CdnSci #STEM #SciChat #history #SciEd

BBC presenter Desmond Morris dies aged 98 after ‘a lifetime of exploration’ Morris rose to fame in 1967 with his groundbreaking book The Naked Ape

www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

Louis Pasteur - Inventions, Achievements & Facts Scientist Louis Pasteur came up with the food preparation process known as pasteurization; he also developed vaccinations for anthrax and rabies.

Louis Pasteur completed his first pasteurization test on April 20, 1862. biography.com/scientist/lo...
#history #SciEd #STEM #SciChat

IEA: Global emissions almost flat as clean tech boom eats into fossil fuel demand Energy-related emissions reached an all time high in 2025, according to latest International Energy Agency report, but peak is nearing as electrification spreads rapidly across the global economy

The global clean tech boom really is one of the biggest and most consequential economic, environmental, and geopolitical stories of the century. It remains beyond weird that it is so often treated as a second order issue at best. www.businessgreen.com/news/4528514...

Alberta already has 4000+ orphan wells it hasn’t cleaned up — and it just got 4000+ more.

With inadequate funding from industry, this leaves Albertans to bear the harms associated with unremediated wells near their homes and businesses. #abpoli

@thenarwhal.ca with more 👇

buff.ly/C1mTDEr

On 20 Apr 1798, Sir William Edmond Logan, one of Canada’s great scientists, was born.
todayinsci.com/L/Logan_Will... #CdnSci #STEM #SciChat #history #SciEd

bugleweed, azalea, dogwood, and my hidden forest goblin house down the path

Louis Pasteur - Inventions, Achievements & Facts Scientist Louis Pasteur came up with the food preparation process known as pasteurization; he also developed vaccinations for anthrax and rabies.

Louis Pasteur completed his first pasteurization test on April 20, 1862. biography.com/scientist/lo...
#history #SciEd #STEM #SciChat

Heat pumps,solar energy and wind can reduce or eliminate oil drilling off our coasts, strip mining and mountain top removal for coal as well as dependence on other nations for energy. Energy independence with alternative fuels and conservation can both reduce costs and negative climate impacts.

Harvard Geneticist Proposes Neanderthals as Descended from Humans Humans and Neanderthals are so similar that Neanderthals provide no evidence we are closely related to some type of primitive non-human.

Harvard Geneticist Proposes Neanderthals Are Descended from Humans: Whatever our exact relationship may be, Neanderthals don’t show that humans are related to a primitive, non-human form. scienceandculture.com/2026/04/harv... #genomics #anthropology #archaeology #science #SciChat

Before Ruth died, we agreed on her ‘ghost’ sign. Experts say it’s a powerful tool for working through grief I don’t believe in ghosts. But for the bereaved, receiving ‘messages’ from beyond the grave can help us feel connected to the departed

A really beautiful, poignant, thought provoking and heartfelt piece by Narelle Towie about the death of a wonderful friend
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The crazy nests built by leaf-cutter ants Turrets and tunnels and carbon dioxide — oh my! These ants farm, but they are also master builders.

The crazy nests built by leaf-cutter ants
Turrets and tunnels and carbon dioxide — oh my! These ants farm, but they are also master builders. knowablemagazine.org/content/arti... via @knowablemag.bsky.social
#entomology #Myrmecology #biology #science #SciChat

Junior Einsteins Chemists Mother's Day Science Camp!

📍South Courtice Arena - Meeting Room, Sunday 3rd May, 10:00am - 11:30am!

#JuniorEinsteins #ScienceClub #STEM #Science #KidsCamps #claringtonontario #oshawaontario #courticeontario #portperryontario #bowmanvilleontario

Apparently for most accounts.

The Surprising Diet Rule That Makes “Good” Parasites Work Worms reduce inflammation only on high-fiber diets; low fiber disables their benefits and disrupts gut health.

The Surprising Diet Rule That Makes “Good” Parasites Work - Worms reduce inflammation only on high-fiber diets; low fibre disables their benefits and disrupts gut health. scitechdaily.com/the-surprisi... #parasitology #biology #health #science #SciChat