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The Conversation
promotional poster showing a disintegrating satellite dish and the text "3 Body Problem"

The planetary orbit in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ is random and chaotic, but could it exist?

Peter Watson, Carleton University

three small toy figures placed on a bar graph

How studying trends in human lifespans can measure progress in addressing inequality

Peter Zizler, Mount Royal University and Shoba Ittyipe, Mount Royal University

Websites deceive users by deliberately hiding the extent of data collection and sharing

Raymond A. Patterson, University of Calgary; Ashkan Eshghi, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick; Hooman Hidaji, University of Calgary, and Ram Gopal, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

a woman holds a mobile phone while sitting in front of a laptop
Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage

Andrew Flachs, Purdue University and Joseph Orkin, Université de Montréal

Close-up of person putting shredded cabbage in a jar of other shredded vegetables.
The use of AI in war games could change military strategy

John Long Burnham, University of Alberta

Chess pieces with a blue and purple screen behind them.
Space exploration is not a luxury, it’s a necessity

Daniel Fillion, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)

Space exploration is not a luxury, it’s a necessity

Human error may have contributed to the Key Bridge disaster — changing our approach to design can help reduce accidents

Francesco Biondi, University of Windsor

two vessels near a collapsed bridge
Addressing deepfake porn doesn’t require new criminal laws, which can restrict sexual fantasy and promote the prison system

Lara Karaian, Carleton University

a woman lit by purple and green lights with an overlay of digital circles
A human, environmental and economic emergency response to the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

Jack L. Rozdilsky, York University, Canada

a ship tangled up in a bridge, a white US coast guard boat in front of it
Websites deceive users by deliberately hiding the extent of data collection and sharing

Raymond A. Patterson, University of Calgary; Ashkan Eshghi, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick; Hooman Hidaji, University of Calgary, and Ram Gopal, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

a woman holds a mobile phone while sitting in front of a laptop

Astronomy

starry sky with clouds in the lower half

The sun was born when a dense gas cloud collapsed, 4.6 billion years ago

Hanika Rizo, Carleton University

For the Maya, solar eclipses were a sign of heavenly clashes − and their astronomers kept sophisticated records to predict them

Kimberly H. Breuer, University of Texas at Arlington

A stone pyramid with many tiers, lit up in shades of yellow and pink under a night sky with lots of stars.
A total solar eclipse presents a unique opportunity to witness a rare phenomenon — but protect your eyes

Robert Knobel, Queen's University, Ontario

A group of people wearing eclipse glasses look up
The total solar eclipse is a cosmic spectacle well worth the hype

Robert Knobel, Queen's University, Ontario and Kristine Spekkens, Queen's University, Ontario

a desert sky with all phases of the solar eclipse in a row
Niagara pre-emptively declares a state of emergency in anticipation of massive solar eclipse crowds

Jack L. Rozdilsky, York University, Canada

an orange bus drives past throngs of tourists looking at waterfalls
stone relief of a regal man

Eclipses were once associated with the deaths of kings — attempting to predict this played a key role in the birth of astronomy

Daryn Lehoux, Queen's University, Ontario

A solar eclipse and a black hole can both bend light

Martin Connors, Athabasca University

yellow stars against a dark background
Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Sarah Sadavoy, Queen's University, Ontario

a black circle surrounded by a white halo of light against a dark background
Total solar eclipses provide an opportunity to engage with science, culture and history

Nikhil Arora, Queen's University, Ontario and Mark Richardson, Queen's University, Ontario

a silhouette of a man pointing at the sun
The April 8 eclipse provides a rare opportunity to witness the sun’s superhot corona

Martin Connors, Athabasca University

a glowing multicoloured orb against a dark background
Read more

Internet and society

close-up of three women sitting in an audience

A decade after the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in Nigeria, what has the #BringBackOurGirls movement achieved?

Temitope Oriola, University of Alberta

Does TikTok pose a security threat to Canadians?

Robert Diab, Thompson Rivers University

a mobile phone screen showning the tiktok page on the Apple app store
School board social media lawsuits: For too long we’ve sought individual solutions to a collective problem

Sachin Maharaj, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

A student seen putting her phone into a wall holder.
A B.C. class action may prompt Uber and Lyft to ensure accessible services for wheelchair users

Mahtot Gebresselassie, York University, Canada

the back window of a car showing Uber and Lyft stickers
Dating apps: Lack of regulation, oversight and competition affects quality, and millions stand to lose

Neil McArthur, University of Manitoba

a woman holding a phone sitting on the couch and smiling
Read more

Life sciences

a buck nibbles on a bush

To manage chronic wasting disease, some animals die so more can live

Kaylee Byers, Simon Fraser University and Sarah Robinson, Simon Fraser University

How do halibut migrate? Clues are in their ear bones

Charlotte Gauthier, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)

horizon
Defying expectations, disabled Japanese macaques survive by adjusting their behaviours and receiving support

Sarah E. Turner, Concordia University; Brogan M. Stewart, Concordia University; Jack Creeggan, Concordia University; Megan M. Joyce, Concordia University; Mikaela Gerwing, Concordia University, and Stephanie Eccles, Concordia University

a macaque
Extreme environments are coded into the genomes of the organisms that live there

Kathleen A. Hill, Western University and Lila Kari, University of Waterloo

A pond with clear water and yellow substances on its edges
No, overwintering turtles don’t breathe through their butts: Getting to the bottom of a popular misconception

Grégory Bulté, Carleton University

a lot of turtles underwater
Read more

Artificial intelligence

a robot arm reaches out to various icons related to justice including scales, a courthouse and a gavel

The federal government’s proposed AI legislation misses the mark on protecting Canadians

Joanna Redden, Western University and Fenwick McKelvey, Concordia University

Canada’s Genetic Non-Discrimination Act has only had a limited impact on the use of genetic information by life insurers

Diya Uberoi, McGill University and Yann Joly, McGill University

a pair of reading glasses rests on a life insurance application
Increasingly sophisticated AI systems can perform empathy, but their use in mental health care raises ethical questions

A.T. Kingsmith, OCAD University

a woman looks at a device with graphics related to health superimposed around her
Artificial intelligence needs to be trained on culturally diverse datasets to avoid bias

Vered Shwartz, University of British Columbia

a globe on a blue background surrounded by diverse people's faces on a screen
AI-generated pornography will disrupt the adult content industry and raise new ethical concerns

Valerie A. Lapointe, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Simon Dubé, Indiana University

a woman laying in bed holding a mobile phone, 0s and 1s are overlaid on top of the image

How ChatGPT can help you do archival research — but never replace archivists
Listen

Siham Alaoui, Université Laval

A person looking at a smartphone.
Why student experiments with Generative AI matter for our collective learning
Listen

Mohammad Keyhani, University of Calgary; Hadi Hemmati, York University, Canada, and Leslie Salgado, University of Calgary

Two people seen at a computer.
Long hours and low wages: the human labour powering AI’s development
Listen

Ben Lee Taylor, McMaster University

An illustration of blocks in the shape of a train approaching a point with three sets of tracks to choose from.
AI-generated misinformation: 3 teachable skills to help address it
Listen

Jaigris Hodson, Royal Roads University

Young people seen in front of a laptop.
Read more

Cities

a man with a cane walks along a sidewalk with textured yellow surfaces
Listen

Despite legislative progress, accessible cities remain elusive

Ron Buliung, University of Toronto

Black Londoners of Canada: Digital mapping reveals Ontario’s Black history and challenges myths

Elizabeth Hinds-Hueglin, Western University; David Mitterauer, Western University, and Patrick Kinghan, Western University

Drawing of a landscape showing trees, a bridge and water dotted with buiildings spaced apart.
Annual rankings don’t always tell us what it’s really like to live in a city

Georges A. Tanguay, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Juste Rajaonson, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Trees surrounded by a tall glass building.
Crawford Lake: What the past can teach us about urban living today
Listen

Soren Brothers, University of Toronto

A lake surrounded by trees.
The 15-minute city is a popular planning approach, but relies on ableist assumptions

Ron Buliung, University of Toronto

an alarm clock with a 15-minute timer and the background of a city
Read more

Most read this week

1.
Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage

Andrew Flachs, Purdue University and Joseph Orkin, Université de Montréal

Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage
2.
The use of AI in war games could change military strategy

John Long Burnham, University of Alberta

The use of AI in war games could change military strategy
3.
The planetary orbit in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ is random and chaotic, but could it exist?

Peter Watson, Carleton University

The planetary orbit in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ is random and chaotic, but could it exist?
4.
Space exploration is not a luxury, it’s a necessity

Daniel Fillion, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)

Space exploration is not a luxury, it’s a necessity
5.
AI-generated pornography will disrupt the adult content industry and raise new ethical concerns

Valerie A. Lapointe, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Simon Dubé, Indiana University

AI-generated pornography will disrupt the adult content industry and raise new ethical concerns
6.
How studying trends in human lifespans can measure progress in addressing inequality

Peter Zizler, Mount Royal University and Shoba Ittyipe, Mount Royal University

How studying trends in human lifespans can measure progress in addressing inequality