More than a dozen people across four Canadian provinces are confirmed with Salmonella infections traced to breaded chicken products, but federal officials have not irevealed what specific products or brands are implicated. Currently, there are 13 cases of Salmonella illness in four provinces: Ontario (7), Quebec (2), New Brunswick (2), and Nova Scotia (2). Four people have been hospitalized. No …

The environment needed for life to be kickstarted on Earth may have been created by meteorites splashing into ponds of water, say scientists at McMaster University and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Their calculations suggest that wet and dry cycles bonded basic molecular building blocks in the ponds’ nutrient-rich broth into self-replicating RNA molecules that constituted the first genetic …

Life on Earth really did begin around 4 billion years ago – increasing the chances it could be abundant throughout the universe, according to new research. Graphite found in sedimentary rocks in Labrador revealed that the geochemical signature came from the decomposition of living organisms, researchers from the University of Tokyo said. The substance – a form of carbon used …

Dropping temperatures and changes in atmospheric pressure can lead to an increase in the risk of heart failure for elderly people, according to a large-scale study – and more care needs to be taken to counter the effects. Previous research has shown that changes in the weather can affect the health of vulnerable people – for example, heat waves and …

Analysing a mixture of earth samples and meteorites, researchers from the University of Bristol have shed new light on the sequence of events that led to the creation of the planets Earth and Mars. Planets grow by a process of accretion – a gradual accumulation of additional material – in which they collisionally combine with their neighbours. This is often …

The mystery loss of Tasmanian tigers from mainland Australia was likely caused by climate change and not wild dogs or hunting by Aborigines, researchers said on Thursday. The research, published in the Journal of Biogeography, could have implications for the fight to save the endangered Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), says geneticist and research team leader Jeremy Austin of the University …

Astronomers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), based in the US, and the Virgo detector, in Italy, have successfully detected gravitational waves from space for the fourth time. “Today marks an exciting milestone in the growing international scientific effort to unlock the extraordinary mysteries of our universe,” France Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, which funded LIGO, said …

A woman was physically pulled off a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday night after claiming she was severely allergic to two dogs on the plane. According to Southwest Airlines, initial reports indicate that the customer in the video stated that she had a life-threatening pet allergy but was unable to provide documentation necessary to complete travel. Two dogs were on board …

Coffee may not relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease after all, a new study suggests. Study published in the journal Neurology in 2012 suggested that caffeine may help reduce movement symptoms for people with Parkinson’s disease. “Caffeine, which is so safe and inexpensive, has been linked to a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s,” said study author Ronald B. Postuma, MD, …

In a world first, a Tonkean macaque mother has been seen eating the mummified remains of her dead baby after carrying its lifeless body around for weeks. Scientists studying macaques at the Parco Faunistico di Piano dell’Abatino animal sanctuary observed a new mother named Evalyne “caring” for her deceased infant for weeks, and then consuming its mummified body until nothing …

The world’s second-biggest diamond has finally found a buyer. After failing to sell at a Sotheby’s auction last year, the 1,109-carat uncut stone has now fetched $53 million in a private sale to luxury jeweler Graff Diamonds. London-based jeweller Laurence Graff bought the Lesedi La Rona diamond, which was found in Botswana in 2015. The seller was the Canadian Lucara …