Press Releases

In the remote deserts of southern Africa, scientists have discovered a new mammal species, which resembles a mouse but carries genes that are related to elephants. The new species of round-eared sengi, or elephant shrew, is the native of the far-off northwestern region of Namibia, and is said to be the smallest known member of the 19 sengis in the ... Read More »

Vancouver, BC – Following weeks of deliberations related to the Vancouver Aquarium’s whale program, residents of British Columbia are deeply divided on the issue of keeping cetaceans in captivity, a new Insights West poll has found. The online survey of a representative provincial sample sought to review various themes, including awareness, arguments in favour and against keeping animals in captivity, ... Read More »

A man with almost no hair on his body has grown a full head of it after a novel treatment by doctors at Yale University. There is currently no cure or long-term treatment for alopecia universalis, the disease that left the 25-year-old patient bare of hair. This is the first reported case of a successful targeted treatment for the rare, ... Read More »

Dinosaurs dominated the landscape for more than 100 million years, but all that remains today are bones. This has made it difficult to solve a long-standing and contentious puzzle: were dinosaurs cold-blooded animals that lumbered along or swift warm-blooded creatures as depicted in Jurassic Park? Read More »

New data from the 2013 Canadian Community Health Survey show that roughly one in five youths aged 12 to 17 reported height and weight that classified them as overweight or obese. The survey results also show important shifts in the health and behaviour of the Canadian population. For example, 55.2% of Canadians aged 12 and older in 2013 (16.1 million) ... Read More »

A major fossil discovery in Canada sheds new light on the development of the earliest vertebrates, including the origin of jaws, the first time this feature has been seen so early in the fossil record. A key piece in the puzzle of the evolution of vertebrates has been identified, after the discovery of fossilised fish specimens, dating from the Cambrian ... Read More »

A majority of Americans (55%) say they are neither overweight nor trying to lose weight, despite a recent study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) that found two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Read More »

A new grant program will help municipalities better protect their residents, property, and infrastructure from the effects of floods or droughts. Municipalities, First Nations, and Metis Settlements province-wide may apply for funds from the Alberta Community Resilience Program for projects that protect critical municipal infrastructure from flooding and drought. Read More »

Canadians wants open and frank discussion about the issues surrounding death and dying. That was the message the Canadian Medical Association heard repeatedly during a series of public town hall meetings held across Canada and involving several hundred people. The results of this consultation, which also involved online and social media components, were released by the CMA in its report ... Read More »

The BC SPCA is recommending charges of animal cruelty against eight employees of Canada’s largest dairy farm, following a BC SPCA investigation in Chilliwack. “On June 2, the BC SPCA received an undercover video from the non-profit group Mercy for Animals Canada that showed the employees using chains, canes, rakes, their booted feet and their fists to viciously whip, punch, ... Read More »

The human face evolved to withstand being hit by a fist, two University of Utah researchers contend, expanding on their controversial theory that human hands evolved to punch. A protruding jaw, a thick brow ridge above the eyes, robust bones around the nose and upper jaw and large molars and premolars are defining characteristics of early human ancestors examined by ... Read More »