Science

A century-old biscuit salvaged from the survival kit of a passenger aboard the Titanic has sold at auction for $23,000. The square-shaped biscuit, made with just flour and water, and just 9 centimeters by 10 centimeters in size, was stored in a survival kit aboard one of the Titanic’s lifeboats.

Despite the world’s 2020 goal to protect at least 10% of the world’s oceans, only 4% of it actually lies within marine protected areas, according to new research from the University of B.C. Institute for Ocean and Fisheries. UBC Institute for Ocean and Fisheries researchers found that major swaths of the ocean must still be protected to reach even the …

The news for lions (Panthera leo) just keeps getting worse. A surprising new study finds that most African lion populations have declined by 50 percent over the past 20 years. Even worse, the number of big cats is likely to shrink another 50 percent in the next two decades. A team of scientists from global wild cat conservation organisation Panthera, …

A B.C. filmmaker captured a remarkable sight off the coast of Victoria this week. Mike Walker, owner of Roll Focus Productions, was shooting a promotional video with Eagle Wing Tours whale-watching company near Victoria, B.C. when the group came across an orca hunt in action.

A whale of a baby boom is unfolding in Southern waters right now and a new addition has just surfaced. The newborn since tagged “J53” was spotted off San Juan Island and is now the sixth calf born into the population this year. The baby orca was seen in Haro Strait traveling with J17, also known as Princess Angeline. 38-year-old …

Klondike, the oldest polar bear in the U.S., was euthanized at the Philadelphia Zoo early Friday due to what staff said was a “recent and substantial decline in her medical condition.” According to the zoo, animal care staff said she had a noticeable deterioration in her health approximately two weeks ago, including difficulty standing and walking after lying down.

Plague has been endemic in the human population since the beginning of the Bronze Age, more than 5,000 years ago, a new research has found. Plague infections were common in humans 3,300 years earlier than the historical record suggests, reports a study published October 22 in Cell. By sequencing the DNA of tooth samples from Bronze Age individuals from Europe …

The spread of zebra mussels in Lake Winnipeg has extended to its north basin, with the invasive aquatic species now found near George Island. A joint program between the province and Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium continues to collect samples and monitor the lake in the fall.

Crocodiles have the ability to sleep with one eye open, scientists have discovered. The researchers from Melbourne’s La Trobe University, with the help of the German colleagues, captured three saltwater crocodiles to conduct the tests, and the results were published in the Journal of Experimental Biology on Thursday.

A Norwegian hiker who was following an ancient route between west and east Norway stumbled across a 1,200-year-old Viking sword. The man was walking along what was described as an ancient route when he saw the 1,200-year-old Viking sword, CNN reported. Experts said the relic, which dates to about 750 A.D., is in exceptionally good condition.

Proving that space is totally metal, astronomers have a new hypothesis of why they saw a white dwarf star gaining mass. It’s not fusing heavier elements, it’s just eating its planets. Like gazing into a cosmic crystal ball, researchers discovered a large rocky object – similar in size to dawrf planet Ceres in our solar system – disintegrating as it …