“Yes,” says Bob Garrison of the Department of Astronomy. “That’s actually a very accurate way of putting it.” The first two elements—hydrogen and helium—were formed during the Big Bang, but because the post-Bang universe was expanding rapidly, temperatures weren’t high enough to generate the other 100-plus elements. These were formed inside stars. The first stars [...]
Spencer Barrett leads team differentiating plants species
Scientists are a step closer to differentiating the more than 300,000 species of plants in the world, thanks to new molecular work from a Canadian team of researchers from the Universities of Guelph, British Columbia and Toronto.
Barry Rawn, a PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is poised to make a difference to our energy future.
“You are star-stuff” was a catchy but concise phrase astronomer and television personality Carl Sagan used to illustrate our connection to the universe. All elements found on Earth today, with the exception of hydrogen and helium, originated in stars. Understanding stars and the galaxies they reside in, argued Sagan, would give us insights into our [...]
Demographics of mating influence sex ratio
Environmental factors can transform the ratio of females to males in plant populations, according to new research out of the University of Toronto. continue
Jafar Arkani-Hamed shows asteroid pulled on fluid in planet’s core
CAN you flip a planet’s magnetic field on and off like a light switch? An asteroid could have done just that to Mars 4 billion years ago. continue citation & scholarly article
Mart Gross tests conventional conservation wisdom
Consider the Jefferson salamander. About average-finger length, its grey skin mottled with black. Amphibious, spawning in Southern Ontario’s quickly vanishing woodland vernal pools. Prognosis: Dying. continue
Dick Peltier's lab is the planet itself
Dick Peltier doesn’t like mystery when it comes to Planet Earth. The renowned physicist has spent the past 34 years learning the complex science behind virtually every physical force that governs our planet — from ancient ice ages to how oceans work. He has developed powerful models, using sophisticated mathematical concepts, to depict what has [...]
Prof. Steve Mann invented the hydraulophone, a musical instrument that you play by putting your fingers on jets of water. This one is installed at the Ontario Science Centre, but Mann is often seen around town with his invention.
Andrew Howell challenges conventional wisdom on cause of cosmic explosions
IT’S an embarrassing gap in astronomers’ knowledge. Despite relying on type Ia supernovae as tools to measure the dark energy speeding up the universe’s expansion, they still don’t know exactly what causes the blasts. Now the picture has got even fuzzier. continue citation & scholarly article
