Science & Earth

Research, expert interviews and modelling in the article suggest responders would face major challenges containing a large bitumen spill off B.C.'s north coast because of severe weather, fast currents and long travel times for equipment.

J.D. Irving has proposed swapping some protected Crown lands it could harvest in exchange for conserving other areas, and several New Brunswick municipalities have asked the natural resources minister to weigh local social and economic interests; Riverview council will vote Feb. 9 on whether to join a letter supporting that request.

A national report by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction profiles the City of Merritt's STUWI(x) Naturalization Project, which includes a voluntary buyout program and plans to remove permanent structures from a repeatedly flooded area to restore the river and floodplain.

Jeremy Hansen, from Ailsa Craig, is set to join NASA's Artemis II mission that could launch as early as Feb. 8; his former school and local community in southwestern Ontario have organized tributes and events ahead of the flight.

Several Toronto women have moved from corporate roles into full-time work in sustainable fashion, including vintage retail, personal styling and content creation, and they emphasize curation, inclusion and longer-lasting clothing.

B.C. is providing $3.3 million for Fraser Valley flood planning, and Comox has declared a flooding state of emergency.

Dalhousie is seeking approval for a 16-month master of fisheries science that would emphasize practical training in analytics, field work and stock assessment, and the faculty is preparing for a first cohort of 15–25 students in September.

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has proposed population targets for black bears across 29 regions and is seeking public feedback; the plan would introduce a lottery tag system if local populations fall below targets and could permit a second harvest where populations exceed upper thresholds.

NASA's Artemis program plans crewed lunar missions beginning with Artemis II, a 10-day flyby carrying four astronauts including Canada's Jeremy Hansen, and Artemis III aims for a south-pole lunar landing around 2028.

Astronomers report detecting thiepine (C6H6S), a 13-atom ring-shaped sulfur-bearing molecule, in the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027 near the Milky Way’s center. The identification was confirmed by matching laboratory spectra from an electrical-discharge synthesis to radio observations from IRAM and Yebes telescopes.

NASA said an extreme cold snap at Kennedy Space Center removed Feb. 6–7 launch opportunities for Artemis II and pushed the earliest possible liftoff to Feb. 8, with a wet dress rehearsal moved to Monday.

Amanda Burrows is proposing a retrofit program to install electric heat pumps in low-rise apartments, co-ops and non-market housing to keep indoor temperatures below 26°C. She said she would work with BC Hydro and provincial and federal governments to coordinate rebates, capital funding and grid planning.

A new paper reports that parts of Jezero crater's Margin Unit include a beach-like Eastern Margin Unit with cross-stratified, rounded grains consistent with wave action, while the Western Margin Unit shows igneous alteration; samples mentioned in the study remain on Mars after the Mars Sample Return program was cancelled.

Researchers report that organisms from permafrost, deserts and hibernating mammals can enter reversible dormant states and later revive, and some studies find learned behaviours and biological information persist through long dormancy.

Rocket Lab launched a Korean earth‑imaging satellite, marking its second Electron launch in eight days. The company provides launch services, spacecraft and satellite components for commercial and government customers.

Dzawada'enuxw First Nation filed a B.C. Supreme Court suit on Jan. 26 seeking a declaration that roughly five square kilometres at the head of Kingcome Inlet were 'Indian Settlement Lands', naming Interfor, the Nature Trust of B.C., the province and Canada.

A UBC Okanagan-led team used the DRAO 15‑metre telescope to produce DRAGONS, the first broadband Faraday rotation map of the northern sky, and found that more than half the sky shows complex magnetic structures.

Environment and Climate Change Canada is funding an Indigenous-led program at the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre to continue monitoring western rattlesnakes and study the effects of wildfire, climate change and habitat loss; the funding supports work through spring 2028.

Brampton has opened registration for the 2026 Backyard Garden Program, which provides free soil and sampler seed packs and requires attendance at one workshop. The program aims to help residents grow fruits and vegetables and has donated more than 20,000 pounds of produce to local food banks since its launch.

A young harbour seal named Annette was rescued in West Vancouver after a gillnet became embedded around her neck; she is receiving veterinary treatment and is showing improvement.

Researchers report that a Barents Sea polar bear subpopulation maintained or regained body condition over 1995–2019 despite longer ice-free periods; scientists caution this local resilience may not hold as sea ice continues to decline.

A third archaeological field school is planned this spring and summer at the Tse'k'wa National Historic Site near Fort St. John, B.C.; the cave records about 12,500 years of human settlement and is sacred to Doig River, Prophet River and West Moberly First Nations.

Gillian Deacon describes learning mah-jong at a community centre as an example of how seeking unfamiliar experiences can increase neural plasticity and produce dopamine-linked surprise, helping to build tolerance for uncertainty.

The Dark Energy Survey released results from its six-year sky survey that combine four measurement methods and deliver constraints on cosmological parameters more than twice as precise as earlier DES analyses.

Starting next week, residents in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon can place unlimited household trash at the curb for collection on their scheduled garbage day; some items such as electronics are excluded and Peel Region’s waste sorter and online collection calendar provide details.

NordSpace, founded by PhD candidate Rahul Goel, is preparing the Taiga suborbital flight that would be the first Canadian commercial rocket launched from a Canadian commercial spaceport; an earlier attempt was postponed in September over a cryogenic propellant technical issue.

On Jan. 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded during launch and President Ronald Reagan delivered a national address that evening, pausing the State of the Union and honoring the seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe.

A total lunar eclipse will occur early on March 3, 2026, turning the full Moon a dusky red for up to an hour; visibility and exact clock times will vary across Canada, and Atlantic regions may only see early phases before the Moon sets.

NASA’s 98-metre Space Launch System was moved into position at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 17 as technicians prepare tests ahead of a possible Feb. 6 Artemis II launch; the mission will carry four astronauts on a roughly 10-day trip around the moon.

Canopy Venao, led by Caroline Howell with Momentis Family Office, uses sensor-informed siting and ecological restoration at Playa Venao, including more than 40,000 native trees planted and year-long environmental monitoring to guide design.