There’s a good chance the global shift from skepticism to possibility about extraterrestrial life is about to extend even further
Is there life on other planets? That question has intrigued man for generations. Most people used to scoff at the suggestion of the existence of UFOs and tales of little green men from Mars (or worse). Societal attitudes have shifted due to our increased fascination with Roswell/UFO sightings, Phoenix Lights, Lubbock Lights, and depictions of…
International team shares new image of stars switching between two alter egos
The strange behaviour of a duo of stars in a dense cluster called Terzan 5 located 19,000 light-years from Earth has caught the eye of an international team of astronomers. “We observed an exotic stellar binary system using both X-rays and radio waves,” said University of Alberta astrophysicist Craig Heinke. “Only 10 years ago, we knew…
Astronauts and seniors with frailty have much in common and innovative research may help solve problems for both
For decades, researchers have studied the effects of reduced physical activity on astronauts during prolonged journeys to space. But what's surprising is one of the uses of that research. It turns out that understanding the effects of space travel on the body may be important to understanding what happens to us on Earth as we…
A planned spaceport on the East Coast would launch eight satellite-carrying rockets annually by 2022
On some glittering summer’s day, this decade or maybe next, you might find me rusticating on the back deck of my ancestral home overlooking Nova Scotia’s great, grumbling Chedabucto Bay – as deep and dangerous as the firmament itself. There, I will hoist a late-afternoon drink, cast my eyes toward the town of Canso and…
The made-in-Canada jet interceptor certainly had its problems. But the manner in which it was killed raised serious questions
On Feb. 20, 1959, the Canadian government cancelled the Avro Arrow. Some people still refer to the day as Black Friday. Growing up in Ireland, my teenage awareness of Canada was limited. Other than occasional news snippets in my father’s weekly edition of Time magazine, Canada meant snow, the RCMP, Paul Anka and Yvon Durelle,…
The space race is on and the payoff is an untold cache of precious metals, large enough to completely dwarf the world's biggest mining companies
While not literally pie in the sky, asteroid mining used to be science fiction. It's getting closer to reality. Various private space companies have focused on launching satellites, with hazy side-bets on future colonization ventures. And now, technological advances make mining asteroids a legitimate prospect. There are millions of asteroids in space, many orbiting between…
Sixty years ago, the Soviets put the first satellite in space, sparking concerns about technology and weapons superiority
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union set the world agog with the launch of Sputnik, the first space satellite. And the pioneering achievement sent much of the United States into a panic. Assumptions about American superiority in science and technology were suddenly called into question. The hostile Soviets were winning the space race and…
Is there life on other planets? That question has intrigued man for generations. Most people used to scoff at the suggestion of the existence of UFOs and tales of little green men from Mars (or worse). Societal attitudes have shifted due to our increased fascination with Roswell/UFO sightings, Phoenix Lights, Lubbock Lights, and depictions of…
