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Our picks of the newest, coolest science in Canada this week
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Heads Up

Safe and happy holidays!
SMCC Heads Up is taking a break for the holiday season.
We will resume our weekly roundup of
Canadian science news on January 14, 2020. 

Below are some science stories you may be interested in following this week. If you have questions or feedback, please contact us at: info@sciencemedia.ca.

indicates Canadian contributors. 
PLEASE NOTE: Embargoed stories shall not be released, distributed, or published before the embargo date and time. Embargo violations will result in cancellation of access to our material.

Nature’s 10 people who mattered in science in 2019

Nature

Embargoed until December 17, 2019 | 11:00 ET (News release from Nature Research Press)

Astrophysicist Victoria Kaspi, at McGill University, helped give a unique telescope in Canada the ability to collect the best data yet on fast radio bursts, mysterious flashes of radiation in the sky. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope was originally designed to map hydrogen emission from distant galaxies, to answer questions about the early Universe. But as the project was coming together in the early 2010s, so, too, was the burgeoning field of fast radio bursts, the first of which was discovered in 2007. 
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Contact: Victoria Kaspi, McGill University - vkaspi@physics.mcgill.ca
 

Could every country have a Green New Deal? Report charts paths for 143 countries
One Earth
Embargoed until December 20, 2019 | 11:00 ET (News release from Cell Press)

Transitioning to clean, renewable energy could reduce worldwide energy needs by 57 per cent, create 28.6 million more jobs than are lost, and reduce energy, health, and climate costs by 91 per cent compared with a business-as-usual analysis, according to this report’s authors. Ten years after the publication of their first plan for powering the world with wind, water, and solar, they offer an updated vision of the steps that 143 countries – including Canada – can take to attain 100 per cent clean, renewable energy by the year 2050. The new roadmaps use the latest energy data available from each country to offer more precise guidance on how to reach the commitments. 
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Corresponding author: Mark Jacobson, Stanford University - jacobson@stanford.edu
 

Homo erectus's final stand

Nature
Embargoed until December 18, 2019 | 13:00 (News release from Nature Research Press)

Fossil remains of Homo erectus found in Indonesia represent the last known occurrence of this ancient human species. Having reanalysed the site and its surroundings, researchers determined the fossils are between 117,000 and 108,000 years old. The findings help to clarify the position of this early hominin species in the evolution of humans from this region of the world.
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Canadian co-author: John-Paul Zonneveld, University of Alberta - zonneveld@ualberta.ca

In Case You Missed It

Canadian Arctic tundra was once covered in rich forest
Palaeontographica B
Published December 12, 2019

The ancient polar forests that once covered present-day Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg islands were home to species related to many modern temperate plants. Researchers have found fossils related to birch, alder, elm, and grape. Read more>
Lead author: Christopher West, University of Saskatchewan - christopher.west@usask.ca
 

Resident orcas' appetite likely reason for decline of big Chinook salmon
PNAS
Published December 16, 2019

Chinook salmon 40 inches or more in length were once common in the coastal river systems of British Columbia, Washington, Alaska and Oregon, but the fish have declined in body size in recent decades. This study points to the rise of resident orca – and their insatiable appetite for large Chinook salmon – as the main driver behind the decline of large Chinook. Read more here> and here>
Corresponding author: Jan Ohlberger, University of Washington, Seattle - janohl@uw.edu
 

Study of Canadian sexual assault cases deflates ‘statutory rape’ myth
Canadian Journal of Women and the Law
Published November 20, 2019

A study of three years of Canadian case law involving sexual offences against adolescent girls aged 12 to 17 shows that men accused in these cases were, on average, 19 years older than the complainant. The findings undermine the “statutory rape myth” – the idea that age-of-consent laws lead to the prosecution of large numbers of young men for engaging in sexual relationships with younger teenage girlfriends. Read more>
Authors: Isabel Grant, University of British Columbia - grant@allard.ubc.ca; Janine Benedet, University of British Columbia - benedet@allard.ubc.ca
 

Importance and vulnerability of mountains as the world’s water storage systems
Nature
Published December 9, 2019

This first-ever ranking of the world’s 78 mountain glacier–based water systems according to their importance to adjacent lowland communities and their vulnerability to environmental and socioeconomic changes shows these natural systems are at risk, in many cases critically, due to the threats of climate change, growing populations, mismanagement of water resources, and other geopolitical factors. Read more>
Canadian co-author: Michele Koppes, University of British Columbia - michele.koppes@geog.ubc.ca
 

Scientists deliver unprecedented measurements of pulsar
Astrophysical Journal Letters – papers 12 and 3, with Canadian authors
Published December 12, 2019

A series of papers report the first precise measurements of a pulsar – the dense, whirling remains of an exploded star –1,100 lightyears from Earth. Researchers developed and used a theoretical framework and software to translate the pulsar’s properties from data collected by NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray telescope. Read more>
Canadian co-author: Sharon Morsink, University of Alberta - morsink@ualberta.ca
 

A self-cleaning surface that repels even the deadliest superbugs
ACS Nano
Published December 13, 2019

Researchers have developed a self-cleaning surface that repels all forms of bacteria, preventing the transfer of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and other dangerous bacteria in settings ranging from hospitals to kitchens. Read more>
Corresponding authors: Leyla Soleymani, McMaster University - soleyml@mcmaster.ca; Tohid Didar, McMaster University - didart@mcmaster.ca
 

Engineered sponges recover crude oil microdroplets from wastewater
Nature Sustainability
Published December 16, 2019

An innovative surface-engineered sponge recovers oil microdroplets with up to 99% removal efficiency. In the U.S., the oil industry produces over 15 billion barrels of wastewater contaminated with crude oil microdroplets annually and, until now, no effective method existed to remove the droplets.
Corresponding author: Geoffrey Ozin, University of Toronto - g.ozin@utoronto.ca
 

New measures needed to treat mental illness and opioid use
Health Services Insights
Published November 22, 2019

According to this study 7.5–22 per cent of 165,434 patients admitted to Ontario psychiatric hospitals between 2006 and 2017 had used opioids in the year prior to admission. Researchers say opioid use among psychiatric hospital patients needs to be addressed through an integrated approach to managing mental illness, pain and substance use. Read more>
Corresponding author: Christopher Perlman, University of Waterloo - Chris.perlman@uwaterloo.ca
 

New laser technique images quantum world in a trillionth of a second
Science
Published December 6, 2019

For the first time, researchers have been able to record, frame-by-frame, how an electron interacts with certain atomic vibrations in a solid. The technique captures a process that commonly causes electrical resistance in materials while, in others, can cause the exact opposite—the absence of resistance, or superconductivity. Read more>
Corresponding authors: David Jones, University of British Columbia - djjones@physics.ubc.ca; Andrea Damascelli, University of British Columbia - damascelli@physics.ubc.ca
 

 Frontcountry campers more likely to respect nature than backcountry campers
Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
Published March 2020

More park visitors in Alberta are aware of the core principles of responsible outdoor recreation than park visitors in Ontario are – despite the Ontario parks system’s formal adoption of a leading outdoor ethics program in 2011. This study also reveals an unanticipated divergence of beliefs between backcountry and frontcountry campers when it comes to enjoying nature sustainably. Read more>
Lead author: Clara-Jane Blye, University of Alberta - clarajan@ualberta.ca
 

Too many Canadians live with multiple chronic conditions
BMC Public Health
Published October 24, 2019

Inactivity, poor diet and more than optimal amounts of stress combined with an aging population are resulting in increasing numbers of Canadians with cardiometabolic conditions, and thus increasing their risk of poor health. Read more>
Corresponding author: Janice Eng, University of British Columbia, Okanagan - janice.eng@ubc.ca
 

Popular nursery rhyme can help curb spread of common infections in children
The BMJ
Published December 16, 2019

A musical mnemonic based on a popular nursery rhyme can help young children to learn and remember the proper hand hygiene technique and prevent the spread of common infections. Read more>
Lead author: Nisha Thampi, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa - lakerley@cheo.on.ca

In the News

Heavy fuel oil, exhaust gas cleaning systems, and B.C.’s resident orcas
International Council on Clean Transportation (funded by World Wildlife Fund)
Report released December 10, 2019
Read the report>
Download the report>
 

Arctic Report Card 2019: Record territory for warm temperatures, loss of snow and ice
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Report released December 10, 2019
Read more>

Of Interest

Job posting: Climate Change Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press
Application deadline: December 19, 2019 
More information>
 

Job posting: Communications Officer, Multimedia (bilingual)
Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Ottawa
Application deadline: December 18, 2019
More information>
 

Decadal lists released
It’s the end of the year and the end of the decade – Compare the lists:
Twitter
Website

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