Quirks and Quarks

It’s long been a mystery why one particular avian dinosaur was the only kind to survive mass extinction, but the recent discovery of a perfectly preserved fossilized feather, found in a cherry-sized piece of dinosaur poop, offers new clues.

Also today:
Why citizen scientists buried thousands of undies
How climate change tipped the scales on a catastrophic Himalayan avalanche
Why an AI leap has left mathematicians feeling uneasy
Why scientists put teeny-tiny micro-trackers on chimney swifts

Summer is fieldwork time for many scientists. We talk to researchers who have been busy hiking on fresh lava, capturing thousands of ticks, shooing away moose from their study sites, and even spelunking for Neanderthals — all in the ever-important quest for data.

Quirks & Quarks has been taking your burning questions for 50 years. And while we thought we might have answered every question there is, our listeners proved there are always more science questions for us to tackle. Including:
What does the black hole orbit?
What do you sweat out in a sauna?
Why are robins' eggs blue?
What if we no longer had a moon?
Did dinosaurs produce milk?
Were there ever giant humans?

From doubting our doubts to sleuthing out scientific fraud, this week we revisit some of our favourite stories about humans.

For our 50th anniversary celebration last October, we spoke with some of Canada's top scientists about their predictions for the future. We revisit our conversations with:
Evan Fraser, director of Arrell Food Institute and professor of geography at the University of Guelph
Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Luke Stark, assistant professor in the faculty of information and media studies at Western University
Laura Tozer, assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Toronto
Ana Luisa Trejos, professor in the department electrical and computer engineering and the school of biomedical engineering and Canada Research Chair in wearable mechatronics at Western University in London, Ont.
Yvonne Bombard, professor at the University of Toronto and scientist and Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services and Policy