Browsing: Nature

A Brief History On January 22, 1992, NASA launched mission STS-42, the space shuttle Discovery, into space with a crew that included Ukrainian Canadian Dr. Roberta Bondar, a neurologist.  The first Canadian woman and the first neurologist to become an astronaut, Bondar is a woman of many accomplishments, and is yet another example of Canadians of Ukrainian descent (such as Alex Trebek and Wayne Gretzky) to achieve great things. Digging Deeper A highly accomplished scholar, Bondar was educated at the University of Guelph (BSc), the University of Western Ontario (MSc), the University of Toronto (PhD), and McMaster University (MD). Bondar’s…

A Brief History On January 21, 2023, we celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day, one of the greatest holidays in all of the Rodent Kingdom! Digging Deeper Yes, squirrels are rodents, cousins to mice and rats, although with a much more attractive coat.  Tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs and flying squirrels are all in this expansive family.   Although squirrels are native to the Americas, Asia, and Africa, they had to be introduced to Australia and Europe.  Often accused of crimes such as stealing food from bird feeders and burglarizing houses, squirrels provide a lot of visual enjoyment as they scurry…

A Brief History On January 19, 2007, 3 intrepid Britons and their equally intrepid Canadian comrade made an incredible journey across Antarctica, using only leg power driving skis and the assistance of kites, to reach a point known as the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility. Digging Deeper The team, called “Team N2i,” trekked almost 1100 miles over the frozen terrain to the place called POI, for short, a spot on the globe previously visited by explorers using motorized tracked vehicles and aircraft back in 1965. So, what is this “POI?”  It is defined as the point in Antarctica that is furthest…

A Brief History On January 12, 2005, the American space exploration agency known as NASA launched a mission called Deep Impact, a probe designed to violently impact the comet Tempel 1. Digging Deeper The goal of the Deep Impact project was to have an “impactor” strike the comet hard enough to dislodge material from the comet’s core for NASA scientists to study the material that makes up the core. On July 4, 2005, the impactor performed as designed and struck the comet a mighty blow, leaving a crater and dislodging core material.  Analysis of the dislodged material revealed a greater…

A Brief History On January 7, 1948, a Kentucky National Guard pilot, a World War II veteran, attempted to intercept a UFO along with 3 other US F-51 Mustang fighters.  Multiple reports from Ohio and Kentucky said a huge, round, white object was up there and needed to be investigated.  Three of the Mustangs finally turned back, but one unfortunate pilot kept going up and up until he lost control of his fighter, which crashed, killing the pilot. Digging Deeper Are these reports of supposedly extra-terrestrial flying objects real?  We have 17 previous articles on the subject, and the US…