For 20 years, the mystery behind what was killing salmon in Seattle’s urban creeks seemed unsolvable. So when toxicologists at Washington State University unmasked the culprit last year, their findings made headlines. Now the same chemical is turning up in Canadian rivers.
Read More >>Our subject matter interest groups unite people in the same specialty no matter where they are in Canada. Subject divisions hold their own symposia, and sponsor awards, scholarships, and competitions to promote interest and excellence in their fields. Be sure to choose a subject division when you join or renew your membership.
Read More >>Modelling the potential for carbon dioxide storage in undersea basalt formations, a Canadian team estimates that this technology, if scaled up, could remove carbon dioxide on a gigaton-per-year scale.
Read More >>From commercial applications of graphene nanofilms to turning food waste into sustainable bioplastics, the expansion of Canada’s advanced manufacturing industry also means expanded opportunities for chemists. Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), the industry-led organization behind Canada’s advanced manufacturing supercluster, is funding two such examples. In August, Waterloo, Ontario-based Evercloak – which makes thin, uniform nano-coatings...
Read More >>One of the world’s most promising materials in the quest to produce more efficient, robust and cheaper solar cells is defective. And that’s a good thing. Now there is new insight into how perovskites’ less-than-perfect crystal structure is an advantage.
Read More >>Et si l’aluminium aidait les océans à mieux séquestrer le dioxyde de carbone en favorisant la croissance du phytoplancton et en ralentissant sa dégradation ? C’est ce que suggèrent les résultats obtenus par des chercheurs chinois et québécois.
Read More >>Looking for lithium in oil field brines is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. Yet retrieving this valuable metal makes sense in a place like Alberta, the heart of Canada’s oil and gas industry. Find out how it’s being done.
Read More >>Scientists began reporting microplastic pollution in the ocean as far back as the 1970s but our understanding of these tiny particles’ impact on fish is only just catching up. Their harm is due to factors not generally considered in toxicology testing – the plastics’ size, shape and chemical makeup.
Read More >>Researchers at Memorial University in Newfoundland have demonstrated proof of concept for a polyurethane produced using fish heads, bones, skin and guts —parts usually discarded from fisheries and aquaculture industries.
Read More >>When Mary Kang landed an environmental policy fellowship at Princeton University in 2012, she decided to model methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells. It didn’t take long to discover a major roadblock. “I couldn’t find any data. And you need data for modelling,” recalls Kang, now a civil engineering professor at McGill University.
Read More >>Catalyst (noun): an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. ‘Catalyst for change’ is such a well-worn phrase that it has lost much of its descriptive power. But in the case of a new materials research centre in Mississauga, it is apt on so many levels that it’s hard to avoid.
Read More >>When something fails to pass the ‘sniff test’ – whether it’s a plan of action or the milk in the back of the fridge – it’s often best to leave it be. But when it comes to unpleasant odours in the air, we don’t have much choice. We have to breathe.
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