hi

Rail transit advocate says more highways not the solution to Halifax's traffic woes

Building highways isn't the only solution to the growing problem of traffic congestion in and around the Halifax Regional Municipality, says the head of an organization that advocates for rail-based public transit.



  • News/Canada/Nova Scotia

hi

This veteran started a workshop in his garage to help others channel PTSD into art

Dominic April fell in love with forging after his career in the military came to an end in 2015. Now operating a blacksmith studio near Quebec City, he hopes to help other veterans dealing with PTSD find creativity and purpose.



  • News/Canada/Montreal

hi

Video game shines light on Indigenous history and voices

Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) was developed in Montreal by a local studio that collaborated closely with Indigenous designers and consultants.




hi

Quebec student groups demand paid internships amid rising living costs

Facing soaring food prices and an escalating housing crisis, Quebec student associations are urgently calling on the provincial government to fund internships required for post-secondary training.



  • News/Canada/Montreal

hi

Collecting, Storing, and Hatching Aedes aegypti Eggs

Laboratory study of natural populations of mosquitoes can play a key role in determining the underlying causes of variation in burdens of mosquito-borne disease. Aedes aegypti is the main vector of the viruses that cause dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever, making it a high priority for laboratory study. Ae. aegypti eggs provide an ideal starting point for new laboratory colonies. Eggs can be collected using ovicups, which are small plastic cups lined with seed-germination paper and partially filled with leaf-infused H2O. Once collected, dry eggs will remain viable for months and can be safely transported long distances back to the laboratory as long as they are properly stored. This protocol provides step-by-step instructions for preparing for collecting, storing, and hatching Ae. aegypti eggs and has successfully yielded laboratory colonies from locations across both the native and invasive range of this species.




hi

Whole-Brain Calcium Imaging in Drosophila during Sleep and Wake

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) allow for the noninvasive evaluation of neuronal activity in vivo, and imaging GECIs in Drosophila has become commonplace for understanding neural functions and connectivity in this system. GECIs can also be used as read-outs for studying sleep in this model organism. Here, we describe a methodology for tracking the activity of neurons in the fly brain using a two-photon (2p) microscopy system. This method can be adapted to perform functional studies of neural activity in Drosophila under both spontaneous and evoked conditions, as well as during spontaneous or induced sleep. We first describe a tethering and surgical procedure that allows survival under the microscopy conditions required for long-term recordings. We then outline the steps and reagents required for optogenetic activation of sleep-promoting neurons while simultaneously recording neural activity from the fly brain. We also describe the procedure for recording from two different locations—namely, the top of the head (e.g., to record mushroom body calyx activity) or the back of the head (e.g., to record central complex activity). We also provide different strategies for recording from GECIs confined to the cell body versus the entire neuron. Finally, we describe the steps required for analyzing the multidimensional data that can be acquired. In all, this protocol shows how to perform calcium imaging experiments in tethered flies, with a focus on acquiring spontaneous and induced sleep data.




hi

Whole-Brain Electrophysiology in Drosophila during Sleep and Wake

Sleep studies in Drosophila melanogaster rely mostly on behavioral read-outs to support molecular or circuit-level investigations in this model. Electrophysiology can provide an additional level of understanding in these studies to, for example, investigate changes in brain activity associated with sleep manipulations. In this protocol, we describe a procedure for performing multichannel local field potential (LFP) recordings in the fruit fly, with a flexible system that can be adapted to different experimental paradigms and situations. The approach uses electrodes containing multiple recording sites (16), allowing the acquisition of large amounts of neuronal activity data from a transect through the brain while flies are still able to sleep. The approach starts by tethering the fly, followed by positioning it on an air-supported ball. A multichannel silicon probe is then inserted laterally into the fly brain via one eye, allowing for recording of electrical signals from the retina through to the central brain. These recordings can be acquired under spontaneous conditions or in the presence of visual stimuli, and the minimal surgery promotes long-term recordings (e.g., overnight). Sleep and wake can be tracked using infrared cameras, which allow for the measurement of locomotive activity as well as microbehaviors such as proboscis extensions during sleep. The protocol has been optimized to promote subject survivability, which is an important factor when performing long-term (~16-h) recordings. The approach described here uses specific recording probes, data acquisition devices, and analysis tools. Although it is expected that some of these items might need to be adapted to the equipment available in different laboratories, the overall aim is to provide an overview on how to record electrical activity across the brain of behaving (and sleeping) flies using this kind of approach and technology.




hi

Ventral Nerve Cord Dissection and Microscopy of Drosophila Embryos

The technique of visualizing axon pathways in the embryonic ventral nerve cord using antibody labeling has been fundamental to our understanding of the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying nervous system wiring in Drosophila. High-resolution microscopic examination of the ventral nerve cord remains an essential component of many experiments in Drosophila developmental neuroscience. Although it is possible to examine the ventral nerve cord in intact whole-mount embryos, to collect the highest-quality images it is often useful to isolate the nervous system away from the other embryonic tissues through embryo dissection. This protocol describes methods for dissecting ventral nerve cords from Drosophila embryos that have been fixed and stained via immunofluorescence or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immunohistochemistry. The process of making fine dissection needles for this purpose from electrolytically sharpened tungsten wire is also described. Dissected and mounted ventral nerve cords can be examined and imaged using a variety of microscopy techniques including differential interference contrast (DIC) optics, epifluorescence, or confocal microscopy.




hi

Collection, Fixation, and Antibody Staining of Drosophila Embryos

The Drosophila embryonic central nervous system has been used for decades as a model for understanding the genetic regulation of axon guidance and other aspects of neural development. Foundational studies using antibody staining to examine the embryonic ventral nerve cord in wild-type and mutant animals led to the discovery of evolutionarily conserved genes that regulate fundamental aspects of axon guidance, including midline crossing of axons. The development of the regular, segmentally repeating structure of axon pathways in the ventral nerve cord can illustrate basic principles of axon guidance to beginning students and can also be used by expert researchers to characterize new mutants, detect genetic interactions between known genes, and precisely quantify variations in gene function in engineered mutant lines. Here, we describe a protocol for collecting and fixing Drosophila embryos and visualizing axon pathways in the embryonic ventral nerve cord using immunofluorescence or immunohistochemical staining methods. As embryogenesis in Drosophila takes ~24 h to complete, a 1-d collection yields embryos representing all stages of development from newly fertilized through ready-to-hatch larvae, allowing investigation of multiple developmental events within a single batch of collected embryos. The methods described in this protocol should be accessible to introductory laboratory courses as well as seasoned investigators in established research laboratories.




hi

The Real Science Behind the Megalodon

As The Meg hits theaters, dive into what we really know about this chompy predator




hi

Europe’s Megalithic Monuments Originated in France and Spread by Sea Routes, New Study Suggests

The ancient burial structures, strikingly similar all across Europe and the mediterranean, have puzzled scientists and historians for centuries




hi

Museum Director Discovers His Mother’s Childhood Visit to the Smithsonian

By raising her son to be curious about the natural world, this mother helped shape the trajectory of the National Museum of Natural History




hi

Power corporation relying less on diesel in the N.W.T.'s North Slave this year

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation expects that by the end of March it will have generated 72 per cent of power for the North Slave region using hydro, and 28 per cent from diesel. Last year, about half the region's power was from diesel because of low water levels.



  • News/Canada/North

hi

'The anxiety in town is sky-high': Norman Wells residents hold rally over soaring fuel prices

More than 50 Norman Wells residents gathered at the Royal Canadian Legion on Thursday night to voice frustrations over high heating fuel prices.



  • News/Canada/North

hi

Former mayor accused of property encroachment violations in Dawson City files his defence against town

Former Dawson City Mayor Bill Kendrick has filed his defence against the town's encroachment violation lawsuit.



  • News/Canada/North

hi

'I knew I was gonna die': Yukon paraglider recounts terrifying, high-altitude mishap in India

Paraglider Ben Lewis remembers spinning around wildly as he got pulled up higher and higher into the violent storm. That was when he realized, about 6,700 metres up in the sky and still rising, that he was not likely to see his family again.



  • News/Canada/North

hi

Whitehorse 'purple cabin' to stay standing for now after judge pauses 90-day vacancy order

Yukon appeal court Justice Karen Horsman granted a temporary stay of the requirement on Friday, the latest development in an ongoing legal battle over the property between the territorial government, cabin-owner Len Tarka and tenant Eric DeLong. 



  • News/Canada/North

hi

This Yellowknife woman biked 1,000 kilometres along WW1's front lines

Stephanie Yuill spent five weeks visiting First World War sites across Europe on a bike she bought from the grocery store. 



  • News/Canada/North

hi

Homeowner charged in connection with deadly house explosion in Whitehorse a year ago

A Whitehorse homeowner has been charged in connection with an explosion last year that destroyed his home and killed a man in a neighbouring house. 



  • News/Canada/North

hi

This Female Civil War Soldier Participated in the Bloodiest Battle in American History and Spied on the South—or Did She?

Historians say that Sarah Emma Edmonds exaggerated many aspects of her wartime experiences. Still, she bravely served in the Union Army, becoming one of hundreds of women who fought in the conflict in secret




hi

This Defeated Presidential Candidate, Once the 'Best-Known Man in America,' Died in a Sanatorium Less Than a Month After Losing the Election

Newspaper editor Horace Greeley unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Ulysses S. Grant in November 1872. Twenty-four days later, he died of unknown causes at a private mental health facility




hi

The Real Story Behind the 'Lee' Movie and Lee Miller, the Legendary Surrealist Photographer and World War II Journalist Who Inspired It

In a new biopic starring Kate Winslet, Miller's many lives—as an artist, model, muse, cook and war correspondent—need little embellishment




hi

Inside Disney's Controversial Plan to Open a Theme Park Inspired by American History

In the early 1990s, historians and the public alike questioned how Disney's America would accurately and sensitively document the nation's thorny past




hi

The Real Story Behind 'Saturday Night,' the Movie About the Television Show That Changed Comedy Forever

A new film revisits the 90 minutes before the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975




hi

How Recovering the History of a Little-Known Lakota Massacre Could Heal Generational Pain

When the U.S. Army massacred a Lakota village at Blue Water, dozens of plundered artifacts ended up in the Smithsonian. The unraveling of this long-buried atrocity is forging a path toward reconciliation




hi

When the Nazis Seized Power, This Jewish Actor Took on the Role of His Life

After he was forced off the German stage in 1934 by antisemitic hecklers, Leo Reuss found a daring way to hide in plain sight




hi

This 19th-Century 'Toy Book' Used Science to Prove That Ghosts Were Simply an Illusion

"Spectropia" demystified the techniques used by mediums who claimed they could speak to the dead, revealing the "absurd follies of Spiritualism"




hi

When White Supremacists Staged the Only Successful Coup in U.S. History

The 1898 Wilmington massacre left dozens of Black North Carolinians dead. Conspirators also forced the city's multiracial government to resign at gunpoint




hi

N.B. military history stitched in red on 110-year-old quilt

The New Brunswick Military History Museum is in possession of a unique piece of history that was once used to raise money for frontline soldiers.



  • News/Canada/New Brunswick

hi

China Pastry in Regina has a 30-year legacy

Many of the buns sold at China Pastry are classics you would find in bakeries in Hong Kong and Chinatowns all over the world. It's taken decades of hard work, but owners Sally and Tony Wong say they've established a nice flow together over the years.




hi

Legion branches struggle to keep doors open with rising costs, aging membership

Even as they fundraise for other community organizations, some legions across Canada are having trouble keeping their own lights on amid rising inflation and maintenance costs.



  • News/Canada/Montreal

hi

Inquest date set for Atikokan man who overdosed on drugs while in police custody in 2020

A date has been set for an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 37-year-old man in police custody in Atikokan, Ont. who overdosed while in police custody in October 2020. The incident led to an investigation by the province's Special Investigations Unit.



  • News/Canada/Thunder Bay

hi

No stone left behind: Students honour veterans ahead of Remembrance Day

In honour of Remembrance Day, Students from St. Paul School visited St Andrew's Catholic Cemetery to clean headstones of veterans, a partnership with the No Stone Left Behind project.




hi

Photography exhibit in Thunder Bay, Ont., encourages people to use art to express their grief

Hospice Northwest Services is inviting people to visit its third annual photography exhibit, "A Personal Lens on Grief." Here's what the project in Thunder Bay, Ont., entails, and why staff say it's important to find creative ways to express loss.



  • News/Canada/Thunder Bay

hi

Discipleship along the Mekong River

OM teams in five countries along the Mekong River in South East Asia are focusing on discipling local believers to see them equipped to share about Jesus with those who have never heard His name.




hi

Wer geht da hin, wo sonst keiner ist?

Mar del Plata, Argentinien :: Eine Gemeinde hört von Ländern, die keinen Zugang zum Evangelium haben




hi

This veteran decolonized Remembrance Day events to honour Indigenous military service

Jeff Monague has worked to incorporate Indigenous elements into Base Borden's Remembrance Day ceremonies — an acknowledgement he never had as a soldier.




hi

P.E.I. man sentenced to nearly 6 years for 'reprehensible' offences including making child pornography

A man from Queens County has been sentenced to five years and nine months in federal prison for charges including making and transmitting child pornography, voyeurism and intercepting private communications.



  • News/Canada/PEI

hi

P.E.I. woodlot owners urged to grow their biodiversity by branching out into different varieties

The P.E.I. Woodlot Owners Association is encouraging its members to boost the biodiversity of their woods with different varieties of trees and shrubs. As CBC's Nancy Russell reports, the goal is to provide habitat for endangered species and protect the forests from future disasters like post-tropical storm Fiona.




hi

One of P.E.I.'s last WW II veterans shares his wartime memories

Lloyd Gates is one of the few surviving Second World War veterans on Prince Edward Island. He recounts the highs and lows of his wartime service in Holland and France.



  • News/Canada/PEI

hi

'People are becoming desperate': Sault Ste. Marie has Ontario's highest opioid death rate

Sault Ste. Marie has the highest rate of opioid deaths in Ontario so far this year, according to new numbers from the province's coroner's office.



  • News/Canada/Sudbury

hi

Chief of Shawanaga First Nation says tentative agreement reached with Ontario to expand Highway 69

There is a sign of progress in the effort toward four-laning the final section of Highway 69 that links northern Ontario to the southern part of the province, and improving the safety of the heavily-travelled route.



  • News/Canada/Sudbury

hi

This made-in-North Bay board game pits players in a race across North America

Éric Boutilier and Mark Sherry are launching their new board game, Tripped, which was five years in the making.



  • News/Canada/Sudbury

hi

'Paradigm shift' for northern Ontario legion that's now also a home for veterans

This will be the first Remembrance Day celebrated at the new Royal Canadian Legion in Sault Ste. Marie. Branch 25 recently opened a new complex in the northern Ontario city, complete with a 108-unit apartment tower.



  • News/Canada/Sudbury

hi

16-year-old hit by an SUV and then attacked with a sword in Cobalt assault, police reveal

An 18-year-old man is scheduled to make a court appearance on Tuesday, after being charged by the OPP with attempted murder and aggravated assault on a 16-year-old female victim. The charges follow a violent incident in Cobalt, Ont., on Nov 3.



  • News/Canada/Sudbury

hi

100-year-old veteran in Sudbury was out selling poppies up until his recent passing

Max Topolnisky, a 100-year-old Second World War veteran, was out selling poppies for the Lockerby Legion in Sudbury, Ont., two days before he died, on Nov. 1, 2024.



  • News/Canada/Sudbury

hi

Corruption revelations, Trump presidency loom over this year's COP climate conference

The crowning achievement at last year's COP climate conference in Dubai was a global consensus on the need to "transition away from fossil fuels." This year, the conference had not even started yet before BBC News exposed senior organizers of using the event to arrange potential deals for fossil fuel expansion. The recent election of Donald Trump in the U.S. has added an additional layer of uncertainty to this year's meeting.




hi

Swiss museum exhibit features 1820s Métis saddle alongside modern beaded items

A Métis pad saddle from the early 1800s is on display at the Cantonal Museum of Archaeology and History in Lausanne, Switzerland, sitting alongside contemporary beadwork created by other Red River Métis artists. 




hi

Program to grant 150 scholarships to Indigenous health-care students through SCO partnership

A new program to help fund the post-secondary education of Indigenous students in Manitoba will award 150 scholarships to train new health-care professionals. The Southern Chiefs Organization hopes this can go a long way in addressing health-care delivery and shorter life expectancy among First Nation communities.



  • News/Canada/Manitoba

hi

Family behind Lindley's Farm and Market retiring after 180 years in the Hamilton area

Lindley's Farm and Market in Hamilton will be "winding down" operations after 180 years of operations, including selling locally grown produce and offering activities to the community.



  • News/Canada/Hamilton