The new mayor and council are planning big changes for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, and one of those is at the top of the staff organizational chart now that chief administrative officer Marie Walsh is set to retire.

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

Ten years after their formation, the members of The Brooks discuss how they’ve evolved and how they view their collaboration.

Quebec provincial police have confirmed that the body found in a Montreal nature park on Oct. 30 was that of kidnapping victim and cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.

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.

Mosquitoes take blood meals from a diverse range of host animals and their host associations vary by species. Characterizing these associations is an important element of the transmission dynamics of mosquito-vectored pathogens. To characterize mosquito host associations, various molecular techniques have been developed, which are collectively referred to as blood meal analysis. DNA barcoding has diverse biological applications and is well-suited to mosquito blood meal analysis. The standard DNA barcoding marker for animals is a 5' fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. A major advantage of this marker is its taxonomic coverage in DNA sequence reference databases, making it feasible to identify a wider range of mosquito host species than with any other gene. However, the COI gene contains high sequence variation at potential priming sites between vertebrate orders. Coupled with the need for primer sequences to be mismatched with mosquito priming sites so that annealing to mosquito DNA is inhibited, it can be difficult to design primers suitable for blood meal analysis applications. Several primers are available that perform well in mosquito blood meal analysis, annealing to priming sites for most vertebrate host taxa, but not to those of mosquitoes. Because priming site sequence variation among vertebrate taxa can cause amplification to fail, a hierarchical approach to DNA barcoding-based blood meal analysis can be applied. In such an approach, no single primer set is expected to be effective for 100% of potential host species. If amplification fails in the initial reaction, a subsequent reaction is attempted with primers that anneal to different priming sites, and so on, until amplification is successful.

The insect eggshell is a multifunctional structure with several important roles, including generating an entry point for sperm via the micropyle before oviposition, serving as an oviposition substrate attachment surface, and functioning as a protective layer during embryo development. Eggshell proteins play major roles in eggshell tanning and hardening following oviposition and provide molecular cues that define dorsal–ventral axis formation. Precise eggshell formation during ovarian follicle maturation is critical for normal embryo development and the synthesis of a defective eggshell often gives rise to inviable embryos. Therefore, simple and accurate methods for identifying eggshell proteins will facilitate our understanding of the molecular pathways regulating eggshell formation and the mechanisms underlying normal embryo development. This protocol describes how to isolate and enrich eggshells from mature oocytes of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and how to extract their eggshell proteins for liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) proteomic analysis. Although this methodology was developed for studying mosquito eggshells, it may be applicable to eggs from a variety of insects. Mosquitoes are ideal model organisms for this study as their ovarian follicle development and eggshell formation are meticulously regulated by blood feeding and their follicles develop synchronously throughout oogenesis in a time-dependent manner.

In insects, oocyte resorption (oosorption) or follicular atresia is one of the key physiological processes and evolutionary strategies used to optimize reproductive fitness. Mosquitoes are ideal model organisms for studying egg maturation in arthropods, as their follicle development is initiated only following the ingestion of a blood meal, followed by a carefully orchestrated series of hormonally regulated events leading to egg maturation. A cohort of approximately 100 follicles per mosquito ovary begin developing synchronously. However, a significant fraction of follicles ultimately undergo apoptosis and oosorption, especially when available resources from the blood meal are limited. Therefore, simple, rapid, and reliable techniques to accurately evaluate follicular atresia are necessary to understand mechanisms underlying follicle development in insects. This protocol describes how to detect apoptotic follicle cells within the Aedes aegypti mosquito ovaries using a commercially available fluorescent-labeled inhibitor of caspases (FLICA). Caspases are key players in animal apoptosis. In this assay, the FLICA reagent enters the intracellular compartment of follicles in dissected mosquito ovaries and covalently binds to active caspases. The bound reagent remains within the cell and its fluorescent signal can be observed by confocal microscopy. Although this method was specifically developed for visualizing apoptotic ovarian follicles during Ae. aegypti mosquito egg development, it should be applicable to other mosquito tissues that undergo caspase-mediated program cell death in a time-dependent manner.

Transposon-mediated transgenesis has revolutionized both basic and applied studies of mosquito vectors of disease. Currently, techniques such as enhancer traps and transposon tagging, which rely on remobilizable insertional mutagenesis, are only possible with transposon-based vector systems. Here, we provide general descriptions of methods and applications of transposon-based mosquito transgenesis. The exact procedures must be adapted to each mosquito species and comparisons of some differences among different mosquito species are outlined. A number of excellent publications showing detailed and specific protocols and methods are featured and referenced.

A Two-Day Festival in the historic Arts & Industries Building brings community, artists and scholars together for a “Culture Lab”

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

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

As people across the country mourn the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, some in the Northwest Territories justice system are reflecting on his contributions to the country — one of those being Gladue principles. 

A group of volunteers have been providing emergency services to West Dawson residents during the periods of freeze up and break up, when there is no reliable access across the Yukon River to town.

A man who fled from police, drove onto a walking trail, triggered a shelter-in-place advisory for the Chateau Nova hotel in Yellowknife and subsequently broke into a home was on bail at the time and under house arrest, police say.

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

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

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

The British explorer named dozens of geographical features and sites in the region, ignoring the traditions of the Indigenous peoples who’d lived there for millennia

In the Jim Crow South, activists became martyrs at the hands of white racists, all for the just cause of using the vote to fight for equality and freedom

Before fitness influencers made getting your steps in a trend, pedestrianism had the nation on their feet

Out-of-the-can branding helped transform World War II's rations into a beloved household staple

There have been 25 confirmed measles cases in New Brunswick since October after the identification of 11 new cases, according to a news release Saturday from Public Health.

Send your best snaps and video from across the province to cbcnb@cbc.ca

Interim PC Leader Glen Savoie urged members to find a common purpose rather than blame former leader Blaine Higgs.

From bravery on the field of battle to stoicism behind the lines, New Brunswickers of all backgrounds made their marks.

An opioid replacement program in downtown Fredericton will continue to operate at the River Stone Recovery Centre until March 2025 after it got a one-year extension from Health Canada, despite increased opposition to the clinic.

Eight years ago, a woman filed a complaint about two RCMP constables in Moncton. She accused them of having "an improper and racist attitude" and of discriminating against her and her husband during an investigation into a stolen truck and trailer. 

A Fredericton judge suggested a joint sentencing proposal Tuesday was too lenient in the case of a former peace officer who left a loaded gun in the house while his children were home.

New Brunswick’s Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in the case of a man found guilty of criminal negligence in the death of Fredericton teenager in 2018.

Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating the role the Moose Jaw Police Service played in a crash that killed a 31-year-old man.

Inflation, an increase to the debt limit, and a series of mega-projects have been focuses of the municipal election in Regina.

The apartment once occupied by the author of Les Miserables is now a museum dedicated to his life and to 19th century Paris

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.

Dave Campbell of Thunder Bay, Ont., is resting his legs after taking the ride of his life through the Western Cape of South Africa in the 800-kilometre bikepacking 'Rhino Run.' Here are some of the photos he shared from his six-day expedition at the end of October.

Para Roberto Ramírez de Costa Rica, servir a Dios en misiones ha sido un paso de fe tras otro. Perdió su trabajo, su estabilidad financiera e incluso a su prometida, pero ganó mucho más.

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

Former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner discusses the 2024 elections.

On a cold, wet and grey November morning, Islanders gathered with umbrellas in hand around the cenotaph in downtown Charlottetown.

The entrepreneur and financial adviser defeated Adam Bassett for the party nomination in Egmont after two days of voting last week. 

Some business owners in Charlottetown have made suggestions for increasing the city’s housing supply, but not everyone is happy with their recommendations when it comes to rental properties.

Public Schools Branch director Tracy Beaulieu speaks with CBC News: Compass host Steve Bruce about the money for schools in the new capital budget the province presented last week, and about the work that lies ahead.

A 16-year-old girl is recovering in an Ottawa hospital after suffering injuries in what her family describes as a brutal attack allegedly committed by her ex-boyfriend, who's now in custody and facing charges like attempted murder. 

A federal audit of Canada’s strategy to promote the extraction of critical minerals says the government isn’t giving due consideration to the potential impact of mining on the environment, biodiversity and Indigenous people.

A retired lawyer from Sault Ste. Marie has written a book that celebrates the working-class neighbourhood in which he grew up. The West End: A Magical Place Created by Giants is by Frank Sarlo, whose grandfather emigrated to Chicago from Italy, but ended up in Sault Ste. Marie with the promise of work on the railroad.

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

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.

The large urban mayors of Northern Ontario are advocating for increased provincial and federal support, prioritizing the establishment of Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs and the expansion of the Rural Community Immigration Pilot.

Medical student Samuel Bonne had read everything he could to prepare for his group's dissection of a cadaver. But after the first cut, he left with lingering questions about what it means to lead a good life and die with dignity.

Winnipeg police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old man who was fatally injured in Winnipeg on Friday.