There’s nothing quite like a Canadian winter. Majestic scenery, fun outdoor activities, and brutally cold days that cause your heating bill to skyrocket. Scientists and engineers at Natural Resources Canada believe a promising technology can help reduce your energy consumption, the heat pump. On this episode: What are heat pumps? How do they work? Why is everyone talking about them? Are they right for you? Listen to find out. Recommended Links: • Heating and Cooling With a Heat Pump - https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/energy-star-canada/about/energy-star-announcements/publi ..read more

In Cape Bathurst, where Canada's mainland meets the Arctic Ocean, an entire coastline is burning. Aptly named the Smoking Hills, it's home to a really unique geological feature: a deposit of sedimentary rock that's been burning and smouldering continuously for thousands of years. On this episode, we'll be speaking with a research scientist who visited the hellish landscape to study it first-hand. Recommended Links: New geological research in Canada’s Arctic provides clues about life on Mars - https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/simply-science/new-geological-research-canadas-arctic-provides-clues-about-lif ..read more

There are, on average, over 4,000 earthquakes in Canada each year. Many of those earthquakes occur in Western Canada, but Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces also see their fair share of seismic events. On this episode, we’ll be speaking with a seismologist who has spent over 30 years studying earthquakes in Eastern Canada. Recommended Links: Earthquakes Canada — https://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/index-en.php The Great ShakeOut – https://www.shakeoutbc.ca/ Newspaper archives detail 1855 quake that shook the Maritimes (Simply Science Article) – https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/simply-science ..read more

On this episode, we’re going to look at a real-life bug battle that rivals Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III! We have with us an entomologist — or bug expert — who’s going to break down this iconic matchup. Make sure to listen to find out which bug is brave enough to take on the spruce budworm. Recommended Links: • Bug fight: the emerald ash borer vs. parasitic wasps (Inspect and Protect podcast) — https://inspection.canada.ca/chronicle-360/inspect-and-protect-podcast/episode-4/eng/1633713369501/1633713370314 • Spruce Budworm (Natural Resources Canada) — https://www.nrcan.gc.c ..read more

We use methane every day to heat our homes, grow our food, create fertilizers and produce things like hydrogen that we use in clean fuel cells. But methane is a really potent greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to global warming. On this episode, we discuss what is methane, how we use it, and how we can reduce the amount we release in the atmosphere. Recommended Links: Emissions Reduction Fund (Natural Resources Canada) – https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/science-and-data/funding-partnerships/funding-opportunities/current-funding-opportunities/emissions-reduction-fund/22781 Environment and Clim ..read more

If you introduce a foreign species to a new environment, even by accident, it can wreak havoc on the ecosystem. On this episode, we talk to a scientist who has been dealing with one of these foreign species, the Asian longhorned beetle. This insect is black and white, about the same length as your thumb, and likes to get around by hitching rides on your car! Links of interest… Asian longhorned beetle (Natural Resources Canada): https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests-forestry/wildland-fires-insects-disturban/top-forest-insects-diseases-cana/asian-longhorned-beetle/13369 Asian lon ..read more

Forests provide us with an array of social, economic and environmental benefits, which is why we need to ensure that they stay healthy. Things like natural disasters, pests and resource extractions can pose a problem. On this episode, we talk to a scientist who is working with industry, academia, Indigenous communities and various levels of government to reclaim and restore damaged forest landscapes. Links of interest… Land reclamation and forest science: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests-forestry/forest-industry-trade/land-reclamation-forest-science/17876 Simply Science co ..read more

Southeast of mainland Nova Scotia sits "Sable Island", a small crescent shaped island home to magnificent wild horses and one-of-a-kind wildlife. But with the potential impacts of climate change on sensitive coastal areas, can a small island made entirely of sand survive the forces of nature in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? On this episode, we talk to scientists with new research examining the future of Sable Island. Recommended Links: Sable Island National Park Reserve (Parks Canada) – https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ns/sable Sable Island National Park Reserve (Parks Canada Facebook) – http ..read more

The spruce budworm is an insect that eats the needles of fir and spruce, weakening the trees an putting them at risk for disease or even death. As if that wasn't enough, researchers are now looking at the potential impact that spruce budworm outbreaks could have on climate change. On today's episode: killer insects, scientific collaboration and elaborate cheese plates… Slowing Down the Spruce Budworm (podcast) - https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/slowing-down-spruce-budworm-ask-nrcan/22113 Eat, Prey, Love – Stopping the Spruce Budworm (article) - https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/simply-science/20681 Healthy Fores ..read more

Today, we hear from someone who started his career by fighting fires on the ground. Now, he’s turned his sights to the sky. We’re about to find out how a satellite the size of a dishwasher could radically change the way we fight fires in Canada. WildFireSat: Enhancing Canada's ability to manage wildfires, Canadian Space Agency – https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/wildfiresat/default.asp Forest Fires, Natural Resources Canada – https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests-forestry/wildland-fires-insects-disturban/forest-fires/13143 Simply Science: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/simply-s ..read more