Quirks and Quarks

DNA samples from the oldest living land animal show how good genes and limited biochemical wear and tear have given a giant tortoise named Jonathan an extended lifespan. The genetic switches that control the genes for DNA repair and metabolism more closely matched his much younger relatives.

Also today:
What fossilized vomit reveals about ancient sea monsters
Meet the Nobel-winning physicist who hunts for ghost particles at the South Pole
What Jonathan, the 194-year-old tortoise, can teach us about defying death
Nuclear clocks begin ticking — and could become the world’s most precise timekeepers
For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

We talk to two of this year’s newest Nobel Laureates, Dr. Karl Deisseroth and Peter Hegemann, about their discoveries in optogenetics, a technique that has transformed what we know about the brain — all thanks to a light-detecting algal protein.
Also today:
Gut microbes can encourage fever after vaccination
Weather forecasters are less confident in their predictions these days. Here’s why
What raccoons and other wild brains can teach us about ourselves

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

Black holes are voracious eaters, but they’re also quite messy, and often after devouring a star, they’ll let out a big burp, launching jets of high energy particles through space. Now, in a recent study, a team of astrophysicists has figured out the formula behind the timing of these burps.
Also today:
Skiing, hiking and roads are taking a toll on wolverines
The buzzy, chirpy sounds of the Jurassic forest
A notorious invasive species has been here a lot longer than we thought. Does that matter?
Anomalies suggest King Tut’s tomb may conceal hidden chambers

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

The El Niño underway in the Pacific Ocean is a natural climate phenomenon but its warming effects are being boosted by climate change. Researchers recently used corals growing around the Galapagos Islands to create a local temperature record of the ocean going back 1,000 years.
Also today:
Massive study redraws bat family tree and uncovers genetic oddities
How the Surinam toad uses star-shaped fingertip lobes to ‘see’ its prey
T. rex tooth enamel reveals these dinosaurs were warm-blooded
Why great white sharks are converging on the East Coast

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

It’s long been a mystery why one particular avian dinosaur was the only kind to survive mass extinction, but the recent discovery of a perfectly preserved fossilized feather, found in a cherry-sized piece of dinosaur poop, offers new clues.

Also today:
Why citizen scientists buried thousands of undies
How climate change tipped the scales on a catastrophic Himalayan avalanche
Why an AI leap has left mathematicians feeling uneasy
Why scientists put teeny-tiny micro-trackers on chimney swifts

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.