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An invasive species of crayfish that reproduces by cloning itself was discovered last summer in a Burlington, Ont., park — the first time the marbled crayfish has been identified in the wild in North America.Since then, a group of experts has been working to stop the species from spreading. The crayfish are in City View park, on Burlington's southwest border with Hamilton.Brook Schryer, a member of the working group responding to the detection, told CBC Hamilton that it seems the population was contained after the pond…

A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, posing an immediate threat to a nearby fishing town that had been evacuated over fears of an eruption, authorities said.Live streams from the site showed fountains of molten rock spewing from fissures in the ground, the bright orange lava flow glowing against the dark sky.The eruption began north of the town of Grindavik, which on Saturday was evacuated for a second time over fears that an eruption was imminent amid a swarm of seismic activity, authorities said.Lava began…

Generative artificial intelligence could transform healthcare through things like drug development and more rapid diagnoses, but the World Health Organization stressed Thursday more attention should be paid to the risks.The WHO has been examining the potential dangers and benefits posed by AI large multi-modal models (LMMs), which are relatively new and are quickly being adopted in health. LMMs are a type of generative AI which can use multiple types of data input, including text, images and video, and generate outputs…

TikTok claims that non-skippable video ads may hinder engagement in a new report. Consumers are more likely to watch and engage with brand-sponsored videos when they have control over their experience, according to the study.Why we care. Engaging ads are essential for brand awareness, visibility, and conversions. If non-skippable ads are reducing engagement, it may be more effective to experiment with skippable ads to enhance viewer experience and improve campaign performance. The stats. The TikTok study, which…

Credit: Gustavo Fring from Pexels How do you feel when you wear a uniform? Are you relieved by the simplicity or resentful of the restrictions? The pros and cons of dress codes have long been a source of debate in schools and workplaces. Many claim uniforms evoke a sense of unity, reduce distractions and result in higher-quality work. But new WA…

Educational Curricula across Provinces and Territories. Credit: TECHNOLOGY-FACILITATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CANADIAN EDUCATIONAL CURRICULA, POLICIES, AND LEGISLATION (2023). Schools and teachers play a critical role in equipping students with the skills to understand, respond to, and prevent sexual violence in safe and healthy ways. As the lines between the digital and physical world continue to blur, young people are reporting…

For thousands of years, long stretches of earthworks and stone fortifications known collectively as the Great Wall have stood as testament to the ingenuity and authority of China's ruling dynasties.The structure's astonishing state of preservation is no accident, with conservation and restoration efforts battling to ensure researchers and tourists alike can continue to appreciate the archaeological wonder for generations to come.A recent study conducted by researchers from China, the US, and Spain could help resolve a…

Amazon has asked a federal court to dismiss a US government antitrust lawsuit that accuses the company of using illegal strategies to boost profits at its online retail empire, including an algorithm that allegedly pushed up prices by more than $1 billion.In its motion to dismiss, Amazon said the US Federal Trade Commission, in a lawsuit filed in September, confused "common retail practices" with anticompetitive conduct and failed to identify harm to consumers.Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill…

As Hurricane Larry lashed Newfoundland in 2021, university students from Halifax headed to a rural area in its track to find out whether the ocean might whip microplastics up into the atmosphere then transport them by air to otherwise pristine communities.The results, you could say, blew their socks off."It was such, like, an astonishing result that we weren't really expecting," said Anna Ryan, a Dalhousie University environmental science masters student and the study's lead researcher. To test their theory, the…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain A one-off experience of poverty is enough to impact on a child's development, according to a new study conducted by sociologists in Trinity College Dublin. Parenting stress and reduced ability to invest in healthy activities, such as reading to young children, have been identified by the researchers as the…