Nature Saskatchewan celebrates World Migratory Bird Day
Nature Saskatchewan hosted a bird walk at the Saskatchewan Science Centre on Saturday to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. (Sierra D'Souza Butts / CTV News)
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CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Bring the digital into your world': U of R students share augmented reality projects
University students are sharing their augmented reality (AR) projects with families at the Saskatchewan Science Centre. Created by U of R students, the AR design allows people to view digital illustrations in their current environment by scanning a QR code. 'Augmented reality is like Pokémon Go. That's one of the more common examples that people tend to understand,' explained Evie Johnny Ruddy, assistant professor of Creative Technologies and Design at the U of R. 'Whereas with VR, you put a headset on and you're completely in the digital world, AR allows you to bring the digital into your world. It looks like the digital would be in this space with us.' Five different projects were showcased, including The Eternal Walking Path, Nature Hunt, Poetry Pathway, Escape the Cabin, and the Absence of Space. Shelby Kerbs, creative technologist of Nature Hunt, said her project focuses on connecting nature to urban areas. 'It's a scavenger hunt where you're going to find basically little snow piles around. Each time you click on one, in your AR experience, you're going to get a Saskatchewan perennial plant that pops up and you're going to learn about it,' she said. Augmented reality University of Regina (U of R) students are sharing their augmented reality (AR) projects with families at the Saskatchewan Science Centre. (Sierra D'Souza Butts/CTV News) Based on her passion for plants, Kerbs said the project was an opportunity to share her interest with others. 'I did a focus on plants specifically for my own personal interest. I've been a garden centre worker for a long time and I have always been interested in plants,' she expressed. '….I was trying to make a scavenger hunt in the sense that you're trying to find plants in urban spaces specifically like Victoria Park, downtown Regina. You're going to try and find plants [in the city] instead of just seeing always grass and trees.' Students being able to share their projects with the public was part of the 'experiential learning component' to the Creative Technologies and Design class. Despite being similar to VR, Ruddy shared the key differences, stating augmented experiences help provide a visual realistic point of view. 'I love AR because you can change your environment with digital artworks and content. You can bring it into your own space, and it looks like it's in the space with you,' Ruddy said. 'It can change the way you see the world around you. It can be really immersive, just as immersive as VR. I hope people try out the projects. I hope that they find them enjoyable and exciting and that they gain a better understanding of what AR is.'
CBC
15 hours ago
- CBC
Researchers aim to fill data gaps about Dungeness crab amid concerns of declining population
If you've spent much time wandering along B.C.'s coast, chances are you've seen a Dungeness crab crawling sideways across the shoreline — or at least one of its colourful carcasses leftover in the sand. The cold water crustaceans are the second-most valuable invertebrate fishery on the West Coast of Canada and an important food source for coastal First Nations, but researchers warn they may now be facing some threats. Lauren Krzus, a research technician at the Hakai Institute, says they're hearing anecdotally that Dungeness crab stocks are declining, and says climate change is poised to further impact them. She's three years into a 10-year research project with Hakai coastal ecologist Heather Earle, studying the crab's populations from Prince Rupert down to the southern point of B.C.'s coastline. This year, they've recruited 300 data collection volunteers to help monitor 30 specialized traps that float at the surface of the water and use LED strips to draw young crabs in. In their last stage as larva, before they stop swimming and start crawling on the seabed, the creatures are attracted to the light. "When you haul the trap out of the water, everything drains into the bottom, you can unscrew that part and empty out your catch and take a look at what you've got," Earle told CBC's On The Island. Kruzus says they're catching the crabs in their larval stage because that's where one of their biggest knowledge gaps about the crustaceans exists. She says the project is interested in understanding what drives larval patterns and abundance from year to year, and that this data can be used to determine the health of fisheries along with potential future closures. One goal they're working toward is creating a harvesting forecasting tool. This has been researched south of the border, where University of Oregon biology professor Alan Shanks has used a single light trap to determine that an abundance of Dungeness crabs one year is a very good predictor of another abundance four years later. "It's been like a very powerful tool ... where that one light trap can predict the entire coast wide commercial catch for Oregon and even into Northern California," Earle said. "It's not something that we've done here yet in B.C. and it's a very different system, but it still holds a lot of potential. So it's something that we're looking into doing here as well." According to the Government of Canada, Dungeness crabs are the most important crab species harvested in B.C. and the second most valuable invertebrate fishery on the West Coast of Canada. Crabs accounts for approximately 34 per cent of the total wild shellfish landed value in B.C., and 12 per cent of the total landed value of all of B.C.'s wild fish species, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Although Dungeness crabs are not on Canada's endangered list, Earle says people who live along the Salish Sea are saying similar things — that the abundance of crabs that were once there are slowly diminishing. It's an issue coastal First Nations in particular have raised. In 2014, the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai'Xais, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv First Nations in B.C. launched a research project after noticing years of declining catch rates. They temporarily closed half of their commercial and recreational fisheries and found both the number and size of Dungeness crabs caught in those areas increased. More recently, in 2022, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, alongside tribal and state managers, closed a fishery in South Puget Sound because of a large decline in Dungeness crab populations. According to a study conducted by University of Toronto in 2023, climate change is causing Dungeness crab to lose their sense of smell, which they need to survive. The study found that the crabs are impacted by ocean acidification, which is the result of the Earth's oceans becoming more acidic as they absorb increasing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Krzus says that "ultimately, we just want to learn more about Dungeness crab." "We're hearing anecdotally that stocks are declining throughout Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. They're impacted by climate change. So we want to gather as much information as we can about them in this larval stage, to fill in those knowledge gaps that we don't currently have." The project began in 2022, and data collection will be ongoing until 2032.
National Post
15 hours ago
- National Post
Does rice contain arsenic? Yes, here's how you can reduce the risk
Arsenic in rice isn't a new concern, but a recent report published by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) brought the issue back into the spotlight. The study found arsenic in all 145 rice samples bought at stores across the United States. More than a quarter surpassed 100 parts per billion (ppb) of inorganic arsenic, the Canadian and American federal limits for infant rice cereal. Article content Article content Article content Article content 'With all things to do with food safety, it comes down to reducing the risk of exposure,' says Lawrence Goodridge, a professor at the University of Guelph's Department of Food Science and director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, who wasn't involved in the HBBF report. 'People can reduce their risk by consuming less of those foods.' Article content Arsenic was 'the poison of choice in Victorian times,' says Keith Warriner, a professor at the University of Guelph's Department of Food Science, who wasn't involved in the HBBF report. It's also ubiquitous. 'The reality is, arsenic is everywhere. So it's not a case where you can avoid it.' Article content Warriner underscores that people shouldn't stop eating rice altogether because of arsenic. After all, it's a staple of many cuisines with cultural significance and health benefits. 'It's a concern to have, but it's not 'I'm going to give up rice' because there are things we can do to minimize.' Article content Article content Here are ways to reduce the risk, from the rice you buy and how you cook it to diversifying your diet with grains lower in heavy metals such as arsenic. Article content Article content The more toxic of its chemical forms, inorganic arsenic is considered a carcinogen and is naturally present in soil and groundwater. Article content Long-term exposure has been associated with an increased risk of health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and skin lesions. When exposure happens in utero or during childhood, it 'may affect development and increase the risk of cancer in adulthood,' according to Health Canada. Article content Babies and young children are 'the real concern,' says Goodridge. The toxicity accumulates more easily because they're smaller and their body weight is lower. Article content 'Infant rice products can be a source of significant exposure,' he adds. 'It doesn't mean you can't give it to your kids, but limit it. It shouldn't be the primary grain cereal that they're fed. It shouldn't be the primary milk that they're given.'
