Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
New research by a Université de Montréal biologist seeks to explain how squirrels conserve energy when they hibernate, and what implications that information could have on the future of space travel.
Matthew Regan's study of the thirteen-lined ground squirrel found in North America seems to confirm the theory of "urea nitrogen salvage," which suggests that some hibernating animals can pull off a "metabolic trick" in which their gut microbes recycle urea nitrogen – a waste product created in both the ground squirrel and in humans that is usually excreted in urine – and repurpose it to create new tissue proteins.
One of the problems hibernating animals encounter is losing important dietary nitrogen because of their extended fasting period, which can cause protein imbalances. In other animals this could lead to muscle loss, but Regan's research suggests this recycling of nitrogen prevents this damage in hibernators.
Regan's team injected squirrels with urea that was specifically marked to make it easier to track as the squirrels' gut microbes broke it down. They tracked this process during different seasons of the year, and found that the reincorporation of the nitrogen was actually at its highest in late winter, towards the end of the animal's hibernation period. This suggests that the salvaging process is most active just before the squirrel must come out of hibernation in spring, helping to prepare it for an active season of foraging for food and mating.
Regan suggests this same process could have applications for astronauts in space, who commonly experience some muscle loss in space flight.
Currently, astronauts exercise intensely in space in order to reduce these effects on their muscles, but that requires both room in the spacecraft and some equipment.
But if the process of urea nitrogen salvage could be replicated in astronauts, this could help prevent muscle loss in future trips into deep space when spacecraft may need to be smaller and might not be able to carry exercise equipment.
"Because we know which muscle proteins are suppressed during spaceflight, we can compare these proteins with those that are enhanced by urea nitrogen salvage during hibernation," he said. "If there is an overlap between the proteins in spaceflight and the ones from hibernation, then it suggests this process may have benefits to muscle health during spaceflight."
Regan's research began at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It caught the attention of the Canadian Space Agency, which gave Regan a research grant at Université de Montréal to continue his work.
A little closer to home, Regan also suggests his research could be useful in health-care settings to help those in hospitals who are bed-ridden or elderly. He also sees possible applications for those who are malnourished, a condition which currently affects more than 805 million people globally.
“To be clear, these applications, though theoretically possible, are a long way from delivery, and a lot of additional work is needed to translate this naturally evolved mechanism safely and effectively to humans,” Regan said.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.