'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
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.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a point shot by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
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.