Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
A new research from a citizen science program suggests that stars are disappearing before our eyes at an "astonishing rate."
The analysis by Globe at Night (LINK) stated that human eyes can see thousands of stars on a clear, dark night but – due to light pollution – about 30 per cent of people in the world cannot see the Milky Way galaxy and the constellations that should be visible to them.
According to the analysis by the program, which is run by U.S.-based public health and safety organization NSF and its astronomy centre, NOIRLab, light pollution is so bad that about 80 per cent of Americans are "robbed" of the view of the galaxy and other celestial sights.
According to the research published in the journal Science, the problem is getting rapidly worse as light pollution increases more quickly than is revealed by satellite measurements of Earth’s brightness at night.
“At this rate of change, a child born in a location where 250 stars were visible would be able to see only abound 100 by the time they turned 18,” said Christopher Kyba, a researcher at the German Research Centre for Geosciences and lead author of the paper, detailing the results of the study.
No accurate measurements have been well-documented about the sky brightness over the time, researchers said, despite that light pollution has been a well-recognized issue.
Those behind the recent report said they looked at more than 50,000 observations submitted to Globe at Night since 2011. Their review indicated the sky is likely brightening more quickly in developing countries, where artificial lighting is growing at a higher rate.
Research also found that sky brightness increased by 9.6 per cent per year in the past decade. This is much higher than the roughly two per cent per year global increase of earth brightness measured by satellites.
Researchers say that existing satellites are not able to measure what they call "skyglow" as the human eye sees it. And the discrepancy is increasing with the usage of white LEDs in high-efficiency outdoor lighting.
“Since human eyes are more sensitive to these shorter wavelengths at nighttime, LED lights have a strong effect on our perception of sky brightness,” said Kyba. “This could be one of the reasons behind the discrepancy between satellite measurements and the sky conditions reported by Globe at Night participants.”
In addition to blocking the view and presenting challenges to astronomical study, scientists warn that light pollution has impacts on human heath and wildlife.
"It disrupts the cyclical transition from sunlight to starlight that biological systems have evolved alongside," researchers said.
"Furthermore, the loss of visible stars is a poignant loss of human cultural heritage. Until relatively recently, humans throughout history had an impressive view of the starry night sky, and the effect of this nightly spectacle is evident in ancient cultures, from the myths it inspired to the structures that were built in alignment with celestial bodies."
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.