Riders--who will descend in inflatable rafts of four rather than alone--will reach speeds of more than 65 miles per hour

Visitors to Nantucket were able to ski through wide strips of slushy ice left on the beach in February 2015.

Experts may not agree on all the specifics, but here's what we do know.

See how geometric designs are inspiring new ways to make stretchy materials. (Video by Ahmad Rafsanjani and Damiano Pasini/McGill University)

Not to worry—shut-eye comes easily to these aquatic mammals

Sloth bear cub Remi plays harmonica as part of an animal enrichment program at the Smithsonian National Zoo. The activity encourages the same behavior sloth bears in the wild use to suck insects out of their nests

Quiksilver captures stunning aerial views of the world champion surfer's dazzling technique

Carleton Watkins' 19th-Century Photographs of Yosemite Valley (Produced and Narrated by: Brendan McCabe. Text by Bruce Hathaway). Read more at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-muirs-yosemite-10737/

New DNA analysis adds to growing research indicating the famous Pacific island did not collapse from overuse of resources before the arrival of Europeans

The world’s slowest mammal is at risk of extinction by the end of the century due to their low metabolic rate and climate change

Experts say that the trove of silver currency is official treasure and includes coins from England and Ireland

A scientist used at-home experiments to test whether cats hesitated when moving through increasingly shorter or narrower openings

Authorities have not yet identified the cause of death for the 12.5-foot-long shark, which was named Koala

A special committee has until January 15 to finalize the design, location and funding for a monument that will be erected on the lawn of the South Carolina State House

‘Our goal is to provide full flexibility, 24/7,’ one resident said. ‘If you want to cut the lawn at 4 a.m., then you do it.’

From Scotland to Japan, these multiday treks offer adventure and a truly immersive experience

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) allow for the noninvasive evaluation of neuronal activity in vivo, and imaging GECIs in Drosophila has become commonplace for understanding neural functions and connectivity in this system. GECIs can also be used as read-outs for studying sleep in this model organism. Here, we describe a methodology for tracking the activity of neurons in the fly brain using a two-photon (2p) microscopy system. This method can be adapted to perform functional studies of neural activity in Drosophila under both spontaneous and evoked conditions, as well as during spontaneous or induced sleep. We first describe a tethering and surgical procedure that allows survival under the microscopy conditions required for long-term recordings. We then outline the steps and reagents required for optogenetic activation of sleep-promoting neurons while simultaneously recording neural activity from the fly brain. We also describe the procedure for recording from two different locations—namely, the top of the head (e.g., to record mushroom body calyx activity) or the back of the head (e.g., to record central complex activity). We also provide different strategies for recording from GECIs confined to the cell body versus the entire neuron. Finally, we describe the steps required for analyzing the multidimensional data that can be acquired. In all, this protocol shows how to perform calcium imaging experiments in tethered flies, with a focus on acquiring spontaneous and induced sleep data.

Sleep studies in Drosophila melanogaster rely mostly on behavioral read-outs to support molecular or circuit-level investigations in this model. Electrophysiology can provide an additional level of understanding in these studies to, for example, investigate changes in brain activity associated with sleep manipulations. In this protocol, we describe a procedure for performing multichannel local field potential (LFP) recordings in the fruit fly, with a flexible system that can be adapted to different experimental paradigms and situations. The approach uses electrodes containing multiple recording sites (16), allowing the acquisition of large amounts of neuronal activity data from a transect through the brain while flies are still able to sleep. The approach starts by tethering the fly, followed by positioning it on an air-supported ball. A multichannel silicon probe is then inserted laterally into the fly brain via one eye, allowing for recording of electrical signals from the retina through to the central brain. These recordings can be acquired under spontaneous conditions or in the presence of visual stimuli, and the minimal surgery promotes long-term recordings (e.g., overnight). Sleep and wake can be tracked using infrared cameras, which allow for the measurement of locomotive activity as well as microbehaviors such as proboscis extensions during sleep. The protocol has been optimized to promote subject survivability, which is an important factor when performing long-term (~16-h) recordings. The approach described here uses specific recording probes, data acquisition devices, and analysis tools. Although it is expected that some of these items might need to be adapted to the equipment available in different laboratories, the overall aim is to provide an overview on how to record electrical activity across the brain of behaving (and sleeping) flies using this kind of approach and technology.

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation expects that by the end of March it will have generated 72 per cent of power for the North Slave region using hydro, and 28 per cent from diesel. Last year, about half the region's power was from diesel because of low water levels.

In opening remarks at the Inuit-Crown partnership committee meeting in Ottawa on Friday, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the government is preparing to deliver an apology in Nunavik — the Inuit region of northern Quebec.

John Quirke stayed in the job for 25 years — with a front row seat to Nunavut's politics as he managed the operations of the assembly and acted as the principal adviser for MLAs on parliamentary procedure among other things. 

There have been 25 confirmed measles cases in New Brunswick since October after the identification of 11 new cases, according to a news release Saturday from Public Health.

Questions included whether the province plans to renew the NHL tourism partnership deal for a second year, how much that renewal would cost, and even the date on which a second year would begin. 

Henry Luyombya became a changemaker at a young age in Uganda after his father died of HIV-related illness. His work in HIV education brought him to Canada, and eventually to P.E.I. where he's a clinical social worker and the founder of New African Canadians. He is one of CBC Atlantic's Black Changemakers for 2024.

Juanita Migwans of M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island has been missing for over a month, but her aunt says she’s not giving up on the search.

Two newly elected members of British Columbia's Green Party will officially take their seats in the legislature following the first of three swearing-in ceremonies since last month's provincial election. 

Falkland locals are still wrapping their heads around the raid of the rural property, likened to a scene out of Breaking Bad, which was part of an RCMP operation that seized drugs and guns worth almost half a billion dollars.

Sleep is likely a whole-brain phenomenon, with most of the brain probably benefiting from this state of decreased arousal. Recent advances in our understanding of some potential sleep functions, such as metabolite clearance and synaptic homeostasis, make it evident why the whole brain is likely impacted by sleep: All neurons have synapses, and all neurons produce waste metabolites. Sleep experiments in the fly Drosophila melanogaster suggest that diverse sleep functions appear to be conserved across all animals. Studies of brain activity during sleep in humans typically involve multidimensional data sets, such as those acquired by electroencephalograms (EEGs) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and these whole-brain read-outs often reveal important qualities of different sleep stages, such as changes in frequency dynamics or connectivity. Recently, various techniques have been developed that allow for the recording of neural activity simultaneously across multiple regions of the fly brain. These whole-brain-recording approaches will be important for better understanding sleep physiology and function, as they provide a more comprehensive view of neural dynamics during sleep and wake in a relevant model system. Here, we present a brief summary of some of the findings derived from sleep activity recording studies in sleeping Drosophila flies and discuss the value of electrophysiological versus calcium imaging techniques. Although these involve very different preparations, they both highlight the value of multidimensional data for studying sleep in this model system, like the use of both EEG and fMRI in humans.

Although church planting has progressed at a slower pace than the team first expected, a few important milestones in Bar, Montenegro, have been reached.

World Cup Champion Noelle Pikus-Pace Turns To Local Metal Shop – And Her Husband – For Innovative New Sled

Austrian Ski Manufacturer Reduces Development Time by 50 Percent with SolidWorks CAD and Simulation Software

Company’s Highly Customized Equipment Designed to Resist Heat and Pressure, Preventing $250,000-Per-Day Breakdowns

ModernTech Teaches Bo-Dyn How to Find Hundredths of a Second for a Golden Repeat

SOLIDWORKS 3D Design Software Delivers the Precision Needed to Shave Milliseconds off Bobsled Finish Times

Apple isn't soldering the SSD to the logic board in the M4 Mac mini, but given the company's history with Apple Silicon, don't expect upgrades.

A new rumor claims that both Apple and Samsung are having difficulty making thinner batteries, thereby limiting just how thin phones like the expected iPhone 17 Slim can be.

Forty-five women from around the world begin their trek on 9 April to Mt. Everest Base Camp and summit of Kala Patthar Peak in Nepal.

OM Sweden plans church-planting initiatives in three urban centres.

A team of OM workers and local believers share New Testaments and relief packs of food in a Muslim village in Israel.

OM Pakistan helps build the Church by leading young men and women into deeper faith through small groups.

Long-term worker teaches Transform seminar about loving Muslim women, encouraging two participants to deepen relationships with Muslim friends back home.

An OM worker visits an islamic university while trying to build a deeper relationship with a religious friend.

OM EAST, in partnership with OM Bosnia, is getting ready for their annual Schoolbags Project in north-west Bosnia-Herzegovina this summer.

Over twenty people have been killed in a landslide in Costa Rica, due to heavy rainfall in the Central American country. The disaster caused huge damage in both in the Pacific coast and in a suburb of the capital San José. Together with local churches, OM Costa Rica is organising help for families who lost their homes.

On Thursday, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced legislation that would establish a national standard for youth-concussion treatment and prevention.

Just before Christmas, federal lawmakers sent President Donald Trump the Foundations for Evidenced-Based Policymaking Act of 2017, which aims to improve how federal data is used, shared, and protected.

Native-language assessments may more fully reflect what English-language learners know and can do academically after months away from school. But not all states offer them.