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STEM Explained

Cartoon woman on a surfboard

The Physics of Surfing

STEM Explained

Learn about the history of surfboards, and how different materials and designs over the years affected the physics at work in surfing.

Peyto Lake, Banff National Park

The Rock Cycle in Canada

STEM Explained

Products of the rock cycle are visible all across Canada.

Cartoon mammoth

Should Scientists Clone Extinct Species?

STEM Explained

Cloning makes it possible to bring extinct species back to life. But is that a good idea?

Crispy fried crickets © phuketisland, iStockphoto

Should We Eat Bugs?

STEM Explained

What's tasty, abundant and high in protein and vitamins? Bugs! Bugs feed about 2 billion people each day. They also hold promise for food security and sustainability.

Wingsuit flying over Massachusetts

Soaring for Sport

STEM Explained

Ever dreamed if overcoming gravity and flying away? Using aerodynamics, wingsuit jumpers get as close to flight as humanly possible.

 Sound waves and sound-producing devices. Image © jop_pop, istockphoto.com

Sound vs. Noise

STEM Explained

What is the difference between sound and noise? How do they affect your hearing? And is noise always a bad thing?

Space junk

Space Junk

STEM Explained

Litter isn't just a problem on Earth. When litter ends up in space, it can cause collisions and other consequences for satellites, the International Space Station and even for people on Earth!

Former Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk enjoys cycling on board the ISS

Spaceflight and Bone Loss

STEM Explained

Astronauts can experience bone loss in space. To understand why, you need to know a bit about how bones are formed and maintained in your body.

Soapy hands

Stupendous Suds

STEM Explained

Every time you wash your hands with soap, there are complex chemical reactions taking place.

Earth seafloor crust

Plate Tectonics

STEM Explained

The surface of the Earth is constantly moving, and earthquakes and volcanoes occur, because of plate tectonics.

plastic food containers, trays and food packaging made from polystyrene

Polystyrene: The Pros, the Cons, the Chemistry

STEM Explained

Learn the organic chemistry behind this very useful plastic. Why is recycling polystyrene hard? Why does polystyrene often end up as solid waste?

Radiation shielding garment on the International Space Station

Radiation and Human Space Exploration

STEM Explained

One of the greatest hazards that humans in space face is cosmic radiation. Learn what cosmic radiation is, why it's dangerous, and ways that we are looking at protecting humans in deep space.

Ship in Arctic waters

Reaching the Arctic

STEM Explained

How will arctic ice melt from climate change affect exploration, scientific research and geopolitics?

Magnified image of a ringwoodite crystal

Ringwoodite and the Deep Water Cycle

STEM Explained

The water in the oceans has travelled vast distances. It has even time spent deep below the surface of the Earth, trapped inside the mineral ringwoodite.

An artist’s impression of a habitable exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star

Searching for exoplanets around the star next door

STEM Explained

In planetary science, astronomers have found planets that orbit other stars, just like Earth orbits the Sun. Some of them might even be able to support life.