What if impact craters, long seen as harbingers of death, turned out to be the cradle of life? A new study co-authored at Western suggests we rethink the origins of life on Earth.
Physics and Astronomy
Discovery Grants back 75 research projects
Seventy-five university research projects across seven faculties received more than $13.8 million in Discovery Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Researchers discover ‘crazy powerful’ quasar
An international team of researchers, led by Physics and Astronomy professor Sarah Gallagher, has detected the most energetic wind from any quasar ever measured.
Eight faculty honoured for teaching excellence
Eight exceptional faculty members have been awarded Western’s highest honours for leading and inspiring their students. Collectively and individually, they exemplify the heart of excellence in teaching – and their influence has stretched across faculties, disciplines and decades.
Event encourages final frontier as first choice
On Feb. 11, Western will host Girls and Women in Space, an event focused on inspiring women and girls about their potential success in the sciences.
Study gets up close with near-death experiences
Those who momentarily shuffled off this mortal coil returned with positive perceptions of what they discovered on the other side – a finding that encourages researchers to dig deeper into the ways people describe near-death experiences, according to a joint study between Western and the University of Liège (Belgium).
Image sets off monster galaxy quest
An image of UGC 2885 – a majestic spiral galaxy 2.5 times wider than our Milky Way with 10 times as many stars – sparked widespread interest last week when released at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Scientists explore origins of interstellar visitors
Since 2017, not one but two interstellar asteroids have been detected entering our solar system – each one offering more clues as to their origins and unlocking further secrets of the universe.
Transcending space and time
In celebration of World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, we sought out picks from our brightest minds with feet firmly planted on Earth but eyes boldly cast towards the stars. Today, Physics and Astronomy professor Jan Cami, Associate Director for Western’s Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, takes a turn on Read. Watch. Listen.
TMT sparks discussion on research, Indigenous rights
Western officials offered support for research that would be conducted at the advanced Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) atop Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the Island of Hawaii, while simultaneously stressing the need for an open dialogue between local governments, Indigenous groups and the international science community.
Mind on ‘The Martian’ and beyond
In celebration of World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, we sought out picks from our brightest minds with feet firmly planted on Earth but eyes boldly cast towards the stars. Today, Physics and Astronomy professor Pauline Barmby, co-chair of the Long Range Plan for Canadian Astronomy, takes a turn on Read. Watch. Listen.
Brown: Smallest actions make biggest difference
Katie Brown vividly remembers reading ‘Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think,’ a book spotlighting how scientific innovators and technology are being used to solve humanity’s biggest problems. It ignited in her a love for science and the drive to create a better society. She was 12 years old.
Researchers seeking fragments of fireball
Researchers are seeking the public’s help in locating fragments of a fireball that shone as bright as the full moon observed by Western’s All-Sky Camera Network across at 2:44 a.m. ET this morning.
Western event to celebrate Apollo 11 launch
Fifty years ago today, Apollo 11 launched on a mission to the Moon. Five days later, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the lunar surface – a first for humankind.
Researchers shine light on black hole origins
Western astrophysicists have found evidence of the direct formation of black holes that do not need to emerge from a star remnant – a finding that may provide scientists with an explanation for the presence of extremely massive black holes at the earliest stage of our universe.
Calling all ‘space oddities’ to Asteroid Day
Join Western as it celebrates its fourth annual Asteroid Day from 5:30-11 p.m. Saturday. Geosciences Collection Curator Alysha McNeil will be in attendance to inspect potential meteorites.
Three named Teaching Innovation fellows
Efforts to look deeper into classroom learning styles and farther into the cosmos have been lauded with a Fellowship in Teaching Innovation, the Western Centre for Teaching and Learning announced today.
Indigenous astronomy course turns eyes skyward
When Robert Cockcroft looks up, he knows he is not alone in doing so. “Everyone has access to the sky.”
Students land project – after a lost year
One year ago today, a team of Western graduate students launched a high-altitude balloon (HAB) 20 km into space with the lofty goal of studying the Earth’s stratosphere. The launch was a success. The retrieval not so much – at least until last week.
Close pass of ‘swarm’ calls for close observation
An oncoming swarm of meteors – one blamed for perhaps the most famed Earth encounter since the time of the dinosaurs – may statistically pose a more immediate risk for Earth and its inhabitants than previously believed.