Western leads global project observing rare meteor showers and meteorite falls
Physics and Astronomy
Xenon-aided MRIs snap sharper images of lungs
An innovative study shows the inert gas has potential to revolutionize the detection of lung ailments
Research sheds light on origins, age of massive impact crater
The Hiawatha crater could be young – as craters go – having formed between 11,700 and 2.6 million years ago
Space grant helps Western expand Moon research
The investment will add to our understanding of the Moon’s geology and geophysics, in advance of plans to land a rover on the Moon within five years.
Scientist set to explore massive stars with NASA telescope
An international team, including Western Space scientist Els Peeters, will use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study the Orion Bar.
Western fireball trackers play key role in important meteorite discovery
Western’s Denis Vida helped guide recovery of an extremely rare meteorite this week using Global Meteor Network, a world-wide camera collaboration he coordinates.
Did meteorite impacts help create life on Earth and beyond?
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.
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.