Happy Family Day! – Enjoy your day off!

Are you ‘phubbing’ right now? What it is and why science says it’s bad for your relationships

Science Unscripted – learn more about phubbing’s negative effect on relationships:

A set of studies actually showed that just having a phone out and present during a conversation (say, on the table between you) interferes with your sense of connection to the other person, the feelings of closeness experienced, and the quality of the conversation.  Especially during meaningful conversations, you lose the opportunity for true and authentic connection to another person, the core tenet of any friendship or relationship. These findings hold true regardless of people’s age, ethnicity, gender, or mood. We feel more empathy when smartphones are put away.

Research by Barbara Fredrickson, beautifully described in her book Love 2.0, suggests that intimacy happens in micro-moments: talking over breakfast, the exchange with the UPS guy, the smile of a child. The key is to be present and mindful. A revealing study showed that we are happiest when we are present, no matter what we are doing. Can we be present with the person in front of us right now, no matter who it is?

Groundhogs as weather predictors

Creature feature Groundhogs

A 3 km long coral reef has been discovered in the south pacific off of the coast of Tahiti

A “magical” coral reef stretching as far as the eye can see has been discovered off the coast of the South Pacific island Tahiti.

Most of the world’s known coral reefs are at depths of 25 metres and above, with many facing the risk of collapse as the world’s oceans continue to heat.

In September, a study found coral reef coverage had fallen by half since the 1950s because of global heating, overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction.

Speaking to the BBC Prof Murray Roberts, a marine scientist at the University of Edinburgh, said the discovery underscored the need to map similar reefs to make sure they can be protected in the future.

“We still associate corals with the shallowest tropical seas but here we find a huge previously unknown coral reef system.

“As shallow waters warm faster than the deeper waters we may find these deeper reef systems are refuges for corals in the future. We need to get out there to map these special places,” he said.

Is Pluto a planet?   Daily 5 Read more and decide!

What’s so great about being a planet?

The 2022 Michael Smith Science Challenge Competition takes place on Feb. 15, 2022.

The Michael Smith Science Challenge is a bilingual national competition written by students in Grade 10 Science or lower.

It emphasizes logical thinking and covers material in the science curriculum common to all provinces.

It is named in honour of UBC’s Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Michael Smith and is sponsored by the UBC Faculty of Science.

Prizes are awarded to the top students (and their teachers) in each province, territory, and nationally.

The 2022 Challenge will be run entirely online – students will complete the challenge entirely online at school or at home – depending on local circumstances and at the discretion of the teacher.

No teacher invigilation is required. Teachers with questions regarding the challenge can contact mschall@phas.ubc.ca for more information.

The 2022 official writing day is Tuesday, February 15, 2022

This challenge will be a one-hour, timed contest to be started and completed between 06:00-20:00 Pacific Standard Time.

Students need to register with their teacher to participate in the competion.  The exam is written online.  Please see your science teacher to register before Jan. 21, 2022.

Interested?  Take a look at the 2021 competition.

Prizes

We reserve the right not to give a provincial prize if the top mark from that province is lower than the national average, or if less than 20 students or three schools participate from that province. We also reserve the right, in the event of a draw, to depart from our stated list of national prizes.

Nationally: 1st – $500, 2nd – $250, 3rd – $100

Provincially: $100 for the top student without a national prize, $50 for each student in a tie

Teachers: $50 for a teacher with a prize-winning student

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/fluor-challenge-2022?from=Newsletter

Fluor 2022 Engineering Challenge

The Canadian Government, Environment and Climate Change Canada, has opened the comment period on a proposed ban on single-use plastics.  The comment period ends on March 5, 2022.

Read the email from Environment and Climate Change Canada – get ready to provide a comment 🙂
Email from Environment and Climate Change Canada

December 30, 2021

Greetings,

On December 25, 2021, the proposed Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I initiating a 70-day public comment period ending on March 5, 2022. During this period, stakeholders and partners are invited to submit comments to Environment and Climate Change Canada on the proposed Regulations, the accompanying Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, as well as the draft Guidance for Selecting Alternatives.

The proposed Regulations would prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six categories of single-use plastic items (checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers [think six-pack holders], stir sticks, and straws), with certain exceptions for straws.

The feedback received on the proposed Integrated Management Approach to Plastic Products has been considered in the development of the proposed Regulations. A What We Heard Report summarizes this feedback.

The draft Guidance for Selecting Alternatives to the Single-Use Plastics in the Proposed Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations has been developed to help businesses and other organizations make decisions on alternative products or systems that prevent pollution and help Canada transition to a circular economy.

We invite you to review the proposed Regulations, the accompanying Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, as well as the draft Guidance for Selecting Alternatives and to provide your feedback, no later than March 5, 2022, to the following email address: plastiques-plastics@ec.gc.ca.

Feedback should include the following for each specific comment:

1. the section of the proposed Regulations, Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, or draft Guidance for Selecting Alternatives to which the comment relates

e.g., 5(1)(a)(i) of the regulatory text; “Select Canadian Market Characteristics” section of the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement;“Considerations for Alternative Single-use Plastics” section of the draft Guidance for Selecting Alternatives;

2. the comment itself; and

3. any supporting information or rationale.

All written feedback received during the comment period will be considered in the development of the final Regulations and Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, which will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. Feedback will also inform the finalization of the Guidance for Selecting Alternatives.

Environment and Climate Change Canada is available to provide further information and clarification on the requirements of the proposed Regulations to affected businesses or organizations, via virtual meetings or webinars.

Should you have any questions on this consultation process, or if you do not wish to receive future updates about the proposed Regulations please contact us at plastiques-plastics@ec.gc.ca.

Another first for space exploration, the solar Parker probe begins to  explore the corona to help scientists better understand solar outbursts that can interfere with life on Earth.

The sun does not have a solid surface.  This means that the corona is where the magnetically intense region of the sun is.  Scientists can better understand this magnetically intense region and  better understand the solar outbursts that can interfere with life on Earth.

The solar Parker probe was Launched in 2018. The Parker probe was 13m km from the center of the sun when it first crossed the jagged, uneven boundary between the solar atmosphere and outgoing solar wind.

Learn more about how energy is transformed but never lost:

Miniture Science