The Latest Breaking News from NSERC

A lake is much more than a body of water where we bask on sunny summer days. It’s also more than just a source of fresh water surrounded with nature and tranquility.

In cold-winter regions where air temperatures remain below zero, a layer of ice blankets lakes for several months.

Nearly 90 per cent of North America’s lakes are located in Canada. That’s why they make up such an enormous part of our landscape. Among their many vital functions, lakes are essential to the biodiversity of our territory and constitute indispensable oases for rest and relaxation.

You would be hard-pressed to find a corner of the world free from microplastics, plastic particles measuring less than five millimetres. They contaminate our drinking water, accumulate in the food we eat and have been found in the human body, including in blood, organs, placenta, semen and breast milk.

Bringing about the energy transition is essential, but it will require developing a significant amount of minerals and “green” electricity, such as hydroelectricity. These activities often take place on Indigenous lands and will have environmental consequences for our lakes and rivers.

After more than 30 years, the federal government has announced it’s lifting the moratorium that shut down commercial cod fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1990s.

Protecting and effectively managing oceans and seabeds are crucial in the fight against climate change.

Fossilized skin and other soft tissues are exceedingly rare, and it is only under special conditions that these rarest of fossils are preserved.

Potatoes are the premier vegetable crop in Canada, with $1.5 billion nationwide in potato receipts in 2021. The agricultural significance of potatoes is particularly prominent in provinces like New Brunswick, the home of McCain Foods Limited, the world’s largest potato processor.

Hotter summers, drier forests, rising waters: climate change is not just a threat to our future, it’s hurting our world right now.

Plants produce molecules to interact with their environment and protect themselves against external threats. These molecules can also have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, some of which are beneficial to human health. These properties are valued by traditional medicines and inspire the development of medicinal products by contemporary chemists.