The Decibel

No one really knows what dark matter is. We just think it exists. And we believe it makes up 85 per cent of all mass in the universe. So how do you solve the mystery of something that is currently unknowable? Enter SNOLAB . This underground, clean lab is located in Sudbury, Ontario, and researchers there are running experiments to try to solve this cosmic query. Decibel producer Madeleine White ,...

Curly hair often gets a bad reputation for being too high maintenance but research has shown that it plays an important role in our evolutions – and even our brains. Dr. Tina Lasisi , a biological anthropologist who focuses on studying the evolution and genetics of human hair and skin, will talk to us about the importance of curly hair. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandma...

The James Webb Space Telescope has been getting some of the most detailed information and images from space since it launched a year and a half ago. And soon, there’s going to be a big boost in research on exoplanets – planets outside of our solar system – particularly ones that might be able to host life . Dr. Heidi White is an astrophysicist and science communicator with the Trottier Institute f...

In September 1969, two baby girls were born in a tiny hospital in rural Newfoundland, a few hours apart. A simple accident led to both of their lives being changed forever. Over 50 years later, the truth serendipitously revealed itself and their lives changed again. Journalist Lindsay Jones unravels the mystery of how these two women were switched at birth. This episode originally aired on Septemb...

Western preconceived notions about bears being deadly have led to dire consequences for bears. But the relationship and safety around bears is different with Indigenous communities and wildlife conservation groups, which have long learned how to coexist with the big mammals. We are joined by Joy SpearChief-Morris , a staff reporter with The Globe and Mail. She’s going to break down bear misconcept...

An ongoing class-action lawsuit against the Calgary Stampede alleges that for decades the organization did not properly protect children from a sexual predator. Carrie Tait is a reporter for The Globe’s Calgary bureau and she explains what’s behind the case. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...

Ticks are awful. They can give you Lyme disease , brain swelling, and can make you allergic to red meat. And as the world warms, they’re steadily creeping further north. After Dr. Vett Lloyd contracted Lyme disease from a tick, she made it her mission to study these parasites . She tells us where ticks are, what to look out for, and what to do if you find one. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us...

The ongoing actors and writers strikes in the U.S. are having huge implications for film production – including here in Canada , as productions slow to a trickle. Film unions in B.C. just signed an agreement that some worry could lead to ripple effects in the industry as well – because there aren’t any new stipulations around the use of generative AI. Josh O’Kane covers the intersection of arts an...

The past three weeks on Earth have been the hottest since records began, and the effects of global warming are becoming increasingly deadly as temperatures continue to climb. The 2021 heat dome in B.C. led to the deaths of 619 people — it’s the deadliest weather event in Canadian history. Temperatures rose to above 40 degrees and stayed high even at night. In June 2022, the province’s coroner serv...

On Wednesday, the Trudeau government unveiled a major cabinet shakeup . The reset comes at a time when the Liberals are facing criticisms over poor communication , Chinese interference in Canadian elections and the handling of a housing affordability crisis facing many Canadians. Ottawa reporter Shannon Proudfoot is on the show to explain what the Liberal government is trying to accomplish with th...

While conversations about movies are being dominated by ‘ Barbie’ and ‘Openheimer’, another movie currently sitting in third place has become a surprise – and controversial – summer blockbuster. ‘ Sound of Freedom ’ has already made US $125-million , despite being a low-budget film from an indie studio. Critics say the movie (about a former government agent’s pursuit to take down child-sex traffic...

Dozens of asylum seekers have been sleeping on the streets of Downtown Toronto for weeks as a political stand-off between governments took place. While governments have been arguing over jurisdictional responsibility, community groups have stepped in. Toronto’s Revivaltime Tabernacle Church in North York has opened up its doors to over 230 asylum seekers, with volunteers donating their time and re...

Cities across Canada have been dealing with the impacts of wildfire smoke this year – the smoggy skies and health effects . And while we’ve been seeing more smoke in big cities, remote Indigenous communities often bear the brunt of the negative effects of wildfires. Since 1982, 98% of smoke-related evacuations have been in Indigenous communities. Dr. Nicole Redvers is an associate professor at the...

Canada’s national women’s soccer team is protesting unequal treatment by the sport’s governing body. The players say Canada Soccer is not transparent with its finances, and that they won’t agree to be paid less than the men. The men’s team supports them. Rachel Brady is The Globe’s sports reporter, and she’ll tell us about the dispute, the growing business case for equally funding women’s sport, a...

Ozempic and other medications for type-2 diabetes have shown to be effective treatments for obesity. But this discovery has led to many people, who do not medically need the drug, using it for vanity reasons. Not only has this led to supply shortages and concern around less discussed long-term effects , but it’s also changing the way we talk about body image and the body positivity movement. Dr. S...

We’re all familiar with the cycle now: Inflation is too high, so central banks keep raising interest rates . The hope is to get inflation back down to 2 per cent. But why 2? If we accept that things are going to keep getting more expensive, what difference does it make if it’s 2 or 3 per cent? Or 2.8 ? Report on Business reporter Mark Rendell explains why we’re aiming for 2-per-cent inflation, whe...

Car thefts have surged in Canada , with some provinces seeing increases of 50 per cent in a year. And Canada has become particularly popular for this type of crime . Today, The Globe’s wealth management and insurance reporter Clare O’Hara tells us what’s behind the rise of car thefts, and how you can best protect your own car from being stolen. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@gl...

At the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkey agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. This paves the way for Sweden to become the 32nd member nation following closely behind Finland, which became a member earlier in the spring. The expansion of NATO is something Russia and President Vladimir Putin have used as a key rationale for the war against Ukraine – saying it jeopardizes Russ...

Burning hours in an ER waiting room has long been a fact of Canada’s public health care system, but that wait time is starting to spike. Now, in Ontario it hovers at around 20 hours on average. And our cities, home to more people and more various determinants of health than anywhere else in the country, bear the brunt of it. In this episode, we’re looking at some issues that impact the growing hos...

App-based ride-share and food delivery companies rely on algorithms that dictate speed, behaviour and the wage of gig workers resulting in different payments for the same work. Labour experts are warning about ‘algorithm wage discrimination’ and concern around protecting workers when it comes to AI. Vanmala Subramaniam , The Globe’s future of work reporter, discusses what we do know about how this...

The opioid epidemic is taking young lives – the number of 15-24 year olds dying from opioid overdoses tripled between 2014 and 2021 in Ontario. And young people are shown to be less likely to seek treatment for their addictions. A deadly mix of those factors and a contaminated drug supply are creating lethal outcomes. The Ontario Drug Policy Research Network’s lead investigator, Dr. Tara Gomes is...

After months of negotiations, automaker Stellantis and battery maker LG Energy Solution have reached a deal with the federal and Ontario provincial governments. It’s worth up to $15-billion in subsidies for a plant that’s being built in Windsor, Ont. The plant is part of Canada’s push into the clean energy sector, but with a cost in the billions, it raises questions about whether this specific dea...

El Niño is back in a big way. This natural weather pattern is known to increase severe weather around the world. And scientists are trying to predict the impacts of this climate wild card – especially on top of global warming impacts. Ivan Semeniuk , The Globe’s science reporter, has been investigating the effects of El Niño. He’ll explain the impacts of El Niños in the past and what to expect thi...

Last year, the federal government set an ambitious new immigration target — to bring in half a million permanent residents a year by 2025. While the country is already dealing with a pretty profound housing crisis, it’s likely everyone will feel the housing crunch even more as a record number of immigrants move to Canadian cities in the near future. Where will all these newcomers live and whose jo...

Coal mining might seem like a job of the past, but global demand for it has actually surged in the past few years. Nearly 7,000 coal miners are still working in the industry. But the job is killing them. Inhalation of coal dust particles is leading to black lung, an incurable condition that workers describe as drowning in their own lung fluid. Worse yet, Canada doesn’t have a tracking system, whic...