Dec 13: How Jeremy Hansen is prepping for the moon, and more…

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Quirks and Quarks54:00How Jeremy Hansen is prepping for the moon, and more…
On this week's episode of Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald:
Mission prep: Jeremy Hansen on becoming Canada's first astronaut to fly to the moon
In his final media availability before hunkering down for launch prep, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen stopped by our studio for a conversation about how he’ll spend his days on the mission, why he’s donating blood, spit and bodily fluids before the launch and what it means for him to be the first Canadian to go to the moon.
READ MORE: Next stop, the moon! Artemis II starting to feel ‘very real’ for astronaut Jeremy Hansen
Santa’s reindeer may be losing their antlers — and climate change could be the culprit
Quirks and Quarks8:43Santa’s reindeer may be losing their antlers –– and climate change could be the culprit
Reindeer are the only animal in the deer family where the females also grow antlers, and they typically have a full rack over the wintertime and drop them in June when they give birth. University of Guelph PhD student Allegra Love was monitoring reindeer on Fogo Island in Newfoundland, when she made a surprising discovery that female reindeer are dropping and growing new antlers much earlier than usual. This can put more stress on the animal during a crucial part of their pregnancy, and the researchers think this could eventually lead to the reindeer losing their antlers altogether. The work was published in the journal Ecosphere.
Pterosaur brains reveal clues about why these mighty fliers took to the skies
Quirks and Quarks9:02Pterosaur brains reveal clues about why these mighty fliers took to the skies
Flight has only evolved among vertebrates three times — in bats, birds, and in pterosaurs. How pterosaurs first took to the skies was always a mystery to scientists, until the discovery of a fossilized 230-million year old pterosaur relative in Brazil. An international team, including Ohio University professor Lawrence Witmer, used an MRI to do a detailed analysis of the fossilized skull, to pinpoint the miniscule brain changes that happened as the animal developed the capacity to fly. The research was published in the journal Current Biology.
Scientists are using AI to find remnants of life in 3.3 billion year old rocks
Quirks and Quarks8:30Scientists are using AI to find life in 3 billion year old rocks
Earth’s earliest signs of life are often incredibly difficult to detect. An international team of researchers have developed a new tool that uses AI to find “whispers” of life locked inside ancient rocks. Using this tool, the researchers, including astrobiologist Michael Wong from Carnegie Science, were able to detect fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks that are 3.3 billion years old. This tool can not only be used to explore the origins of life here on Earth, but also on Mars and other planetary bodies. The work was published in the journal PNAS.