BIG Scoop

Picture a vast wheat field under a clear sky, where a farmer in a tractor cabin releases from a large herbicide sprayer implement a fine mist of Roundup. It is harvesting time, and glyphosate – the active ingredient in Bayer's (formerly Monsanto’s) blockbuster herbicide –doesn't just kill weeds; it forces the crop to ripen uniformly and according to a schedule that works best for the farmer, reducing losses and increasing yield. This scene, repeated across...

We live in an increasingly noisy world in which news and information bombard us night and day. Trying to make sense of it all is challenging. There are some who want the average person to accept what is being said to them at face value. How can a person decide what is true, what is misleading, and what is downright false? I am a scientist, so I will approach the topic from a scientific perspective....

Conversations about energy, particularly about electricity generation, are often dominated by people favouring a particular generation method. We hear that solar and wind can power the world, that nuclear is the way of the future, or that coal and natural gas are doing a great job and should just continue. Each conjures its own set of figures “proving” that solar is cheapest, or that only coal is reliable, or whatever preconceived notion they want...

Artificial intelligence now shapes decisions that once belonged exclusively to humans. It influences who receives a loan, which medical images are escalated for review, how online speech is ranked, and increasingly how governments and corporations assess risk. As these systems have grown in power and reach, the question of regulation has moved from a niche policy concern to a central issue of public trust. Yet while governments around the world are rushing to assert...

A law meant to correct historical injustice in South Africa became a subject of misinformation earning Africa’s biggest economy a damning indictment from the United States’ highest office. With the two countries’ biggest trade agreement having expired last month, will South Africa be able to explain its way out of the predicament? Will the Trump administration reverse its position? On May 21, President Donald Trump held an hour-long press conference with South African President Cyril...

The United States government’s withdrawal of President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) funding earlier this year has left budget deficits in countries across the Sub-Sahara. The program has been crucial in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) on the African continent. Since its inception in 2003, the U.S. government has invested over $100 billion in HIV/AIDS response globally, reportedly saving over 25 million lives, preventing new infections, and supporting countries with...

Sometimes when one dives into the data, there are assumptions about anticipated findings that are completely overturned by the raw numbers. On other occasions – as is the case on this project – the data confirms the original assumptions, but provides clarification and deeper understanding. It is unlikely to surprise anyone to learn that house prices in larger cities are typically more expensive than in smaller cities. It is widely known that your average homebuyer...

As much of the western world anxiously awaits the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 8, political rhetoric and irresponsible media coverage are amping up. While ill-informed (or ill-intentioned) media reporters and editors continue to use phrasing such as "baseless", "bogus" and "false claims" – and perhaps the favourite: "conspiracy theories" – to describe any insinuation that it is possible that a U.S. election could be tampered with significantly, sensible humans are simply hoping for a fair...