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Welcome to summer.
I have a confession. I’m working today from my cottage, a wonderful old place located on northern Georgian Bay that’s been in my family for more than a century. And as much as I love being here, the one thing that can ruin a perfect summer moment is the bzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzz sound of an unseen mosquito about to attack. Today in The Conversation Canada, Heath MacMillan of Carleton University explains why some summers bring lots of mosquitoes and why others don’t.
As our cities expand, more and more farmland is being used for housing. Bonnie Fournier of Thompson Rivers University looks at the impact on people’s health – such as increased rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even certain types of cancer – when agricultural land disappears.
It’s been weeks since the federal government announced it was going to acquire the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan. While there were obvious political reasons for taking over the megaproject, Sherena Hussain of York University says the government must soon realize the deal is really about business and only a coherent business strategy will ensure Canadians get value from the deal.
And finally…do you know the difference between gender and sex? Lisa F. Carver of Queen’s University explains that people, including researchers, wrongly use the two terms as synonyms. “Although gender can be related to sex, it is a very different concept,” she writes.
Regards,
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The tiny mosquito can be a big summer nuisance.
(Pexels)
Heath MacMillan, Carleton University
Mosquito abundance is linked to climate and weather, and global climate change may be helping spread these dangerous carriers of disease.
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A luxury mansion in the suburbs of Vancouver, British Columbia.
(Shutterstock)
Bonnie Fournier, Thompson Rivers University
As luxury housing developments swallow up agricultural land, they also diminish our food security and health.
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Protesters demonstrate against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in May 2018 in Vancouver. Building infrastructure is a tricky business for the private and public sector alike.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Sherena Hussain, York University, Canada
When the Canadian government announced its pending ownership in the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, it entered the complex business of pipeline infrastructure.
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There are now many gender categorizations, from the traditional ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ to ‘gender fluid’ and ‘undifferentiatied.’ Health researchers can work with these to gain a more accurate understanding of disease susceptibilities.
(Shutterstock)
Lisa F. Carver, Queen's University, Ontario
Bigender, gender fluid, cisgender? Emerging gender categorizations are important -- for your health.
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Business + Economy
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Jerry Davis, University of Michigan
United's CEO called the Trump policy 'in deep conflict' with his company's values, the latest example of a corporate leader speaking out on a political issue, something almost unheard of a few decades ago.
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Politics
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Emma Thomas, Flinders University; Craig McGarty, Western Sydney University; Laura G. E. Smith, University of Bath
Social media can act as the engine room for public engagement with refugees, allowing people to move beyond 'I should do something' to 'I will take action'.
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Science + Technology
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Neil McBride, De Montfort University
Far from setting us free, autonomous vehicles are set to enable new forms of surveillance and oppression.
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