The Greenland shark: our largest Arctic fish

The Greenland shark is one of the world’s most mysterious creatures. It can live to be more than 200 years old, grows up to six metres in length and is the largest fish in the Arctic. Today in The Conversation Canada, Brynn Devine and Jonathan A. D. Fisher of Memorial University provide a fascinating story about their research on the Greenland shark and how they used video surveillance to learn more about this elusive species.

Houssem Ben Lazreg of the University of Alberta looks at how Islamophobia in France impacted the budding career of a young singer named Mennel Ibtissem, who wowed judges on The Voice France but was then was forced to quit the show after some of her old tweets resurfaced. “Instead of focusing on her stunning performance from an artistic point of view, the social media public dragged her through the mud,” he writes.

Charles Burton of Brock University, a former adviser in the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, offers insight into the recent news that China is going to revise its national constitution to allow President Xi Jinping to serve another term. “Any naive hopes for a peaceful evolution to democracy are shattered against the reality that China is now a one-man dictatorship yearning to restore the archaic political norms of China’s imperial past,” says Prof. Burton.

And finally, Mohammad Kohandel, an associate professor of applied mathematics at the University of Waterloo, explains how math can help fight cancer. Waterloo’s Mathematical Medicine Group works with cancer biologists and clinical oncologists “to understand some of the challenges in cancer treatment, including drug resistance and relapse.”

Regards,

Scott White

Editor

Today's Featured Stories

A large female Greenland shark observed near the community of Arctic Bay, Nunavut. (Brynn Devine)

Caught on camera: Ancient Greenland sharks

Brynn Devine, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Jonathan A. D. Fisher, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Using baited cameras scientists have captured some of the first underwater video footage of the elusive Greenland shark.

The beautiful singer of Syrian origin (she was born in Besançon), wearing a light blue headwrap, sang in English and Arabic. The Voice France

Singer wows _Voice_ judges but social media mob pushes her to quit show

Houssem Ben Lazreg, University of Alberta

Mennel Ibtissem, a 22-year-old student from Besancon, France, wowed judges, the audience and viewers on The Voice France, but withdrew from the show when she was accused of Islamic extremism.

Chinese President Xi Jinping claps while addressing the media in October 2017 as he introduces new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Xi Jinping's chilling grab for absolute power in China

Charles Burton, Brock University

Any naive hopes for a peaceful evolution to democracy in China are shattered against the reality that it's now a one-man dictatorship. What does it mean for the West?

Collaborations between mathematicians, cancer biologists and clinical oncologists enable both rapid cost-effective testing of cancer drug combinations, and deeper understanding of cancer drug resistance. (Shutterstock)

How mathematics is helping to fight cancer

Mohammad Kohandel, University of Waterloo

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Mathematicians have joined the fight, developing models to both test cancer drug combinations and understand chemotherapy drug resistance.

Environment + Energy

Politics

  • Why is the NRA boycott working so quickly?

    Jerry Davis, University of Michigan

    The lightning-quick corporate response to demands for a boycott against the NRA shows that companies can't escape politics in an age saturated with social media.

Culture + Society