Quirks and Quarks - CBC - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Ice Age Alaskan basecamp shows what life was like 13,800 years ago Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

Archaeologists excavating a 13,800-year-old site in Alaska have uncovered a treasure trove of artifacts and domestic features that shed new light on the life and culture of the people who settled into the region. Hunter-gatherers lived at this site, known as Shég’ Xdaltth’i’, near the end of the last Ice Age when the Bering Land Bridge provided a passageway between mainland Russia and Alaska.

Also today:

Long space missions may raise astronauts’ risk of hip fractures
Jet-lagged seabirds fly off course
Bad dads and supermales. The life-altering effects of estrogen on fish
Battery researcher wins Canada’s top science prize

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

Spooktacular bogs, zombie cells, ghostly stars and more… Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

The biting dynamics of the world’s deadliest mosquitoes: meet the researcher who rolled up her sleeves and endured more than 1,000 mosquito bites, all to understand how these deadly little creatures bite and guzzle our blood.

Also today:

Astronomers spot ghostly green star
Stubby-legged sled dogs pull loads better
Inside the stinky, spooky, magical world of bogs
How a Zombie-like state lets cancer cells escape chemo

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

Scientists find anti-aging secrets in a 194-year-old tortoise Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

DNA samples from the oldest living land animal show how good genes and limited biochemical wear and tear have given a giant tortoise named Jonathan an extended lifespan. The genetic switches that control the genes for DNA repair and metabolism more closely matched his much younger relatives.

Also today:

What fossilized vomit reveals about ancient sea monsters
Meet the Nobel-winning physicist who hunts for ghost particles at the South Pole
What Jonathan, the 194-year-old tortoise, can teach us about defying death
Nuclear clocks begin ticking — and could become the world’s most precise timekeepers

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

Nobel laureates share their winning science Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

We talk to two of this year’s newest Nobel Laureates, Dr. Karl Deisseroth and Peter Hegemann, about their discoveries in optogenetics, a technique that has transformed what we know about the brain — all thanks to a light-detecting algal protein.

Also today:

Gut microbes can encourage fever after vaccination
Weather forecasters are less confident in their predictions these days. Here’s why
What raccoons and other wild brains can teach us about ourselves

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

How feasting black holes time their burps Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Black holes are voracious eaters, but they’re also quite messy, and often after devouring a star, they’ll let out a big burp, launching jets of high energy particles through space. Now, in a recent study, a team of astrophysicists has figured out the formula behind the timing of these burps.

Also today:

Skiing, hiking and roads are taking a toll on wolverines
The buzzy, chirpy sounds of the Jurassic forest
A notorious invasive species has been here a lot longer than we thought. Does that matter?
Anomalies suggest King Tut’s tomb may conceal hidden chambers

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

How corals tell us climate change is supersizing El Niño Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

The El Niño underway in the Pacific Ocean is a natural climate phenomenon but its warming effects are being boosted by climate change. Researchers recently used corals growing around the Galapagos Islands to create a local temperature record of the ocean going back 1,000 years.

Also today:

Massive study redraws bat family tree and uncovers genetic oddities
How the Surinam toad uses star-shaped fingertip lobes to ‘see’ its prey
T. rex tooth enamel reveals these dinosaurs were warm-blooded
Why great white sharks are converging on the East Coast

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

A feather found in dino poop and more... Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

It’s long been a mystery why one particular avian dinosaur was the only kind to survive mass extinction, but the recent discovery of a perfectly preserved fossilized feather, found in a cherry-sized piece of dinosaur poop, offers new clues.

Also today:

Why citizen scientists buried thousands of undies
How climate change tipped the scales on a catastrophic Himalayan avalanche
Why an AI leap has left mathematicians feeling uneasy
Why scientists put teeny-tiny micro-trackers on chimney swifts

Quirks & Quarks has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here.

For more information about today’s episode, visit cbc.ca/quirks.

Summertime and the science isn’t always easy Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Summer is fieldwork time for many scientists. We talk to researchers who have been busy hiking on fresh lava, capturing thousands of ticks, shooing away moose from their study sites, and even spelunking for Neanderthals — all in the ever-important quest for data.

Sweat, comets and dino milk. It’s our summer question show! Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Quirks & Quarks has been taking your burning questions for 50 years. And while we thought we might have answered every question there is, our listeners proved there are always more science questions for us to tackle. Including:

What does the black hole orbit?
What do you sweat out in a sauna?
Why are robins' eggs blue?
What if we no longer had a moon?
Did dinosaurs produce milk?
Were there ever giant humans?

How to battle climate apathy, and more stories about humans Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

From doubting our doubts to sleuthing out scientific fraud, this week we revisit some of our favourite stories about humans.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Quirks and Quarks – CBC

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected