io9: saskatchewan

Robert Sawyer To Be First Scifi Writer-in-Residence at Canadian Light Source

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:00:00 PST

The University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon is known for its excellent science programs, and now the school is supporting good science fiction as well. Canadian scifi author Robert Sawyer, author of Hominids and Rollback, will become the first writer-in-residence at the Canadian Light Source, the university's world-class synchrotron (pictured).

Sawyer has written over a dozen novels and won both Hugo and Nebula awards for his work. He's set a number of his books at famous Canadian science facilities, and he's excited to witness the everyday workings of another exceptional lab.

Sawyer told the CBC:

I spent a lot of time visiting science labs over the years, but it's always the VIP tour. You are in and you are out in a couple of hours, and everyone has shown you all the things they want you to see but none of the day-to-day grind of the work as well. I want to get the flavour of that.

The synchrotron, called the Canadian Light Source, uses magnets to speed up subatomic particles in beams of light so that their behavior can be observed and experimented on. It can be used to study everything from theoretical physics to applied medical science.

I had a chance to hang out with Sawyer during WorldCon last year, when we went with a group of writers to visit another famous facility: the old NORAD base located deep under Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. He's a truly nice guy, and pleasingly obsessed with e-books. Sawyer's next trilogy, coming out this year, is about how the World Wide Web evolves into an artificial intelligence.

While Sawyer is in residence at the Saskatoon facility in June and July of this year, he'll also make himself available to local writers who would like to book hour-long meetings with him.

Image via Canadian Light Source.

The Fearless Meteorite Hunters of Saskatchewan

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:47:13 PST

After a 10-ton meteor exploded in a spectacular fireball over the Canadian province Saskatchewan two weeks ago, the hunt was on to find fragments of the space rock. Researchers and local enthusiasts descended on the area around Marsden, Sask, and have found dozens of fragments like the one pictured here - discovered on an icy lake by Calgary graduate student Ellen Milley. Already, the researchers have learned a lot from the recovered meteorite bits.

Because Saskachewan is so cold and dry, the mineral composition of the rocks is fairly well-preserved, and scientists say they're fairly certain it's from an asteroid that had a high iron content. Milley located the first fragments of fire-blackened rock on the ice after researchers triangulated its probable location from security cameras and eyewitnesses.

Another Calgary researcher, Alan Hildebrand, is in search of information about the meteor's trajectory - that information could prove invaluable if we're hoping to prevent mega-hits from bigger rocks. According to New Scientist:

For Hildebrand, the real payoff is the likelihood that an accurate orbit can be calculated for the object, allowing researchers to trace its trajectory back to a point of origin somewhere in the asteroid belt. So far, only nine meteorites have known orbits.
"It's a magnificent accomplishment," says Rick Binzel of MIT. "Tracing the orbit of a meteorite tells us where it formed. Combining [the rock's orbit and composition] pins down a specific record of the earliest conditions for planet formation at a precise location."

As for Milley, her main concern as she continues the hunt for fragments is telling bits of meteorite apart from cow patties.

Meteorite Hunters Hit Paydirt on Canadian Prairie [via New Scientist]

Sasquatch Sighting: Reality TV Development Deal for Canadian City?

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:30:00 PDT

A pair of hikers exploring the Grassy Narrows in Ontario stumbled upon a berry-fancying big foot. They described it as being "about eight feet long and all black." One hiker told CBC news, "The way it walked was upright, human-like, but more — I don't know how to describe it — more of a husky walk, I guess. It didn’t look normal.” Has the sasquatch become a Canadian?

The shadowy creature was spotted in Northwestern Ontario around 10 a.m. by Helen Pahpasay and her mother. The women even claim that others later found a large, six-toed footprint in the area (six toes!). Apparently this is the second sighting of a big foot-esque creature the general region, and there were sightings in 2006 in the woods of Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It's all adding up, people. We're mere moments away from a reality TV version of Harry and the Hendersons, set in Prince Albert, Sask.

[CBC News]

A Red Storm Boils over the Jovian Prairie

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:40:37 PST

It looks like somebody photoshopped the Canadian prairies inside the red gasses of Jupiter, but this is an actual picture, untouched, of Earth. It's a "shelf cloud" lit up by early-morning light. Photographed from the Trans-Canada highway in Saskatchewan, this shelf cloud was most likely the bleeding edge of a storm.

The photo, taken by Jeff Kerr, was the Astronomy Picture of the Day yesterday. It showcases why the shelf cloud is particularly menacing — not only does it presage a storm, but it's attached to another bank of clouds above it. So it's literally a gigantic wall of cloud leading a cold front. (Though it's not the same as a wall cloud, which trails a storm system rather than leading it.)

Also, this image shows off the amazing beauty of the Saskatchewan prairies and reminds me that sometimes Earth is the most alien-looking planet I know.