Seabird poop does whaaat? And more…
4/24/202654 min
Seabird poop plays a surprising role in bringing life to barren islands, spreading nutrients throughout the ocean, and even creating wealth for an ancient human empire.
PLUS:
The precursors of written language go back a lot earlier than we thoughtDolphins exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill also more likely to be hit by boatsFrom the archives: Canadian astronomer spots a supernova visible to the naked eyeQuirks Question: How do beavers choose their trees?Mapping the universe in three dimensions
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
Please describe your alien encounter. They landed on my lawn at 2:00 AM, so I went outside. The rest is a blur. I wasn't wearing my glasses. I see. Well, better than you do.
Jacob Bongers· Guest0:08
It's two for one on absolutely all glasses at New Look Eyewear until May 9th, 2026. Conditions apply. Chantale Gravel Optician.
Christian Bentz· Guest0:14
[upbeat music] This is a CBC podcast.
Bob McDonald· Host0:18
[upbeat music] Hi, I'm Bob McDonald. Welcome to Quirks & Quarks. On this week's show, scientists are mapping the entire universe in 3D.
Will Percival· Guest0:32
And we can see the pattern of galaxies changing as the universe evolves.
Bob McDonald· Host0:37
And 16 years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, dolphins are still struggling.
Laurie Schwacke· Guest0:43
It was really tough to see the, the animals in such poor health.
Bob McDonald· Host0:48
Plus, Stone Age dashes and dots could be a precursor to written language, looking back at a Canadian supernova discovery, a question about beaver tastes, and we dive into the wonderful world of seabird poop. All this today on Quirks & Quarks. [upbeat music] For much of our ancient past, speech, along with gestures, was about the only way we humans could pass information from one person to another. But somewhere along the line, our ancestors made a breakthrough. Somebody got the bright idea of using symbols to represent ideas, and those symbols could be etched into stone, clay, or