Written in stone: What fossils can tell us about the future

In the late summer, when the Ottawa River water levels drop, the bedrock reveals hints of a primordial marine world. Etched in stone are odd circles, each over half a metre in diameter and joined together like a cluster of cells. These strange circles are faint imprints from a moment when rock-like creatures filled the waters, a time before humans and dinosaurs — and they hold clues to our modern atmosphere.

On a humid day near the end of summer, I walk down to the Ottawa River shoreline to see these circles, together with geologist Neil Carleton. After wandering through a small patch of forest, we step down onto the exposed river bottom, and there, embedded in the flat rock, we see the mysterious rings. Smiling, Carleton gestures towards them: “Voila!” he says. Then, quietly, more to himself than me: “Hot diggity!” They’re called stromatolites, and Carleton and I are gazing at their fossilized remains.

Stromatolites are layered formations of sand and single-celled organisms (called cyanobacteria) that grow towards the sun thanks to photosynthesis. Rare today, they were the dominant life form for about two billion years. Like plants, Carleton explains, they sucked in copious amounts of carbon dioxide and returned billows of oxygen. “Oxygen was the byproduct,” Carleton says enthusiastically. Stromatolites like these, over two billion years ago, helped create Earth’s oxygen-rich atmosphere, which later allowed for an explosion of complex life.

The Canadian adventurer discusses his experience battling cancer and traversing across the Paalik Valley in February

When Ray Zahab says something is the hardest thing he’s ever done, you know that means it was unbelievably hard. He’s coming off a battle with cancer in which he somehow managed to work in an expedition in the Canadian Arctic at the coldest time of the year. Ray Zahab is not just a friend of this podcast, he’s a friend. We’re about the same age, we live near each other in the Gatineau Hills, and we’ve had a lot of laughs together, usually over coffee on my front porch.

Like many people, I was worried and saddened to learn about his cancer diagnosis last year. Like many, I was then even more concerned about his decision to go ahead with a Baffin Island expedition in February, in between chemo treatments.

An interactive map released by Esri Canada allows users to track wildfires and see where they are most active

By Madigan Cotterill

Alberta is facing an early onslaught of wildfires as unseasonably dry, hot weather persists across the province. With more sunshine days per year than any other province in Canada, it’s not out of the norm for Alberta to experience clear skies and low rainfall in spring. But with daytime highs around 30 degrees Celsius, and no rain in the forecast until at least May 12, the province has seen an early and unusually intense start to its wildfire season, prompting fears for the summer ahead.

On May 4, more than three dozen heat records were broken across much of the province, with the hottest place being Fort McMurray, which reached 32.5 degrees Celsius. The last time this region experienced this type of heat was in 2016, when temperatures reached almost 32 degrees Celsius. That year, a wildfire destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses in Fort McMurray and prompted the evacuation of 90,000 people, resulting in the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history.

A new wildlife experience is coming to Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and it’s quite a thriller. Cue up the Jaws theme, because starting in August, Nova Scotians will be able to go cage diving with great white sharks. Atlantic Shark Expeditions, headed by Niel Hammerschlag, a marine biologist who has worked with sharks for over 25 years, will be running daily expeditions on the south shore of the province from August 1 to the end of October.

In addition to shark adventures, he will also be using the expeditions to conduct research on the sharks to learn more about the changing population, and how both climate change and human activity influence the great whites. This research will include tagging the sharks and building a database, as well as conducting biopsies and ultrasounds on the sharks as they swim. Great white sharks are an endangered species globally, and the coast of Nova Scotia could be a stronghold for them, Hammerschlag said.

“It’s really important to figure out what makes them tick so we can make sure we can protect that to support their recovery,” he told CBC.

enrichment program will feature our RCGS Travel Ambassador sharing their specific expertise as well as Klahoose’s own local Cultural Interpreter who will assist in guiding a 4-5 hour boat tour exploring Desolation Sound and Toba Inlet. Immerse yourself in local culture through Indigenous storytelling, cedar weaving, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, ocean swimming, forest walks and ocean foraging.

Prepare to be transformed as you discover the magic of Klahoose in Desolation Sound.
Meet your ambassador: Myrna Pearman

Check out these other upcoming trips:
- Consummate Explorer Package with Ocean Quest Adventures
- Natural Wonders of Western Newfoundland with Charlene Bearhead
- Heli-hiking in the Cariboos with Robin Esrock