Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald is the host of CBC Radio's award-winning weekly science program, Quirks & Quarks. He is also a science commentator for CBC News Network and CBC TV's The National. He has received 12 honorary degrees and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Latest from Bob McDonald

Analysis: Bob's Blog

Astronaut brain fog known as the 'space stupids' not so bad after return to Earth, study suggests

A new study shows that the brain fog many astronauts report feeling when they're in space is not just all in their head. The good news is that these so-called "space stupids" go away once they return to Earth.
Analysis: Bob's blog

Blind and sighted people alike can learn to 'see' with echolocation, study finds

Some people who are blind have been able to forego a walking cane by using echolocation instead to visually sense their world. Now in a new study, scientists discovered that sighted individuals can also gain this ability through training.
Analysis: Bob's blog

Contest invites teams to design a 'generation starship' for a 250-year journey

A voyage in this kind of spacecraft — while still conceptual — would take multiple lifetimes, crossing unimaginable gulfs of interstellar space. The theoretical exercise puts aside technical problems, including the propulsion system, and focusses on the design of the habitat and society.
Analysis: Bob's blog

Iceland looking to add space solar power to its sources of renewable energy by 2030

The U.K. based aerospace company, Space Solar, plans to launch its space-based solar power plant by 2030 to deliver clean energy to Iceland, which is already a renewable-energy powerhouse.
Analysis: Bob's blog

Would you ride a high-altitude balloon to the edge of space?

Aerospace company aims to offer a transformative 'perspective' for future explorers to get close to the edge of space with their high-altitude balloon and spaceship capsule
Analysis: Bob's blog

SpaceX surpasses its own record for the number of rockets launched in a year

SpaceX is leading the way in making space flight more affordable with their low cost reusable rockets.
Analysis: Bob's blog

How long was Mars warm and wet?

A new study of ancient rocks on Mars reveals how the planet was likely uninhabitable — at least on the surface — after much of the water that once at the surface disappeared.
Analysis: Bob's Blog

With the Europa Clipper mission, NASA hopes to find signs of life

Next week, NASA hopes to launch the Europa Clipper mission. It will then spend the next five years travelling 628.3 million kilometers before it gets the chance to explore Jupiter's icy ocean moon Europa, and search for signs it could host life.
Analysis: Bob's blog

Greenland tsunami made the Earth 'ring' for 9 days, new research suggests

After the tip of a mountain collapsed in Greenland, a 200-metre tsunami sloshed back and forth across a fjord for nine days, generating vibrations strong enough to be felt around the world.
Overheated | Analysis

Travelling through a 40 degree summer looking for relief

As temperatures around the world continue their upward ascendency, Bob McDonald took note of how Spain has been dealing with its desert-like heat with lessons for a world that's heating up.