Canadian Science News

Dinosaur Killing Asteroid Impact Crater Drilled Into
According to Science (AAAS), scientists have been drilling into the crater that was caused by an asteroid impact near the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, which killed the dinosaurs 66 million year ago.

It is called the Chicxulub crater and the scientists on the expedition published their results showing that “granite rocks from deep in the crust [were] placed “’out of order”’ on top of sedimentary rocks.”

Based on the expert analysis, it “validates the dynamic collapse theory of formation for Chicxulub’s peak ring.” Apparently, the crater is the only well-preserved one on Earth, but others exist in the solar system.

Scientist’s have ire for Argentinian science budget
Nature reports that scientists are ’up in arms’ over the recent cuts to the science budget within Argentina, where the core concern amounts to the potential for a brain drain from the country based on the lack of funding for the young scientists within the country.

Dora Barrancos, a gender issues researcher at National University of Quilmes in Buenos Aires, said, “Science in Argentina faces a critical situation?If young scientists do not have opportunities here, the brain drain is going to restart.”

Argentinian President Mauricio Macri’s government has made the proposition of a 32 billion pesos (CAD $2.6 billion) reduction in the funding for science, which is a substantial amount of money, or “a fall of around 6% in real terms.”

Newt Gingrich an unlikely potential saviour
Business Insider reports that Newt Gingrich, even amidst the recent surprise election of President-elect Donald Trump, might be a saviour for medical science and the practitioner and researchers thereof. Trump has not said much of medical research. He has made comments about the “terrible” National Institutes of Health in addition to ’flirting with anti-vaccine rhetoric’, which Gingrich does not align with.

Gingrich, who is rumored to have a role in the new Trump administration, has long been a booster of medical research, as indicated by David Pugach, Vice President of Federal Relations at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, who said, “Newt Gingrich has a strong track record on medical research. Knowing he is in the mix somewhere is certainly a positive.”