24News.ca

TORONTO -- February 29 is a leap day – an extra 24 hours added to the shortest month in a leap year. Most years have 365 days, but in a leap year we have 366 to keep our calendar aligned with the seasons. Source

In the midst of China's COVID-19 epidemic, the conditions for an unprecedented climate experiment have emerged. Climate researchers can measure in real time what happens to carbon emissions when one of the world's largest economies is suddenly stalled, with entire cities locked down, highways emptied, airplanes grounded, factories shuttered and millions of people confined to their homes. Source

Scientists have discovered something they didn't think existed: an animal that can't breathe oxygen, and obviously doesn't need to. That animal is a parasite called Henneguya salminocola, distantly related to jellyfish. It lives in the muscles of salmon and trout, causing unsightly little white nodules known as "tapioca disease. Source

Scientists have discovered for the first time that there are two distinct species of red panda, not just one -- and the find could have important ramifications for conservation efforts. The small mammals, which are already endangered, are native to China, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Myanmar. Source

BEIJING, CHINA -- A popular game that allows players to create a virus and spread it worldwide has been pulled from Apple's App Store in China, its developer said, as the country battles a real-life epidemic. Source

The RCMP has for the first time acknowledged using controversial facial recognition technology that has raised privacy concerns, saying it was used in the Mounties' efforts to crack down on online child sexual abuse. The RCMP acknowledged use of Clearview AI's facial recognition technology in a statement Thursday, detailing its use to rescue children from abuse. Source

SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook on Thursday canceled its annual F8 developers conference, the biggest annual event for the U.S. tech giant, over fears about the possible spread of the novel coronavirus. The gathering in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose -- which had been set for early May -- typically draws thousands of software makers from around the world who collaborate with the tech giant on its platform. Source

Hello, people! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. (Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.) This week: Source

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. -- Astronomers have discovered the biggest explosion seen in the universe, originating from a super-massive black hole. Scientists reported Thursday that the blast came from a black hole in a cluster of galaxies 390 million light-years away. Source

WASHINGTON -- Glowing amphibians may be far more common than thought, scientists reported Thursday, suggesting that the ability may help them locate each other in low light. Jennifer Lamb and Matthew Davis from St Cloud State University in Minnesota exposed 32 species of the frogs, salamanders, newts and eels to blue or ultraviolet light, finding that the creatures emitted colorful patterns in a process known as "biofluorescence. Source