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CBC Discover & Learn

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Channel • 20 Shows

Earth Sciences

Earth Sciences

Updated weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated daily
History

History

Updated 8 Oct
News

News

Updated weekly
History

History

Updated 2 Apr
Science

Science

Updated 22/04/2024
News

News

Updated weekly

3 OCT

Life at the limits, and more…

Remembering Jane: a conversation with Jane Goodall on her storied career Science lost a unique pioneering figure this week. Jane Goodall — primatologist, conservationist and activist — died at the age of 91. In 2002, she visited the Quirks & Quarks studio to talk with Bob McDonald ahead of the Canadian launch of her IMAX film Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees. Bob and Jane spoke about how a girl growing up in urban England developed a love for animals, why scientists critical of her work were wrong, and how she was able to get close to the wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park. Scientists can predict what colour a person is looking at based on brain activity Scientists can predict what colour a person is looking at based on brain activity Do you see what I see? New research says you do. Using brain imaging technology, scientists were able to predict what colour a person was looking at by reading their brain activity. This suggests that everyone responds essentially the same way to certain colours. Michael Bannert, a postdoctoral student at Tuebingen University in Germany, led the research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. A Mars rover spots strong evidence of ancient life on the red planet Earlier this month, NASA revealed that their Perseverance rover gathered what could be the strongest evidence yet that life may have existed on Mars. Using the rover's scientific instruments, scientists identified two minerals in an ancient river that they say are most often found as a result of microbial life here on Earth. They also set aside a sample for a future return mission. Joel Hurowitz, a geologist at Stony Brook University, says he can't wait to get the sample back to Earth to find out if it truly is a sign of life. It was published in the journal Nature. Life at the limits: searching for 'Intraterrestrial' life deep within the Earth’s crust A new book explores the latest research into the search for life deep inside the Earth, where the sun doesn't shine and oxygen doesn't reach. Scientists travel to some of the most geologically dangerous regions of our planet to understand how life forms in extreme environments, and answer deep questions like the origin of life on Earth and what life might be like off of our planet. Karen Lloyd, a subsurface biogeochemist from the University of Southern California, is the author of Intraterrestrials: Discovering the Strangest Life On Earth.

3 Oct

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54 min
10/10/2024

S6: I see dead people (in Winnipeg)

In honor of spooky season, Falen and Leah are joined by producer Eunice Kim to learn why Winnipeg became known around the world for communicating with the dead. Together they’ll light some candles and find out why, in the mid-1900s, holding seances became sought after and then how that popularity inspired one of the most famous supernatural comedy films of all time — Ghostbusters. For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

10/10/2024

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21 min
12 SEPT

How our education system is far from its original ideals

Acclaimed author Gabor Maté joins the conversation in part two of our series exploring Wilhelm von Humboldt’s public education system. Maté is a former English teacher. In this episode we ask: Is Humboldt's 200-year-old system equipped to meet the challenging demands of the 21st century? And does it still reflect his ideals, especially at the university level? *This episode concludes our two-part series. It originally aired on April 16, 2024.

12 Sept

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54 min
21/06/2024

S6: Treaty 6

Deception, backdoor dealings, unfulfilled promises and Canada’s largest mass hanging. Treaty 6 is one of the most well documented treaty signings in Canadian history. But what did it take to get there and why does it matter today? In this special episode Falen and Leah chat with guest Kyle Muzyka. They learn about all the mistranslations, misunderstandings and misinterpretations that were involved in the creation of Treaty 6. For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.

21/06/2024

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56 min
28/03/2024

S6: Crash Course on Icelandic Canada

Gimli is more than a dwarf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series Lord of the Rings, in fact the community in Manitoba is home to the world’s largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. So how did Canada become home to all these Icelanders, why did they end up living on a reserve and what exactly happens during Islendingadagurinn? Listen to Part 1 of our episode The Mounties Always Get Their Land (referenced in the episode) here. Follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

28/03/2024

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13 min
04/07/2024

S6: Welcome to Canada’s island of wild horses

Sable Island is the stuff of legends. A desolate tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, where no one is permitted to live, except for wild horses. We figure out how they got there, how they’ve lived without humans since the 1700s and why many scientists think it's time to remove the horses out of their unique habitat. For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/secretlife For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts

04/07/2024

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14 min
06/06/2024

S6: The Royal Proclamation

It’s been called the Indigenous Magna Carta and the Indigenous Bill of Rights. But what exactly does that mean? In this episode Falen and Leah dive into the history of the Royal Proclamation, a document that is often spoken about when discussing the history of Canada and Indigenous land rights. But what do we really know about it? Listen to our Crash Course on Beavers (as mentioned in the episode) here, and listen to our episode on Water here. For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

06/06/2024

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29 min
01/08/2024

S6: Momma Beaver, a Canadian Burlesque Legend

People have been taking their clothes off for as long as they’ve been wearing them, but when did people start doing it for entertainment? In this episode Leah and Falen look into the history of burlesque in Canada and talk to a legend of the stage who’s been delighting audiences across the world for decades. With special guest, Judith Stein. For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

01/08/2024

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21 min
29 AUG

Is the AI boom turning into a bubble? And would ChatGPT tell us if it was?

PLUS: Chasing productivity and happiness in a time of return-to-the office orders; Palestinian-Canadians say a program meant to help bring family to Canada from Gaza is failing; The Roses are back, but should you watch this dark comedy remake?; Why the Sims is still thriving, 25 years after its debut; and Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

29 Aug

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54 min
18/07/2024

S6: Was the plot to assassinate Lincoln hatched in Canada?

Why did John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, spend so much time in Montreal? We learn about how Canada was both the last stop on the Underground Railroad and the destination for Southern Confederate leaders and supporters to strategize, stash money and come up with plots against Abraham Lincoln. With special guests Dr. Afua Cooper and Julian Sher. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts

18/07/2024

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26 min

Expand your knowledge and satisfy your curiosity with podcasts exploring the topics affecting us all — from science, climate, and tech news to history and human nature. Award-winning series that enlighten, entertain and inform.