Alejandro Izquierdo Lopez

New york city night time skyline in background with King Kong hanging off the top of the Empire state building, Godzilla at the bottom left corner, and Mothra flying in the sky at the top left corner. The words 'colossal creatures, the science behind size' are written across the skyline.

Godzilla, Mothra and Other Gigantic Creatures: The Science Behind their Size

In the 1933 classic King Kong, a giant gorilla terrorizes New York City, towering above trucks and houses and standing menacingly atop the Empire State Building. Since then, the idea of animals larger than human-made structures has fascinated us. From the giant reptiloid Godzilla and insectoid Mothra to the fish-like Sea Kings in One Piece, colossal creatures are a recurring theme across media.

At the sea floor, two sponge crabs are tipping their sponge hats to one another. In addition, three sea-urchins are each wearing a hat.

Crabs Wearing Hats: Why Are Marine Animals Using Tools

In 2011, researchers came across something puzzling on 3.4-million-year-old fossilized bones: cut marks. Someone had cleaned and cut these bones—possibly using a pointy stone! The culprit? A member of Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy’s species.

"Science Communication with Trinh and Surath”. A woman on the bottom left side is looking through a telescope. A man on the bottom right side is holding a robot.

Science Rendezvous: Guiding the Next Generation of Scientists

Once a year, Toronto and 29 other cities across Canada host a massive science communication fair: Science Rendezvous. In this interview, the co-chairs of Science Rendezvous in Toronto for the past three years, Trinh Vo and Surath Gomis, recount their experiences leading the festival and how the festival illustrates their vision for science communication.

A time portal depicting the aquatic ecosystem that existed 508 million years ago, preserved as the Burgess Shale in British Columbia, Canada.

Before the Age of the Dinosaurs? Discover It at the ROM

Imagine being able to time travel back to 4.3 billion years ago, witnessing for yourself the origin of life. Your time machine then takes you through the main episodes of Earth’s history, allowing you to see the planet changing and life evolving. Finally, at 250 million years into the past, just before the start of the age of the dinosaurs, your journey ends.