[NEWS] Five science links: BC fires, urban animal intelligence, Oort clouds, stars, dark energy

[rfmcdonald]

• The fires of British Columbia are so vast that their smoke is reaching the west of France. Ici Radio-Canada reports.


• Are the unique challenges posed by modern cities making the animals who live in them smarter? The Atlantic examines the issue.


• Universe Today notes that the Oort clouds of other stars may well be visible on microwave frequencies.


• Universe Today reports on the very recent finding that star formation in the Milky Way Galaxy shut down for billions of years, that we are in the middle of a second wave of star formation.


• Do not fear: There is at least one hypothetical strategy that an arbitrarily advanced future civilization could adopt to minimize the effect of dark energy on its exploration of the universe. Universe Today reports.