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AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
New research shows that even just seeing a person who is sick "triggers" a biological response in our bodies to start preparing for illness.
A study by Patricia Lopes, an assistant professor of biology at Chapman University in California, revealed that bodies anticipate the possibility of infection when seeing another person's symptoms.
In the publication Functional Ecology, Lopes said it appears the human immune systems started preparing for illness early.
"This research has helped unveil another level of the hidden ripple effects of infections, showing that when one individual falls ill, it's not just their problem — it's a complex story that can impact the health and behaviour of many others," she said in a press release.
The research on people's abilities to sense illness was conducted following a separate study by Lopes that was published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
In this study, Lopes suggested that when healthy animals interacted with others who showed signs of sickness, their bodies "activated" their immune responses.
"Sickness cues such as behaviours and odours are also directly altered by the inflammatory response and its effects on neurophysiology and metabolism," the study on animals reads.
More research is needed to determine how long humans' anticipation responses last, and whether they help build a barrier to avoid illness, researchers said.
Lopes said that while being exposed to people who are sick and having the response triggered may act as some sort of defence mechanism, it does not replace preventative measures like vaccines.
"This phenomenon raises questions about the interconnectedness of individuals within a social group and how the perception of sickness can influence the health and behaviour of others," the press release reads.
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
A local First Nations elder and veteran is helping to bring the Ojibwe language to a well-known film for the first time.
A cat who fled her Montreal home nearly a decade ago has been reunited with her family after being found in Ottawa.
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
A swarm of bees living in a lamppost in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood has found a new home for its hive.
Around 100 acres of Manitoba Crown Land near the Saskatchewan border is being returned to the Métis community.
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.
A well-known childhood prank known as 'nicky nicky nine doors,' or 'ding dong ditch,' has escalated into a more serious game that could lead to charges for some Surrey, B.C. teens.
It's been more than a month since their good friend was seriously hurt in an accident and two teens from Riverview, N.B., are still having a hard time dealing with it.
Halifax bridges have collected thousands of coins from around the world.