Oil and water

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Find out about a fairy tale train ride through the Canadian Rockies; an injured bird gets a new beak; and study identifies potential DNA marker for Alzheimer’s.

Let’s get into it!

Between Jasper, Alberta and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a 731-mile train route hosts the Skeena, a beautiful and affordable journey that connects Alberta—and by extension, the rest of Canada—with the country’s Pacific coast.

Though certainly not the oldest or only train route making such a connection, this one is among the country’s hidden gems for those looking to witness the majesty of the Rockies and the glacial lakes they hold between them, along with areas of northern B.C. often overlooked by travellers.

It was envisioned by Grand Trunk Railway president Charles Melville Hays and slowly launched between 1911 and 1914, its beginnings somewhat held up Hays’ tragic passing aboard the R.M.S Titanic.

The trip takes as little as two days, eastbound or westbound. Regardless of the direction, passengers must disembark in Prince George, B.C. for the night, but are free to stay as long as they want before continuing their journey on the Skeena.

Prince George is often referred to as B.C.’s “northern capital,” operating as the cultural, academic, and industrial hub of the province’s north, despite being a small town on two rivers, surrounded by forests and mountains.

The train is not a sleeper and only has an economy class, democratizing access and providing anyone aboard the ability to visit the dome car and observe their magical surroundings.

A team of researchers at Hong Kong University conducted a study that analyzed the repetition of a specific sequence of DNA that could indicate a person’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

DNA is comprised of four chemicals (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine), each denoted by their initials in genetic sequencing. For example, a sequence of cytosine, cytosine, guanine is expressed as “CCG,” and repetitions of that very sequence were the root of the link with Alzheimer’s the researchers potentially discovered.

This sequence is rooted in a strand of human DNA that controls a gene called FAM193B, and without getting too deep into the nuances of biogenetic engineering, the researchers were able to identify the sequence can occur repetitiously anywhere between four and 30 times in a part of the DNA associated with FAM139B.

They assessed the genetic sequences of over 3,000 people from Hong Kong or mainland China, 1,516 of whom had Alzheimer’s and 1,674 of whom had no cognitive complications.

By analyzing DNA samples of each person, the researchers determined those with 18 CCG repeats were more than twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s than those who had no more than 11 CCG repeats.

These findings may not reveal a previously unknown biomarker for Alzheimer’s at the individual level, but certainly reveal previously unknown inherited genetic variations that can associate with the neurodegenerative condition.

The Artis Zoo in Amsterdam helped an injured southern ground hornbill by replacing its broken beak with a two-piece prosthetic—the world’s first.

The 3D-printed artificial beak is made of plastic, and was screwed on safely in a surgical process, allowing the bird to recover and regain the ability to eat and live pain-free.

“A bird that loses part of its beak loses much more than just a piece of its appearance,” Artis Zoo said on Facebook. “It meant that he could not take care of himself and could not pick up more difficult food from the ground.”

“Especially with a young bird that can still live to a very old age, we felt it was important to see if we could improve its quality of life,” the zoo said on its website.

The Veterinary Medicine department at Utrecht University in the Netherlands assisted with constructing the beak and surgically placing it on the bird, said the Artis Zoo, which was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest zoos on earth.

Prosthetic beaks have been used before, but this was the first time both the top and bottom sections were recreated and successfully attached to replace a bird’s full natural one.

After years of uncertainty surrounding Jon Bon Jovi’s vocal cord surgery recovery, the band returned to the stage for a residency at Madison Square Garden and a short tour through Ireland and the U.K. this summer.

They’re powering on next summer, despite mixed reviews of the band’s performances and Bon Jovi’s vocal recovery. The singer announced 2027 tour dates the other day, including a pair of shows in Australia, one in London, and four in North America.

Those four dates will kick off on July 15 with a New Jersey homecoming at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, just across the river from New York.

A week later, they’ll head to Soldier Field in Chicago on July 21, followed by Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on July 28, and a show at Toronto’s Roger’s Stadium on Aug. 4.

Sign-ups are open at the band’s website for access to the artist presale, which begins on Oct. 28, followed by several other presales the following day, and the general public sale on Oct. 30.

"We're grateful for every one of you, and now we're taking that celebration around the world in 2027, with more cities, more countries, and a whole lot more nights to remember,” Bon Jovi said in part of a press release announcing the tour.

BOO! 😱

Halloween is nearly upon us and we thought we’d start the scaries early! In today’s trivia, we’re spookin’ you with your favourite, scary TV episodes.

Complete the game and earn an entry for our weekly $100 Amazon e-gift card giveaway.

Winner will be notified on Monday October 26th. Keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to check your spam folder! *