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Yet, despite procuring new water bombers and deploying forest management strategies to protect populated areas, experts caution that intense wildfires will remain a fixture of Canadian life.

"We're going to have to live with this," said Normand Lacour, who spent decades at Quebec's wildfire prevention and detection organization (SOPFEU).

Canada is home to about a quarter of Earth's boreal forest area, and average annual temperatures in the country are increasing roughly twice as fast as the global average.

That makes conditions in Canada particularly "conducive to intense and very extensive forest fires," University of Ottawa geography professor Patricia DeRepentigny told AFP.

Canada's last three wildfire seasons have been among the 10 worst on record, including the devastating summer of 2023, when 18 million hectares (44.5 million acres) were torched, an area nearly as large as Syria.

This summer is not currently on track to approach that historic toll, with 4 million hectares burned so far, but the damage has been widespread.

In the western province of British Columbia, 15,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, while residents of major eastern population centers like Toronto endured some of the world's worst air quality last month.

Changing methods

Canada's emerging response is broad-based.

The federal government has invested CAD$317 million (US$227 million) over five years "to establish a new national aerial firefighting surge capacity," Ottawa announced in May.

The money is being used to lease 10 aircraft capable of confronting wildfires, to be dispatched to provinces facing intensifying blazes.

Ottawa is also backing a CAD$150 million program that aims to clear flammable material such as vegetation from populated areas.

Provinces have also beefed up their firefighter capacity, including in Quebec, where SOPFEU staffing levels are up 40%.

But, when it comes to protecting people from wildfires, "Canada is not in an excellent position," said Ryan Ness, the director of adaptation research at the Canadian Climate Institute.

There are "too many communities in wildfire-exposed areas that continue to develop," he told AFP.

Fire clouds

Canada is also extremely vulnerable to "fire clouds," or pyrocumulonimbus clouds, immense blazes that create their own wind and even lightning that can spark fresh fires.

The phenomenon, a consequence of the more frequent heat waves caused by climate change, was once rare in Canada, but that is changing.

Fire clouds were recorded 140 times in Canada in 2023, compared with once or twice a year historically, DeRepentigny said.

Fire clouds are unpredictable and can spread at staggering speeds. Battling them is a near-impossible challenge.

"There's not much we can do when this happens, apart from pulling crews out of the field and repositioning them behind the fire," said SOPFEU meteorologist Claudia Vaillancourt.

Who's behind this story?

Alexander Pol

PhD nano-engineering from Delft University. Published researcher and journal reviewer. Brings scientific insight to content standards. Full profile →

© 2026 AFP

Citation: Canada tries to adapt to a future of wildfires (2026, August 8) retrieved 8 August 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-08-canada-future-wildfires.html

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That difference may help explain why loneliness affects health differently from social isolation. In a new study, my colleagues and I found evidence that loneliness may contribute to poorer mental health and well-being, and to some measures of poorer general health. Social isolation appeared to have a narrower influence, with the clearest evidence involving poorer well-being.

Around 1 in 6 people worldwide experiences loneliness, according to the World Health Organization. Loneliness is the distress someone feels when their relationships do not provide the closeness or connection they want. Social isolation describes the number and frequency of a person's social contacts. The experiences can overlap, although a person may experience either one without the other.

Previous research has linked loneliness and social isolation with poorer mental and physical health, including depression and cardiovascular disease. An overview of systematic reviews also found associations with poorer general health.

These patterns cannot establish cause and effect. Loneliness might contribute to ill health, while illness can restrict someone's activities and relationships. Poverty, disability and childhood circumstances may also influence both health and social connection.

Our study used several statistical approaches with different strengths and sources of bias. Taken together, the results suggest that loneliness may contribute to depression and increase the risk of self-harm or a suicide attempt. It may also reduce life satisfaction and other aspects of well-being.

We found evidence that the relationship can operate in the opposite direction. Depression may increase loneliness, while poorer well-being may increase both loneliness and social isolation. Evidence that depression contributes to social isolation was less consistent. Previous longitudinal research has also found a two-way relationship between loneliness and common mental health problems.

Loneliness was linked to poorer general health, including multimorbidity, which means living with two or more long-term health conditions. We found no consistent evidence that loneliness or social isolation affected the specific physical health outcomes examined. These were coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, systolic blood pressure, which is the upper number in a blood-pressure reading, and type 2 diabetes.

This does not rule out an effect. Some estimates were too imprecise to support a firm conclusion, and previous longitudinal studies have reported links between loneliness, isolation and physical illness.

Combining different kinds of evidence

In the study, we used an approach known as triangulation. This involves studying the same question using methods affected by different potential sources of bias. When several approaches produce similar results, researchers can be more confident that the conclusion is not driven entirely by the limitations of one method.

First, we analyzed information from UK Biobank, which has collected health, lifestyle and genetic information from around 500,000 people in the UK.

We then compared siblings from the same families. Because siblings often share aspects of their childhood environment and genetic background, these comparisons can help account for family influences that might otherwise distort the results.

We also used Mendelian randomization. This method uses genetic variants statistically associated with a tendency toward loneliness or social isolation as proxies to investigate whether those experiences may affect health.

Mendelian randomization can reduce some sources of bias that affect conventional observational research. These include reverse causation, where an outcome may influence the supposed cause.

However, the method relies on assumptions that cannot always be fully tested. This is especially important for complex social experiences, which are only indirectly related to the genetic variants used as proxies. We therefore considered these findings alongside evidence from the other methods.

What the study cannot tell us

The research has several limitations. In the UK Biobank analyses, loneliness and social isolation were measured at one point during middle or later adulthood. The findings may therefore apply differently to children, younger adults and people in very old age.

Loneliness was measured using one question asking whether participants often felt lonely. Social isolation was assessed through household size and the frequency of visits from friends or family.

This measure did not include contact through work, group activities or other parts of social life. The findings therefore relate to these particular measures and may not capture every form of loneliness or isolation.

Measuring each experience once also meant the study could not distinguish a short period of loneliness from loneliness lasting several years, or examine how experiences earlier in life might affect later health.

UK Biobank participants tend to be healthier and less economically disadvantaged than the wider population, a pattern described as healthy volunteer selection bias. The genetic analyses were restricted to people of European ancestry, limiting how confidently the findings can be applied to other populations.

The study did not test treatments or services, so it cannot identify which interventions work best. However, it strengthens the evidence that loneliness may contribute to poorer mental health and well-being, and that loneliness and social isolation should be examined separately.

This distinction may affect how support is designed. Increasing opportunities for social contact may reduce isolation. Addressing loneliness may require support focused on the quality of relationships and whether people experience them as close, trusting and meaningful.

Who's behind this story?

Lisa Lock

BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021. Full profile →

Alexander Pol

PhD nano-engineering from Delft University. Published researcher and journal reviewer. Brings scientific insight to content standards. Full profile →

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Citation: Loneliness may damage health in ways isolation does not: New study (2026, August 8) retrieved 8 August 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-08-loneliness-health-ways-isolation.html

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The website describes original content as users' original writing or reporting, photos or videos they take and memes or illustrations they create. They can earn from other people's posts, but they will have to add meaningful commentary or analysis to them, or to do some creative editing to existing videos or photos. If the user just adds captions or text overlays to other people's content that simply describe what's going on, it won't be counted as original. Bottom line, if a user's addition to another person's creation adds little to no value, it's not "original content" under X's policy. 

To be eligible for the new rewards program, users have to be 18 or older and live in a country where it's available, as listed on the X's help page. They need to be paying for a Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business subscription, have at least 500 verified followers and have at least 500,000 Home timeline views from verified users within the last 90 days. That means for impressions or views to count towards the creator's total, they'll have to be unique impressions from Premium users, as well. In addition, creators must continue meeting those requirements even after they've been accepted to the program to be able to get payouts.

People currently part of X's revenue-sharing program will need to reapply for the new one when they become eligible for it on September 8. Those who aren't part of the old program can apply for original content rewards now. 

Back in March, X updated its revenue-sharing program to give more weight to engagement from a user's home region. It was most likely meant to deter users from pretending to be Americans after it was revealed earlier this year that dozens of popular accounts tweeting pro-Trump sentiments and US commentaries as a whole weren't even based in the country. It's not clear if X's new program will have the same policy.  %!s()

In this morning's edition, we're looking at Dutch regulators keeping FSD data secret, and Honda outsourcing to Tata. We'll also look at Volkswagen's dreams of an American pickup, and Toyota's earthquake fallout. 

If you'd like a recap of the latest auto news sent to your inbox each weekday, you can sign up for Jalopnik's free Morning Shift newsletter here.

1st Gear: Tesla says FSD safety data is a trade secret, and Dutch regulators bought it

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Dutch regulators recently approved Tesla's FSD software for use on the roads of the Netherlands, but they're not telling the Dutch people why they made that approval. As it turns out, that's at Tesla's behest — the company has been pressuring those regulators to keep any and all information secret. From Reuters: 

Aug 6 (Reuters) – Four months ago, the Netherlands approved Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and has since then advocated for its adoption across the EU.

But Dutch road regulator RDW won't tell the public why it concluded the driver-assistance system is safe ​or how it evaluated the technology, which for years has faced regulatory investigations and lawsuits over FSD-involved crashes in the United States.

Releasing such details would violate Tesla's commercial secrets, the regulator told ‌Reuters, echoing the automaker's own demands on the regulator for confidentiality. Since late 2024, Tesla has pressed RDW to keep documentation about the FSD safety review secret, according to previously unreported email correspondence between the Dutch regulator and Tesla, obtained by Reuters through a public-records request.

Tesla has called FSD approval key to boosting sales in Europe, where it's trying to regain market share lost in recent years and faces fierce competition from Chinese EVs.

It's tough to agree that independent third-party tests of software could ever be considered trade secrets of that software's developer — assuming Dutch regulators did in fact do independent third-party testing and didn't just take Tesla's word that everything is cool and good — but I'm no Dutch attorney. 

2nd Gear: Honda's newest platform will be designed by Tata

Domagoj/Getty Images

Honda has traditionally been an automaker that does things itself, rather than outsourcing development to subcontractors. That all stands to change, as the company has asked Tata to develop its latest car platform — not just a single vehicle, but a platform meant to underpin gas, hybrid, and electric cars. From Bloomberg:

Honda Motor Co. has outsourced development of a new vehicle program to Tata Technologies Ltd., people familiar with the matter said, the first time the automaker is entrusting an Indian engineering services firm with building an end-to-end platform to help cut costs.

This platform is expected to support multiple car models, the people said, asking not to be identified as the details are private. It is intended to accommodate conventional fossil fuel-powered models as well as electrified powertrains for hybrids and electric vehicles, the people added. They did not specify the markets where these Tata-engineered vehicles might be sold.

The farming out of this crucial function marks a departure for Honda, which has typically kept development of core vehicle platforms largely in-house or within its established supplier network. It comes as the Japanese automaker overhauls its product roadmap after reporting its first annual loss since its founding in 1948, shelving several planned electric vehicle programs and accelerating cost-cutting efforts.

There's a desperation in the car market right now, with every automaker looking to slash costs so the bones. Will this affect Honda's reputation? Who can say — it'll all depend on whether the car Tata develops for Honda is any good.

3rd Gear: Volkswagen wants to bring a pickup to the U.S.

Miro Vrlik Photography/Shutterstock

Volkswagen wants to boost its profits in the U.S., and there's an easy way to do that: Give us a truck. So, the company wants to introduce a U.S.-built truck to its lineup, and it wants to do it within just a few years. From Reuters: 

BERLIN, Aug 7 (Reuters) – German auto group Volkswagen plans to overhaul its U.S. strategy ​with new management and a revised ‌product offering, including a new pickup truck, a company source told Reuters on Friday.

...

Thomas Schaefer, head of ​the Volkswagen brand, sees growth opportunities ​in pick-up trucks and large SUVs – both high-margin ‌vehicles ⁠in strong demand in the U.S. – which the Wolfsburg-based group does not currently offer.

The source said the goal is ​to bring ​the ⁠first pick-up truck to market before the end of the ​decade. The vehicle is to ​be ⁠built in the U.S.

Do the right thing Volkswagen. Bring the Tarok to the U.S., and you will be reincarnated as a lotus flower.

4th Gear: Typhoon after earthquake forced Toyota to pause 17 production lines

Anton Pentegov/Shutterstock

Toyota just got itself back up and running after Japan's latest terrible earthquake, and now the company's been forced to close its doors again. This time, a typhoon is to blame, and it's impacted models across Toyota's lineup. From Automotive News: 

TOKYO – Natural disaster has struck again at Toyota, with a typhoon forcing the carmaker to close plants across Japan on Aug. 7, just a day after it restored auto output in the wake of a deadly earthquake.

As the storm approached, Toyota Motor Corp. suspended 17 lines across nine of its 14 assembly plants in Japan, for both shifts, due to disruption in maritime shipping, spokesman Nobu Sunaga said.

The latest suspensions affect the Corolla, Camry, Prius, RAV4, and the sedan, sport and crossover variants of the Crown series, as well as the bZ and C-HR electric utility vehicles.

Also impacted are the Land Cruiser 300 and Land Cruiser 70.

For Lexus, the offline factories also make the Lexus RZ and LBX crossovers and LX SUV.

Toyota really just can't catch a break, huh?

Reverse: Rescuers really wanted the podkova onboard

Getting the sailors back was a bonus.

The Fuel Up

AAA

The downward trend is not only continuing, but seems to be accelerating. Surely this will continue when the war inevitably escalates after market hours close. Plan for the Weekend Wars, indeed.

On The Radio - The Mountain Goats - 'Song for Layne Staley'

Happy new Goats day! I'm already liking this one.  %!s()

Fortnite's popular Pokémon-like Sprites are sticking around, developer Epic Games has confirmed, as it begins teasing a new gaming-themed season expected to feature crossovers with Sonic the Hedgehog, Persona and Tetris.

Sprites arrived in force at the beginning of Fortnite's current season, introducing a growing menagerie of cute creatures you collect, trade, and level up to increase their power. The addition has been hugely successful and created a community of Sprite-obsessed fans who have contributed to a notable boost in Fortnite's player count.

It's a welcome surprise, then, to see that Sprites are now confirmed as sticking around for next season — and a whole new generation of them are on the way. In a community blog, Epic Games has promised new powers, quality-of-life improvements based on player feedback, and "new ways to discover Sprites in (and out of) your games. Mysterious!

In a signal that Sprites are being treated as an important part of Fortnite going forward, Epic Games is launching a new Sprite Garden experience where collected Sprites can be showcased — both those from Season 3, and Gen 2 Sprites from Season 4. You'll even be able to visit friends' Sprite Gardens, too.

Season 4 will also finally see the addition of five community-designed Sprites, created as part of a player contest that saw more than 20,000 entries. These will include the Bullet Sprite (ammo boxes grant more ammo), Honey Sprite (sends a swarm of bees at enemies who attack you), Pond Sprite (increases swim speed and jump height) and X-Ray Sprite (reveals players through walls). My favorite, though, is the cute raccoon-like Dumpster Dive Sprite (gather loot from jumping into dumpsters).

Break the rules. Change the game.
8.20 pic.twitter.com/o8usTeRGsa

— Fortnite (@Fortnite) August 5, 2026

What else will next season bring? Sneaky dataminers have already spotted the suggestion of in-game posters expected to pop up across Fortnite's map later this month, teasing collaborations with Tetris, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and Persona.

"Break the rules. Change the game," Epic has teased of Chapter 7 Season 4: Override, confirming its launch is set for August 20. Epic Games vice president Mark Rein has also now offered his customary teaser word for the incoming season: "Hackers."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social %!s()