Science news

• Auto CO2 emissions 40% higher than claimed: report

  30-09-2015 23:57
  
  Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars registered in Europe in 2014 were 40 percent higher on average than their manufacturers claimed, said a report prompting calls Wednesday for an investigation.
  
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• Chicago Botanic Garden's 2nd corpse flower is blooming

  30-09-2015 23:15
  
  GLENCOE, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago garden with a disappointing rainforest plant that refused to bloom now has a new star attraction.
  
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• Rare Q fever outbreak reported in American medical tourists

  30-09-2015 22:21
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Five Americans came down with an unusual illness after traveling to Germany for a controversial treatment involving injections with sheep cells, health officials reported Wednesday.
  
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• Plastic in Thames fish is a wake-up

  30-09-2015 22:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The discovery of plastic in the guts of Thames fish highlights the need for everyone to take greater care with how they dispose of rubbish, say campaigners.
  
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• Glowing sea turtle is 1st biofluorescent reptile ever discovered

  30-09-2015 22:08 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists have discovered that a critically endangered sea turtle has an amazing ability never seen before in a reptile — it glows neon green and red when exposed to blue light.
  
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• This may be the world's tiniest snail

  30-09-2015 21:58
  
  Tiny snail unearthed in China could be the world's smallest, researchers report.
  
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• NASA snow data that helps California put to work in Colorado

  30-09-2015 21:58
  
  DENVER (AP) — NASA is providing drought-stricken California with valuable data about how much water is locked up in the scant Sierra Nevada snow, and now Colorado is trying the technique in the mountains where the Rio Grande begins its journey to New Mexico and Texas.
  
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• Berlin candy store offers 3D printed sweet treats

  30-09-2015 21:22
  
  A German candy maker is hoping to tempt the taste-buds of Berliners with customized fruit gum sweets made with a 3D printer. CUT-yes) say they have developed a way to produce food from a 3D printer. A Katjes store in Berlin's trendy Mitte district showcases the Magic Candy Factory where sweet-lovers young and old can choose from 3D template designs that include individual fruit gum animals and shapes, as well as letters and words.
  
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• How to Spot the Asteroid Vesta in October's Night Sky

  30-09-2015 20:43
  
  The next two weeks provide an excellent opportunity to spot the brightest asteroid visible from EarthVesta — one of the best-known objects in the solar system. In the first six years of the 19th century, astronomers discovered four new members of the solar system. Now, there are tens of thousands of known asteroids.
  
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• Apollo Panoramas: Moon Landings Go Wide in Crowdfunded Photo Book

  30-09-2015 20:43
  
  A new photo book about the Apollo moon landings provides a "wide look" at the lunar surface vistas that astronauts saw and captured on film more than 40 years ago. "'Apollo: The Panoramas,' as the title implies, is dedicated to high resolution assembly of the panoramic sequences that the astronauts captured on the lunar surface," Mike Constantine, the book's author, told collectSPACE.com. Constantine, as the proprietor of the UK-based Moonpans, has been assembling the panoramas as digital files,
  
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• Inside 'The Martian': Movie's Sleek Spacesuits Explained

  30-09-2015 20:37
  
  Janty Yates, the costume designer for "The Martian," originally looked for inspiration to NASA's prototype Z1 and Z2 spacesuits. "We basically had to start from scratch," Yates told Space.com. "The Martian" stars Matt Damon as NASA astronaut Mark Watney, who is stranded alone on Mars and presumed dead.
  
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• Weapons bound for Yemen seized on Iranian boat - coalition

  30-09-2015 20:36
  By William Maclean DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi-led coalition forces said on Wednesday they had seized an Iranian fishing boat loaded with weapons on its way to deliver them to Houthi fighters in Yemen. The announcement came a day after tribal fighters backed by the coalition won control of a strategic dam in central Yemen from Houthi forces following weeks of fighting east of the capital Sanaa. The coalition, which also includes Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, has been battling t
  
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• Volkswagen loses 'green car of the year' prizes

  30-09-2015 20:26
  
  Volkswagen has lost its "Green Car of the Year" prize for two models that employed technology at the heart of German giant's pollution-cheating scandal, US prize organizers said Wednesday.
  
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• Polar bears panic researchers by chewing on $200K equipment

  30-09-2015 20:19 via cbc.ca
  
  A University of Victoria student captured footage of three polar bears chewing on research equipment valued at $200,000.
  
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• 'Let them lick the floor': Researchers say cleaning too much affects kids' asthma risk

  30-09-2015 20:06 via cbc.ca
  
  ​Children gain protection against asthma if exposed to four types of gut bacteria by the age of three months, as their immune system is being established, a team of researchers from British Columbia has discovered.
  
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• Facebook friends, phone records may help banks decide if you're loan-worthy

  30-09-2015 20:00 via cbc.ca
  
  If you're trying to get a loan or a mortgage right now, a good credit score is essential. But in the near future, banks may look to your phone records or social media history to decide whether you're a credit risk.
  
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• Babies low on key gut bacteria at higher risk of asthma

  30-09-2015 20:00
  
  Asthma risk may be set early in life, but mice data suggest that the risk could altered by friendly gut bacteria.
  
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• New Jersey wants another year to settle oyster research flap

  30-09-2015 19:31
  
  New Jersey wants another year to decide one of its most intractable environmental issues: whether to allow experimental oyster colonies in polluted areas to see if they can help clean the waterways.
  
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• Treat all HIV-infected people, says new WHO guideline

  30-09-2015 18:30
  
  Nine million more people will be eligible for antiretrovirals, but funding remains a challenge
  
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• Scrabble brain: How a board game could change how your mind works

  30-09-2015 18:15 via cbc.ca
  
  University of Calgary researchers say years of playing Scrabble can cause people to use a different part of their brain to recognize words, and that could change how clinicians deal with traumatic brain injuries.
  
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• Womb transplants: how do they work?

  30-09-2015 18:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What would the first UK womb transplant involve?
  
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• Groups hope to save tree grown from seeds taken on Apollo 14

  30-09-2015 17:44
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise, Idaho, residents are trying to save a tree that was grown from seeds taken aboard the Apollo 14 mission to the moon.
  
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• Ceres' spots remain mysterious

  30-09-2015 17:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The team behind Nasa's Dawn mission to Ceres releases striking new images, but remains unable to explain the dwarf planet's most intriguing mystery.
  
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• Some seabirds will be hit hard by sea level rise

  30-09-2015 17:24
  
  Seabird species that nest on low-lying islands in stormy winter months could see huge losses as sea levels rise, a new study finds.
  
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• Cars of the future today: Driverless Google car, Tesla's new Model X

  30-09-2015 17:22 via cbc.ca
  
  Elon Musk's pioneering electric car company Tesla Motors unveiled its newest offering, the luxurious Model X SUV, on Tuesday — the same day Google showed off its latest self-driving prototype. Once the stuff of science fiction, electric cars are permeating the auto industry like never before.
  
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• Amid budget fight, Illinois State Museum prepares to close

  30-09-2015 17:00
  
  Six of 10 curators retire; fate of collections uncertain
  
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• Matt Damon in Space: Actor Hits Sci-Fi Trifecta with 'The Martian'

  30-09-2015 16:59
  
  Matt Damon has become a Hollywood A-lister by taking on roles in big-budget action films and dramas, but could he become known for his science fiction work instead? This Friday is opening night of "The Martian," which is the third major science fiction movie starring Damon in the last two years. In 2014, Damon played a supporting role in Christopher Nolan's space epic "Interstellar." In 2013, he starred in "Elysium," a story in which extreme class divides have sent wealthy people to live on a Sh
  
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• Layman help sought in solving dwarf planet mysteries

  30-09-2015 16:55
  
  Throwing open the doors to the hallowed halls of science, stumped researchers welcomed help from the public Wednesday in solving a number of nagging mysteries about dwarf planet Ceres.
  
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• Strange Designs: 5 Weird Ways Tattoos Affect Your Health

  30-09-2015 16:39
  
  Tattoos are very common, but they do bring certain health risks, said Dr. Marie Leger, a dermatologist at the New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City who has studied adverse reactions to tattoos. "I love tattoos," Leger told Live Science. In fact, infections can come from a bunch of different sources, including the tattoo artist, as well as the ink, Leger said.
  
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• Japanese Paper Art Inspires Sun-Tracking Solar Cell

  30-09-2015 16:33
  
  Japanese paper art is typically used to create dainty folded cranes and paper snowflakes, but now, researchers are using it to inspire innovations in the energy world. Scientists from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (UM) have used the ancient art of paper cutting, known as kirigami, to create a unique thin-film solar cell that can use a method of following the sun called optical tracking. The idea was initially hatched by Matt Shlian, one of the authors of the new study and a professor i
  
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• It's Part Tank, Part Salamander, and Ready for Combat

  30-09-2015 16:32
  
  A new amphibious vehicle that moves just as well on land as it does in the water looks kind of like a salamander. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin designed and built the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) to replace the U.S. Marine Corps' aging fleet of swimming tanks, which have been in use for more than four decades.
  
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• Scientists fight to save unique Irish moss

  30-09-2015 16:19 via cbc.ca
  
  A unique strain of Irish Moss is disappearing from the lagoon at Basin Head in eastern P.E.I. , and an invasive species may be to blame.
  
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• Electricity from the air - Drayson's big idea

  30-09-2015 16:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Free energy from the air. It sounds like a fantasy but that is what entrepreneur Lord Drayson has just unveiled at London's Royal Institution.
  
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• Mark Carney says climate change could have 'huge' cost to insurers

  30-09-2015 16:06 via cbc.ca
  
  Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Tuesday that companies must be more open about their 'climate change footprint' to avoid abrupt changes in asset prices that could destabilise markets.
  
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• Rare Fluorescent Sea Turtle Glows Red and Green

  30-09-2015 15:46
  
  Below the tropical waves near the Solomon Islands, nighttime divers spotted a psychedelic vision: an endangered sea turtle glowing bright red and green. The divers immediately began filming the creature, a hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate), following it for a few minutes until it swam away. "It was such a short encounter," said David Gruber, an associate professor of biology at Baruch College in New York City and a National Geographic emerging explorer.
  
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• Tesla Model X unveiled as company offers SUV option

  30-09-2015 15:25 via cbc.ca
  
  Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors has mastered the sporty two-seater and the elegant sedan. Now, it wants to conquer the family hauler.
  
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• VW revs up recall plan, hunts for culprits in pollution scam

  30-09-2015 15:07
  
  German auto giant Volkswagen shifted up a gear Wednesday in its plans to recall millions of cars fitted with pollution-cheating software as it boosted efforts to find the masterminds behind the scam.
  
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• King Tut's tomb may contain hidden chamber

  30-09-2015 14:54 via cbc.ca
  
  The search for ancient Egypt's Queen Nefertiti in an alleged hidden chamber in King Tut's tomb has gained new momentum.
  
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• Krept And Konan Lead Nominations For Mobos

  30-09-2015 14:25
  
  Krept and Konan have been nominated for four prizes at this year's Mobo awards, including best hip-hop act. The south London duo – who released their debut album, The Long Way Home, in July – has dominated this year's shortlist, after winning the best hip-hop act gong last year. Both acts face stiff competition from Mark Ronson, who has enjoyed global success for Uptown Funk, his collaboration with Bruno Mars.
  
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• It's twins! Toronto Zoo giant panda Er Shun is pregnant

  30-09-2015 14:24 via cbc.ca
  
  Er Shun, the giant female panda bear on loan to the Toronto Zoo from China as part of a breeding program, is pregnant with two cubs, and the dad could be any one of three bears.
  
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• UN report on cyberviolence highlights rampant online issue

  30-09-2015 14:13 via cbc.ca
  
  Two years ago, journalist Amanda Hess wrote about her experience with cyberviolence, threats that were frightening and relentless. A new UN report says almost three quarters of women and girls who use the internet have experienced cyberviolence. Today, we confront cybermisogyny.
  
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• UN report on cyberviolence highlights rampant issue online

  30-09-2015 14:13 via cbc.ca
  
  Two years ago, journalist Amanda Hess wrote about her experience with cyberviolence, threats that were frightening and relentless. A new UN report says almost three quarters of women and girls who use the internet have experienced cyberviolence. Today, we confront cybermisogyny.
  
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• Fit for a God? Ancient Booty Discovered in Transylvania

  30-09-2015 14:10
  
  Two large stashes of bronze weapons and jewelry, from the eighth century B.C., have been discovered in southern Transylvania, in Romania. The hoards date back to a time before minted currency had been invented or writing had spread to this part of Europe. "The majority of the objects are made of bronze, yet there are also weapons and tools made of iron," wrote Corina Bors, a senior archaeologist with the National History Museum of Romania, in the summary of a presentation she gave recently at th
  
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• Krept And Konan Lead Nominations For 20th Mobos

  30-09-2015 14:05
  
  Krept and Konan have been nominated for four prizes at this year's Mobo awards, including best hip-hop act. The south London duo – who released their debut album, The Long Way Home, in July – has dominated this year's shortlist. Both acts face stiff competition from Mark Ronson, who has enjoyed global success for Uptown Funk, his collaboration with Bruno Mars.
  
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• Predatory publishers earned $75 million last year, study finds

  30-09-2015 14:00
  
  Nearly half a million papers went to titles with lax standards
  
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• Something Strange Is Happening Inside Saturn

  30-09-2015 13:39
  
  Unusual ripples in Saturn's rings are revealing the mysterious inner workings of the great gas giant. Billions of particles race around Saturn's 170,000-mile-wide (273,600 kilometers) set of rings, which are mostly water ice with a smattering of rock. Most scientists' models of Saturn and other gas giants assume the planet is pretty uniform — just a large gas envelope surrounding a small, dense core that's perhaps the size of Earth.
  
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• Water on Mars Could Help Put Astronaut Boots on Red Planet

  30-09-2015 13:32
  
  Yesterday (Sept. 28), scientists announced that the strange dark streaks — called recurring slope lineae (RSL) — that appear on steep Red Planet slopes when the weather is warm are caused by salty liquid water.
  
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• New Documentary Follows Leonard Nimoy's Battle with Lung Disease

  30-09-2015 13:32
  
  Spock, to millions of "Star Trek fans" — are trying to raise half a million dollars for a documentary about the lung disease that claimed his life earlier this year. "COPD: Highly Illogical - A Special Tribute to Leonard Nimoy" is expected to be released in February 2016, regardless of the funds raised, but there is an active campaign on FirstGiving.com that now has about $203,000 pledged, including a $200,000 donation from Novartis Pharmaceuticals. "We want to have amazing computer-animat
  
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• Hubble Snaps Breathtaking Views of Colorful Veil Nebula (Photos, Video)

  30-09-2015 13:32
  
  The new set of Hubble photos of the Veil Nebula, which researchers combined into several stunning videos, show a colorful cloud of material 110 light-years wide that lies about 2,100 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). The Veil Nebula's beauty belies its violent origins: The structure formed about 8,000 years ago, after a star 20 times more massive than the sun died in a supernova explosion, researchers said. "Astronomers suspect that before the Veil Nebula's sour
  
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• Krept & Konan Lead Nominations For 20th Mobos

  30-09-2015 12:57
  
  Krept & Konan have been nominated for four prizes at this year's Mobo awards, including best hip-hop act. The south London duo – who released their debut album, The Long Way Home, in July – has dominated this year's shortlist. Both acts face stiff competition from Mark Ronson, who has enjoyed global success for Uptown Funk, his collaboration with Bruno Mars.
  
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