Science news

• Arthur McDonald's mother proud of Nobel Prize-winning son

  07-10-2015 23:58 via cbc.ca
  
  Valerie McDonald is a proud mother. The 92-year-old woman, who lives in Dartmouth, learned on Tuesday her son had won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
  
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• Supercharged Auroras May Be Visible Across Northern US Tonight

  07-10-2015 23:53
  
  Editor's update for 6:20 pm ET: The Space Weather Prediction Group released a revised alert at 6 p.m. ET today, lowering the geomagnetic storm class to a G1 and a K-index of 5, with auroras now expected to be visible from the northern tier of the U.S., such as northern Michigan and Maine. A geomagnetic storm kicked up by high-speed solar wind should amplify the northern lights tonight — making them potentially visible as low as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon as the storm intensifies, space
  
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• Tory candidate, a former science teacher, says ground will absorb oil spills

  07-10-2015 23:48 via cbc.ca
  
  Toronto Conservative candidate and former science teacher Sabrina Zuniga is facing criticism online for comments she made about how the ground is able to absorb oil spills. Zuniga is running in the Spadina-Fort York riding against Liberal Adam Vaughan and the NDP's Olivia Chow.
  
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• Fuel crisis threatens Nepal's forests

  07-10-2015 23:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nepal's world-renowned community forests are threatened by a sudden rise in demand for firewood following a fuel crisis, officials say.
  
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• DNA research deployed in war on cancer scoops Nobel prize

  07-10-2015 23:13
  
  Three scientists from Sweden, the United States and Turkey won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Chemistry on Wednesday for working out how cells repair damaged DNA, providing new ammunition in the war on cancer.
  
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• US Spysat Launch Early Thursday to Carry Fleet of Tiny Cubesats: Watch Live

  07-10-2015 23:05
  
  An American spy satellite will blast off early Thursday morning (Oct. 8), taking 13 tiny "cubesats" along for the ride, and you can watch all the action live.
  
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• Tech sector must replace 'cynicism with optimism,' says Shopify CEO

  07-10-2015 23:03 via cbc.ca
  
  Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke remembers being a teen in the 1990s when the internet was in its early days, and he told an Ottawa business audience this week that it's time to recapture that sense of optimism.
  
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• Antioxidants May Make Cancer Worse

  07-10-2015 23:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  New animal studies explain why supposedly healthy supplements like beta-carotene could exacerbate a dread disease
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• El Niño brings welcome rains to Chile's farmers, ski resorts

  07-10-2015 22:57
  
  SANTIAGO (Reuters) - After eight years of drought which left fields parched and ski resorts dry, a burst of wet weather, likely triggered by the El Niño phenomenon, has been welcomed in central Chile.
  
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• Weight and sun exposure linked to onset of multiple sclerosis

  07-10-2015 22:20
  
  Among people with multiple sclerosis, those with higher body mass and lower adolescent sun exposure tended to be diagnosed with the disease at an earlier age, a new study suggests.
  
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• Feds: Eels prized by fishermen aren't a threatened species

  07-10-2015 22:15
  
  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — American eels will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday, a victory for fishermen who catch the increasingly valuable species.
  
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• The Moon Goes Visiting: Bright Views in This Week’s Early Morning Sky

  07-10-2015 22:13
  
  Just before dawn, you'll be able to view four bright planets. Venus, as usual, is the brightest of the bunch, with Jupiter close behind. Mars and Mercury are more challenging, and you may need binoculars to spot them.
  
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• For Stargazers' Delight, Uranus and Neptune: The Most Distant Planets

  07-10-2015 22:12
  
  It's officially autumn, and time once again to seek out the two most distant planets of our solar system, Uranus and Neptune. Uranus, in fact, can be seen with just your unaided eyes under a dark, clear sky — if you know where to look. Interestingly, although the planet Uranus can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under favorable conditions, its presence was unknown until March 13, 1781, when William Herschel discovered it by accident using a 6-inch reflecting telescope.
  
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• X Prize team signs contract to send private spacecraft to moon

  07-10-2015 21:51 via cbc.ca
  
  A team of Israeli engineers is the first to advance in an international competition sponsored by Google to send a privately-funded spacecraft to the moon.
  
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• Chemistry Nobel granted for deciphering DNA repair

  07-10-2015 21:34
  
  Three researchers win chemistry Nobel for working out how cells fix damaged genetic material
  
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• Trio wins Nobel Chemistry Prize for DNA repair work

  07-10-2015 21:26
  
  Sweden's Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich of the United States and Aziz Sancar, a Turkish-American, won the 2015 Nobel Chemistry Prize on Wednesday for work on how cells repair damaged DNA.
  
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• Brain trauma widespread among high school football players, researchers say

  07-10-2015 21:16
  WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Football is a dangerous sport. Even with the best protective gear, sprained knees, pulled muscles and an occasional broken bone are part of the game. But seven years of research into the impact of head trauma in high school players points to new dangers that parents will find extremely alarming. 
  
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• How the giraffe got its long neck

  07-10-2015 20:30
  
  A new study of fossils suggests that the giraffe’s defining feature may have started evolving long before modern giraffes came on the scene.
  
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• Climate aid from rich nations at $62 bn in 2014: report

  07-10-2015 20:12
  
  Rich nations have stepped up their climate aid for poorer nations, paying $62 billion (55 billion euros) last year, approaching a $100-billion annual target for 2020, the OECD said Wednesday.
  
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• Lindahl celebrates Nobel with plastic cup of champagne

  07-10-2015 20:04
  
  Tomas Lindahl was toasted by colleagues with plastic cups of champagne and hastily-arranged party snacks after winning the Nobel Chemistry Prize on Wednesday.
  
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• Oldest pregnant horselike fossil found

  07-10-2015 20:03
  
  A 48-million-year-old fossil of an early horse and fetus is the oldest and best-preserved specimen of its kind.
  
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• These Mysterious Blazing-Fast Ripples Racing Around a Star Defy Explanation

  07-10-2015 19:30
  
  Scientists were looking for planets forming in the large disk of dust surrounding a young star when they encountered a surprise: fast-moving, wavelike arches racing across the disk like ripples in water. The team first spotted the five structures in data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile while searching for lumps and bumps that might indicate planets forming around the young star. When the researchers looked back at images taken with the Hubble Space Telescop
  
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• Endangered Species Act list won't add American eels

  07-10-2015 19:20
  
  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — American eels will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday, a victory for fishermen of the increasingly valuable species.
  
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• The Latest: Will the real Tomas Lindahl accept his Nobel?

  07-10-2015 19:11
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Latest developments in the announcements of the Nobel Prizes (all times local):
  
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• Ruffling the feathers: scientists formulate bird family tree

  07-10-2015 19:10
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They come in many shapes, sizes and hues, from Cuba's tiny bee hummingbird to the flightless ostrich of Africa's plains, Antarctica's emperor penguin and the Southern Ocean's majestic wandering albatross.
  
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• The Latest: Turkish Nobel winner came from family of farmers

  07-10-2015 19:03
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Latest developments in the announcements of the Nobel Prizes (all times local):
  
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• Climate aid from rich to poor nations at $62bn in 2014

  07-10-2015 19:00
  
  Rich nations have stepped up their climate aid for poorer nations, paying $62 billion (55 billion euros) last year, approaching a $100-billion annual target for 2020, the OECD said Wednesday.
  
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• Car hacker sought by Canadian military

  07-10-2015 18:21 via cbc.ca
  
  The Canadian military is looking for a car hacker to hack into its vehicles to test how vulnerable they are to cyberattacks.
  
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• US-based Nobel chemistry laureates stunned by honor

  07-10-2015 18:14
  
  The two US-based scientists who shared the Nobel prize in chemistry with a Swedish man for their work on how our cells repair damaged DNA expressed their shock Wednesday over their win.
  
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• The Latest: Nobel winner revolutionized understanding of DNA

  07-10-2015 18:14
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Latest developments in the announcements of the Nobel Prizes (all times local):
  
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• Rich nations paid $62 bn in climate aid last year

  07-10-2015 18:04
  
  Finance for developing nations to fight climate change and cope with its impacts reached $62 billion (55 billion euros) in 2014, more than halfway to the 2020 target of $100 billion, the OECD said Wednesday.
  
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• Trio wins Nobel Prize for mapping how cells fix DNA damage

  07-10-2015 17:55
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists from Sweden, the U.S. and Turkey won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for showing how cells repair damaged DNA — work that has inspired the development of new cancer treatments.
  
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• Study: Mammals thrive in Chernobyl exclusion zone

  07-10-2015 17:52
  
  MOSCOW (AP) — Nearly 30 years after a nuclear reactor caught fire and spewed a lethal cloud of radiation, some species of mammals are thriving in the zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a new study says.
  
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• 14 elephants die of poisoning in Zimbabwe: officials

  07-10-2015 17:47
  
  At least 14 elephants died from poisoning in three separate incidents in Zimbabwe last month with poachers suspected of being behind 11 of the deaths, parks authorities said Wednesday.
  
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• The Latest: Nobel winner found out from colleague's email

  07-10-2015 17:44
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Latest developments in the announcements of the Nobel Prizes (all times local):
  
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• Sneezing Monkeys & 'Walking' Fish: Fascinating New Species Discovered

  07-10-2015 17:41
  
  A monkey that sneezes whenever it rains, a fish that can survive out of water for four days and a venomous pit viper that is as lovely to look at as a piece of jewelry: These are just a few of the hundreds of new species discovered over the past few years in the diverse but highly threatened region of the east Himalayas. An average of 34 new plant and animal species have been discovered annually in the region for the past six years, according to a newly released report from the World Wildlife Fu
  
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• Trio Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Finding DNA Fixers

  07-10-2015 17:40
  
  This year's Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to three scientists whose research helps to explain how human beings continue to thrive despite an invisible disadvantage — their totally unstable DNA. Each of the three recipients of the prestigious award — Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar —  has researched a different way that cells repair damaged DNA to safeguard genetic information.
  
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• General relativity centennial celebrates Einstein’s genius

  07-10-2015 17:40
  Science News uses the opportunity of the 100th anniversary of the general theory of relativity to take a deep dive into one — perhaps the most important — of Einstein’s scientific contributions.
  
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• Special Report: Gravity’s Century

  07-10-2015 17:27
  
  After years of pondering the interplay of space, time, matter and gravity, Einstein produced, in a single month, an utter transformation of science’s conception of the cosmos: the general theory of relativity.
  
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• Israeli team signs first launch deal in Google moon race

  07-10-2015 17:10
  
  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli team competing in a race to the moon sponsored by Google has signed a with California-based SpaceX for a rocket launch, putting it at the front of the pack and on target for blast-off in late 2017, officials said on Wednesday.
  
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• Data privacy laws fall in 'international black hole'

  07-10-2015 17:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A recent court ruling may boost the European Union's efforts to reassert authority over how its citizens' data is being treated and pressure other countries into creating privacy laws that are considered more equitable across borders.
  
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• The rebirth of a natural treasure

  07-10-2015 16:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The rebirth of Mozambique's natural treasure
  
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• Entanglement: Gravity's long-distance connection

  07-10-2015 16:42
  
  The universe may be a vast quantum computer that safely encodes spacetime in an elaborate web of entanglement.
  
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• LinkedIn settles class-action lawsuit alleging it spams user contacts

  07-10-2015 16:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Millions of people could be entitled to part of a $13-million US settlement after LinkedIn agreed recently to pay out and stop spamming email associates of some of its customers.
  
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• Video: Caterpillars head-butt intruders during turf battles

  07-10-2015 16:30
  
  Headstrong larvae push and pummel to defend their leaf shelters
  
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• Iraq leans towards Russia in war on Islamic State

  07-10-2015 16:25
  By Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq may request Russian air strikes against Islamic State on its soil soon and wants Moscow to have a bigger role than the United States in the war against the militant group, the head of parliament's defence and security committee said on Wednesday. “In the upcoming few days or weeks, I think Iraq will be forced to ask Russia to launch air strikes, and that depends on their success in Syria," Hakim al-Zamili, a leading Shi'ite politici
  
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• The Latest: Nobel winner hopes to inspire science in Turkey

  07-10-2015 16:20
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Latest developments in the announcements of the Nobel Prizes (all times local):
  
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• Retired UK-based scientist awarded Nobel prize for DNA repair research

  07-10-2015 16:15
  
  A Swedish-born scientist working in the UK has been awarded a Nobel prize for his pioneering research on DNA repair in cells.
  
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• Hollande warns of total war if MidEast conflict not solved

  07-10-2015 16:07
  
  Europe must live up to the challenge of an upheaval that has forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee Syria, where everyone including Iran, Russia and the West must seek a political solution, French President Francois Hollande said on Wednesday. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Hollande said the risk of failure was "total war" and that Europe, if slow to grasp the scale of the refugee exodus, had now made a start
  
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• The Latest: Nobel winner thought he was out of the running

  07-10-2015 15:56
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Latest developments in the announcements of the Nobel Prizes (all times local):
  
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