Science news

• Dinosaur fossils airlifted out of New Mexico wilderness

  29-10-2015 23:45 via cbc.ca
  
  After years of hard work and some paper pushing, a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter plucked rare dinosaur finds — encased in plaster — from the New Mexico wilderness and airlifted them to a waiting cargo truck on Thursday morning.
  
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• National Guard airlifts dino fossils out of wilderness

  29-10-2015 23:18
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — This was something that had never been seen before — the full skeletal remains of a baby Pentaceratops, a plant-eating dinosaur with large horns that once roamed what is now North America tens of millions of years ago.
  
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• South Sudan rebels free U.N. peacekeepers, but still hold contractors

  29-10-2015 23:14
  
  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Eighteen United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan were freed on Thursday after being held for three days by heavily armed rebels, but a dozen U.N. contractors who were operating a fuel barge have not yet been released, the world body said. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous spoke to opposition leader Riek Machar about the incident on Thursday. The United Nations also said it is "extremely concerned" about the South Sudanese crew of the fuel bar
  
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• Large asteroid set to shoot by Earth on Halloween

  29-10-2015 21:48
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - A large asteroid that scientists only discovered this month will make a relatively close approach to Earth on Saturday, astronomers say, providing one of the best opportunities in years to gather data about a passing space rock.
  
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• The More Severe-Burn Patients Eat, the Faster They Heal (Op-Ed)

  29-10-2015 21:45
  
  Dr. Larry Jones, director of the Comprehensive Burn Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, contributed this column to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Patients with severe burns, understandably, suffer from substantially diminished appetites because they're in a considerable amount of pain and are often sedated, as a result. Despite these challenges, when burn patients are admitted to the Comprehensive Burn Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical
  
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• Scientific Prizes Bring Needed Attention to Mental Health Research

  29-10-2015 21:45
  
  Dr. Herbert Pardes is executive vice chairman of the board of trustees at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and president of the Scientific Council of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation — and last year was the first to win the prize that now bears his name. Pardes contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This fall, scientists around the world will trade lab coats for tuxes and ball gowns for the annual "award season" announcements of the Nobel
  
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• Nano-sized additives found in many foods, cosmetics

  29-10-2015 21:45 via cbc.ca
  
  What's lurking in your candy could be more frightening than just sugar and calories. Researchers say nano-sized additives found in many foods haven't been well tested and their effects are unclear, Torah Kachur reports.
  
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• Facing Organ Donor Shortage, Patients Forced to Get Creative

  29-10-2015 21:43
  
  Dr. Todd Pesavento is medical director of kidney and pancreas transplantation and interim executive director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Every 10 minutes, another name goes on the list of Americans waiting for an organ transplant. Most of those patients will have to wait months or even years before finding a donor organ, and unfortunately, some never will.
  
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• Fossil unearthed in Spain sheds light on ape evolution

  29-10-2015 21:07
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The well-preserved partial skull and skeleton of a gibbon-like creature that lived 11.6 million years ago in Spain is shedding new light on the evolutionary history of modern apes.Scientists on Thursday announced the discovery in Catalonia of fossil remains of a small, fruit-eating female ape that lived in a warm, wet forested region teeming with animals including elephant relatives, rhinos and saber-toothed predators.They gave the ape, weighing 9-11 pounds (4-5 kg), the s
  
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• Scientists announce progress toward better battery to power cars

  29-10-2015 21:05
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have created a battery whose technology in principle could power electric cars and other energy-hungry devices far better than current lithium-ion batteries, but it remains years away from commercial use.
  
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• [Erratum] Erratum for the Research Article: "HDL-bound sphingosine 1-phosphate acts as a biased agonist for the endothelial cell receptor S1P1 to limit vascular inflammation" by S. Galvani, M. Sanson, V. A. Blaho, S. L. Swendeman, H. Conger, B. Dahlbä

  29-10-2015 20:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  An author is added to a Research Article.
  
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• Unusual warming kills Gulf of Maine cod

  29-10-2015 20:49
  
  Unusual warming in the waters off the northeastern US has killed off vast numbers of Atlantic cod, further endangering a valuable and iconic fishery despite years of fishing restrictions, researchers said Thursday.
  
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• Freak Waaaay Out This Halloween with the Scariest Space Movies

  29-10-2015 20:49
  
  No Halloween season is complete without a few scary movies, so here are Space.com's recommendations for the most frightening flicks with a cosmic twist. In film, science fiction and horror have gone hand in hand since either genre was born. [Please note that these movies are not suitable for all viewers, and many of them contain disturbing images.
  
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• Dawn Probe Heads to Superclose Orbit of Dwarf Planet Ceres

  29-10-2015 20:36
  
  NASA's Dawn spacecraft has begun the long journey to its final orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres. The probe should begin collecting data and capturing photos from the new orbit in mid-December, NASA officials said. Dawn has been getting closer and closer to Ceres since arriving at the dwarf planet this past March.
  
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• China to start work on turbo-charged super-collider by 2020: report

  29-10-2015 20:27
  
  China will begin work on the world's largest super-collider in 2020, a mega-machine aimed at increasing understanding of the elusive Higgs boson, state-run media reported Thursday.
  
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• Canadian internet TV, video-watching growing quickly

  29-10-2015 20:11 via cbc.ca
  
  The average amount of time Canadians spend watching TV over the internet increased 42 per cent between 2013 and 2014, the CRTC reports.
  
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• '1st Hardware Store in Space': Commercial 3D Printer Launching in 2016

  29-10-2015 20:08
  
  California-based startup Made In Space is partnering with home-improvement giant Lowe's to launch a commercial 3D printer to the International Space Station (ISS) early next year, representatives of both companies announced today (Oct. 29). Made In Space built the 3D printer, which is called the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), and will retain ownership of the machine.
  
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• YouTube will pay creators during Red service's free trial, says Google

  29-10-2015 19:57 via cbc.ca
  
  YouTube responded to concerns about the way its new subscription service Red works on Wednesday, saying that creators will be paid when new subscribers watch their videos during their free trial.
  
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• Rising temperatures complicate efforts to manage cod fishery

  29-10-2015 19:48
  
  Higher water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine could play a role in Atlantic cod crashes.
  
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• Chemists claim big step toward more powerful lithium-air battery

  29-10-2015 19:48
  
  A new kind of chemistry could power lithium-air batteries over long-standing technological hurdles, leading toward a product that may one day be strong enough to replace gasoline in cars, researchers said Thursday.
  
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• Petite primate fossil could upend ideas about ape evolution

  29-10-2015 19:00
  
  Ancient fossils suggest modern apes descended from a small, gibbonlike creature.
  
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• Itch-busting nerve cells could block urge to scratch

  29-10-2015 19:00
  
  A group of nerve cells in the spinal cord keep mechanical itch in check.
  
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• India's Modi urges 'comprehensive' climate deal

  29-10-2015 18:26
  
  India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Thursday for a "comprehensive and concrete" agreement on climate change in December, as he addressed African leaders at a major summit in New Delhi.
  
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• Nigeria’s Senate confirms remaining Buhari cabinet nominees

  29-10-2015 18:05
  
  Nigeria's Senate confirmed the remaining 18 candidates for President Muhammadu Buhari's cabinet on Thursday, completing the screening of all 36 ministers, Senate President Bukola Saraki said. In Nigeria, ministers are nominated and approved before their portfolios are announced. The only controversial figure was Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of oil-rich Rivers State who denies corruption allegations against him.
  
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• Stolen copy of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species returned to Halifax university

  29-10-2015 17:30 via cbc.ca
  
  A rare, first-edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species stolen by a Nova Scotia man has finally been returned to its rightful owners.
  
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• Report: NASA needs better handle on health hazards for Mars

  29-10-2015 17:26
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA needs to get cracking if it wants to keep its astronauts alive and well on missions to Mars.
  
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• TSX launches 3 new climate change indexes to track carbon footprints of companies

  29-10-2015 16:33 via cbc.ca
  
  The Toronto Stock Exchange will create three new subindexes designed to track the environmental impact of companies that trade on the exchange.
  
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• Marriage Linked to Better Outcomes After Heart Surgery

  29-10-2015 16:03
  
  People who are married may be more likely to survive heart surgery than people who are divorced, separated or widowed, according to a new study. In the study, researchers looked at health and survival rates in 1,576 adults ages 50 or older who underwent cardiac surgery. The new findings suggest that "marital status is a predictor of survival and functional recovery after cardiac surgery," the authors,from the University of Pennsylvania, wrote in their study published today (Oct. 28) in the journ
  
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• Review: Assassin's Creed Syndicate a return to form for Ubisoft

  29-10-2015 16:02 via cbc.ca
  
  Ubisoft's hits the streets of London in 1868 for its latest in the long-running Assassin's Creed series, and hopes to right the ship after last year's uneven instalment, Unity.
  
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• Assassin's Creed Syndicate a return to form for Ubisoft

  29-10-2015 16:02 via cbc.ca
  
  Ubisoft's hits the streets of London in 1868 for its latest in the long-running Assassin's Creed series, and hopes to right the ship after last year's uneven instalment, Unity.
  
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• Oh Baby! The Science of Identical Triplets and Quadruplets

  29-10-2015 16:00
  
  For two Baltimore parents, their three new bundles of joy may make them feel like one in a million, and statistics show they're not far off: Parents Thomas and Kristen Hewitt welcomed a rare set of identical triplets earlier this month, The Baltimore Sun reports. The Hewitts' three boys were born more than six weeks early, on Oct. 6, the Sun reported. Statistics help tell the story: Without the help of fertility treatments, and according to a mathematical rule that doctors use called Hellin's la
  
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• Snakebite Victims in Africa Lack Needed Antivenom, Researcher Says

  29-10-2015 15:59
  
  There is an urgent need for better and more accessible snakebite treatments in Africa, which cause thousands of deaths each year, researchers argue. Recently, the antivenom manufacturer Sanofi-Pasteur made headlines when it said it would stop producing the snakebite treatment. "The reality is that for the vast majority of Africa's snakebite victims, the loss of Sanofi's antivenom will mean little, if anything at all," Williams wrote.
  
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• Ultrasound Scans Can Tell When Baby Is Due

  29-10-2015 15:57
  
  Ultrasound measurements of the cervix, the passageway at the entrance to the uterus that opens up to make way for a baby during delivery, can reveal whether labor is likely within the next week, according to a new study. The method is safe, and women already get frequent ultrasound scans during pregnancy, said study co-author Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, director of maternal fetal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "This is something that is easily implementable tomorro
  
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• See Food Diet? What's on Your Countertops Can Affect Your Weight

  29-10-2015 15:56
  
  If you want to maintain a normal weight, you might try leaving a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter, a new study suggests. Study participants who left cereal on the counter weighed an average of 20 lbs. (9 kg) more than participants who didn't keep cereal lying around in plain sight, the researchers found. The study showed that "there was a huge correlation between what was sitting out and how much [participants] weighed," said the study's lead author Brian Wansink, a food psychologist and di
  
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• NASA spacecraft plunges through Saturn moon's icy spray

  29-10-2015 15:56
  
  On the hunt for alien worlds that might support life, NASA's unmanned Cassini spacecraft has survived its closest-ever dive through the icy spray coming from Saturn's moon Enceladus.
  
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• The Mystery of Why Urinary Tract Infections Peak in Summer

  29-10-2015 15:54
  
  Severe urinary tract infections spike in the summertime, especially among younger women, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed information on people who were hospitalized for urinary tract infections (UTIs) from 1998 to 2011 in the United States. There are more than 7 million UTIs in the United States each year, but only a small fraction of severe cases require hospitalization.
  
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• Chile: Atacama Desert blooms into spectacular carpet of flowers

  29-10-2015 15:51
  
  Chile's Atacama Desert has turned into a mauve-coloured carpet of flowers following a downpour of rain from the country's north that has seen the normally arid region turn to a psychedelic wonderland of shades of purple. It comes after the heaviest rains to hit Chile's northern desert regions in 20 years. The large patches of blooms have radically transformed the Atacama Desert, 466 miles north of Santiago, into a rich tapestry of exotic flowers.
  
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• 'Very few bats left': Museum scales back study on fungus

  29-10-2015 15:47 via cbc.ca
  
  Researchers from the New Brunswick Museum will no longer actively study the bat fungus that has devastated the brown bat population in the province.
  
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• Omm…MG! Rare Yoga Injury Breaks Man's Leg

  29-10-2015 15:46
  
  A man in Ireland broke his leg and spent 10 days in the hospital after injuring himself in a surprising way — while practicing yoga. The 38-year-old yoga enthusiast fractured the thighbone on his right leg while doing a difficult seated yoga pose known as Marichyasana posture B in his morning yoga class, according to a new report of the man's case, which was published online Oct. 9 in the journal BMJ Case Reports. When the man got into the position, he heard a loud cracking sound and
  
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• Ozone hole over Antarctica hits record size

  29-10-2015 15:38 via cbc.ca
  
  There's a record-sized hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic. But don't panic, the U.N.'s weather an climate agency says.
  
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• SE Asia breathes sigh of relief as rains ease smog crisis

  29-10-2015 14:53
  
  Persistent rains have cleared the air across vast stretches of Southeast Asia that have choked for weeks on hazardous smoke from Indonesian fires, with officials expressing hope Thursday the crisis could soon end.
  
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• Electric Embrace: Eels Curl Up to Supercharge Shocks

  29-10-2015 14:39
  
  It's kind of like walking straight into an electric fence, or getting shot with a stun gun. "You wouldn't voluntarily do it over and over again," said Kenneth Catania, a professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of a new study about the electric eels' shocking behavior. Catania has been zapped a few times since he began studying the electric eel (Electrophorus electricus), a fish that's indigenous to the murky waters of the Amazon.
  
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• Why Businesses Embrace Machine Learning [Excerpt]

  29-10-2015 14:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The best algorithms determine who wins and loses in a digital economy that thrives on steering the consumer toward an opportune click
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• What you need to know about the new Apple TV

  29-10-2015 13:57 via cbc.ca
  
  The latest incarnation of Apple's streaming-TV box — aptly named Apple TV — isn't just for streaming anymore. AP's Anick Jesdanun takes a closer look and shares some thoughts.
  
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• Four UK bird species 'face extinction'

  29-10-2015 13:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Puffins and turtle doves are among four UK bird species now at risk of extinction, according to the latest revision of a global conservation database.
  
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• U.S. high-containment biosafety labs to get closer scrutiny

  29-10-2015 13:00
  
  White House responds to spate of accidents at federal labs working with dangerous pathogens
  
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• 1960s dog brain transplant was not followed by human studies

  29-10-2015 13:00
  
  A pioneering study to transplant a dog’s brain led to later work on a monkey, but ethical considerations and technical know-how have prevented further work.
  
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• Kim Jong-Un Opens Atom-Shaped Science Centre

  29-10-2015 12:57
  
  Kim Jong-un has visited a new science and technology centre in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The North Korean leader declared the new complex would show the world the desire and passion of the North Korean army and people to become well versed in science and technology. The atom-shaped centre on the Ssuk islet by the river Taedong includes an earthquake experience room, virtual science laboratory and reading areas and is a reminder of North Korea's defiance amid concerns about it
  
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• India's Modi urges 'comprehensive' climate deal at Africa summit

  29-10-2015 12:38
  
  India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Thursday for a "comprehensive and concrete" agreement on climate change in December, as he addressed African leaders at a major summit in New Delhi.
  
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