Science news

• Erdogan, Obama agree on need to reduce tensions after Russian plane downed: Ankara

  24-11-2015 23:46
  
  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama on Tuesday agreed on the need to reduce tensions and prevent a repeat of similar incidents after Turkish forces shot down a Russian plane on the Syrian border for allegedly violating Turkish air space, the presidency said.
  
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• Fan-Designed Lego Saturn V Moon Rocket Qualifies for Product Review

  24-11-2015 23:25
  
  A fan-designed scale model of NASA's historic Saturn V rocket has landed on Lego's launch pad and is now waiting an official "go/no-go" call as to whether it will lift off as a commercial set. The 3-foot-tall (1 m) version of the iconic Apollo 11 booster climbed to its qualifying 10,000th vote on Friday (Nov. 20) on the Lego Ideas website. The rocket, designed by Felix Stiessen and Valerie Roche, will now be considered by the Danish toymaker for possible production when it convenes its next revi
  
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• When exercise is unhealthy for the heart: How heart problems and sudden cardiac death occur with endurance exercise

  24-11-2015 23:03
  Endurance exercise accelerates the development of heart problems in individuals with a particular genetic mutation, a new study finds. In mice with a mutated version of desmoplakin, a protein that maintains the heart wall, exercise made the heart walls come apart sooner. The findings offer insight into how to best manage exercise in individuals with the mutation.
  
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• Mars once had a moderately dense atmosphere

  24-11-2015 23:02
  Scientists suggest that 3.8 billion years ago, Mars might have had only a moderately dense atmosphere. The scientists have identified a photochemical process that could have helped such an early atmosphere evolve into the current thin one without creating the problem of 'missing' carbon and in a way that is consistent with existing carbon isotopic measurements.
  
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• Carbon content of temperate forests overestimated, study suggests

  24-11-2015 23:02
  Digital measurements of millions of trees indicate that previous studies likely overestimate the amount of carbon stored by temperate US forests, according to a new study.
  
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• [Research Article] The subcellular localization and activity of cortactin is regulated by acetylation and interaction with Keap1

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Promoting acetylation and thus nuclear localization of a cytoskeletal remodeling protein may limit cancer metastasis.
  
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• [Research Article] The early synthesis of p35 and activation of CDK5 in LPS-stimulated macrophages suppresses interleukin-10 production

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A cyclin-dependent kinase delays the onset of anti-inflammatory responses by macrophages.
  
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• [Research Article] Chaperoning epigenetics: FKBP51 decreases the activity of DNMT1 and mediates epigenetic effects of the antidepressant paroxetine

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Chaperone switching at the kinase CDK5mediates epigenetic effects of antidepressants.
  
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• [Podcast] Science Signaling Podcast for 24 November 2015: Antidepressants and epigenetics

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The antidepressant paroxetine affects epigenetic regulation of Bdnf.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Preparing for metastasis

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Exosomes from different tumor cells traffic to distinct organs to prepare sites for metastasis.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Precocious Nodal activity

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  An unprocessed form of Nodal can stimulate signaling through an FGF receptor.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Precision medicine by synthetic lethality

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Inhibition of WEE1 selectively kills H3K26 methylation-deficient cells.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Peroxisomes respond to sound

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Sound triggers an increase in the number of peroxisomes to protect cells in the cochlea from oxidative stress.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] In search of a biocompass

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A rod-shaped protein complex with iron detects and aligns with magnetic fields.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Better treatment for dyskinesia

  24-11-2015 22:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Enhancing cholinergic signaling reduces a major side effect of ʟ-DOPA therapy in Parkinson's disease models.
  
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• Google's YouTube Kids app now available in Canada

  24-11-2015 22:03 via cbc.ca
  
  Google has launched its YouTube Kids app in Canada, pledging to help parents offer age-appropriate, family-friendly online video content to their children.
  
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• Holding Paris climate talks is 'best response' to attacks: Hollande

  24-11-2015 21:49
  
  Going ahead with the UN climate talks in Paris is the "best response" to the terror attacks that killed 130 people in the French capital, President Francois Hollande said Tuesday.
  
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• Obama, Hollande urge Russia to focus Syria attacks on Islamic State

  24-11-2015 21:40
  
  By Roberta Rampton and John Irish WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande pressed Russia on Tuesday to focus its attacks in Syria on Islamic State militants after Turkey heightened tensions in the region by downing a Russian plane. Obama and Hollande also urged Russia and Turkey not to let the situation escalate after Turkey, a NATO ally, said it shot down a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border after it repeatedly violated Turkish air
  
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• World Bank sets $16 billion plan for climate fight in Africa

  24-11-2015 21:36
  
  The World Bank announced Tuesday a plan to help Africa weather climate shocks that requires $16.1 billion in financing through 2020.
  
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• Anonymous is rickrolling ISIS as part of its plan to defeat terrorism

  24-11-2015 21:14 via cbc.ca
  
  The hacktivist collective's war on ISIS is being panned as a failure, but they're never gonna give, never gonna give, give (you) up.
  
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• Private space company Blue Origin claims rocket landing milestone

  24-11-2015 21:08
  
  A private space company said it has landed a rocket upright and gently enough to be used again, a milestone in commercial aeronautics.
  
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• Don't Spill the Beans: Zero-G Cup Lets Astronauts 'Smell the Coffee'

  24-11-2015 19:31
  
  Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are testing beverage cups that let them literally wake up and smell the coffee. But astronauts have been testing out some strangely shaped cups that keep liquid under control well enough to contain tasty juice or scalding coffee in an open-topped container, and hold it steady even while astronauts do flips or toss the cups back and forth. "Astronauts' responses when testing out the cups so far range from 'Hey, you can smell the coffee,' to 'This
  
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• What Belgian cat tweets teach us about foiling online surveillance

  24-11-2015 19:25 via cbc.ca
  
  While the city of Brussels remains on lockdown, Belgians have been tweeting pictures of cats. It's a good lesson on how to foil online surveillance, CBC's Dan Misener explains.
  
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• Pearl Jam to donate to climate change programs in Latin America

  24-11-2015 19:25
  
  The US rock band Pearl Jam will make up for the carbon footprint of its Latin American tour by donating to climate change mitigation programs, Peru said Tuesday.
  
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• Amazon founder Bezos’ rocket company passes landing test

  24-11-2015 19:11
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said on Tuesday his space transportation company, Blue Origin, plans about two more years of test flights before it will offer rides to passengers.
  
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• Mood-gauging humanoid robots highlight World Robot Exhibition

  24-11-2015 19:07
  
  Humanoid robots that can gauge your mood were among the highlights of the World Robot Exhibition in Beijing on 24 November. The exhibition is a part of the three-day World Robot Conference, which also includes a forum and a robot contest for elementary school and junior high school teams. Humanoid robot Xiaoluo, made by domestic company Tami Intelligence, is famous for interacting with people and has hosted galas on television.
  
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• Taste is all in your head

  24-11-2015 19:00
  
  By targeting certain nerve cells in a mouse’s brain, scientists made plain water turn bitter or sweet.
  
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• Gecko's amazing wall-walking talent is all in the genes

  24-11-2015 18:35
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Geckos boast one of the most impressive talents of any animal: the ability to scamper up a smooth wall or across a ceiling with ease. How do they do it? Well, it is all in the genes.
  
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• Final chapter published in decades-long Gravity Probe B project

  24-11-2015 18:30
  
  It took more than 50 years, but an experiment testing general relativity has finally come to a close.
  
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• Video: Birds observed arguing over parental duties for first time

  24-11-2015 18:15
  
  Zebra finches squawk at each other if someone is shirking its duty
  
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• Factbox - Russia-Turkey economic and trade relations

  24-11-2015 18:04
  
  Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday saying it had repeatedly violated its air space, one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plane had been attacked when it was inside Syria and warned of "serious consequences" for what he termed a "stab in the back". - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday advised Russians not to visit Turkey and said
  
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• Gut microbes signal when dinner is done

  24-11-2015 18:00
  
  Helpful E. coli bacteria that live in the guts of animals produce proteins that can decrease an animal’s appetite only 20 minutes after receiving nutrients
  
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• Better batteries to beat global warming: A race against time

  24-11-2015 17:48
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the key technologies that could help wean the globe off fossil fuel is probably at your fingertips or in your pocket right now: the battery.
  
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• US scientists work to breed malaria-free mosquitos

  24-11-2015 17:47
  
  US researchers have carried out genetic tweaks to malaria-carrying mosquitos so their offspring feature genes that block the parasite which causes the disease, opening the way to eradicating it.
  
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• Hollande seeks 'binding' climate pact with promises on cash

  24-11-2015 17:46
  
  A "binding" climate agreement with assurances of cash for developing nations will be the measure of success for a UN summit starting in Paris next week, French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday.
  
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• Bezos space firm claims reusable rocket breakthrough

  24-11-2015 17:32
  
  The private space firm founded by Internet entrepreneur Jeff Bezos claimed a breakthrough for its space travel efforts Tuesday with the launch of a reusable rocket.
  
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• Russia prepares reprisals against Ukraine over Crimea blackout

  24-11-2015 17:31
  
  By Andrew Osborn and Pavel Polityuk MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it would cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and threatened to halt coal deliveries, ratcheting up a dispute over a power blackout in Crimea at a time when a ceasefire between Kiev and separatist rebels is fraying. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak accused the Ukrainian authorities of deliberately refusing to help rebuild power lines to Russia-annexed Crimea, which were blown up by unknown saboteurs over the wee
  
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• Canada set to unveil Syrian refugee plan

  24-11-2015 17:30
  
  Canada was to unveil details on Tuesday of its plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in the space of a few weeks, seeking to reassure a population grown fearful over security in the wake of the Paris attacks.
  
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• Blue Origin Makes Historic Reusable Rocket Landing in Epic Test Flight

  24-11-2015 17:18
  
  The private spaceflight company Blue Origin just launched itself into the history books by successfully flying and landing a reusable rocket. Powered by the company's own BE-3 engine, the rocket kicked off the launchpad yesterday (Nov. 23) at 11:21 a.m. Central Time, carrying the New Shepard space vehicle. The stunning feat was captured in an amazing test flight video released by the company.
  
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• Turkey informed United Nations in writing over downed jet - diplomatic sources

  24-11-2015 16:07
  
  ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has informed United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the five members of the U.N. Security Council in writing over the downing of Russian warplane, Turkish diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. Turkey's deputy undersecretary has already met with charge d'affairs of Russia, the United States and Britain as well as the French ambassador after Turkish F16s shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border, saying it had repeatedly violated its air space. (Repor
  
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• Reusable rocket landed successfully for 1st time

  24-11-2015 16:07 via cbc.ca
  
  A fully reusable rocket has been landed successfully for the first time, by Blue Origin, the space startup owned by Amazon.com founder CEO Jeff Bezos.
  
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• Astronaut Tim Peake's milestone set to dominate UK space event

  24-11-2015 15:51
  
  British astronaut Major Tim Peake's launch into orbit next month will dominate a conference on UK involvement in human space exploration hosted by the British Aeronautical Society on December 1.
  
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• Round for Round: Women's Drinking Rates Catching Up to Men's

  24-11-2015 15:47
  
  Over the decade-long period between 2002 and 2012, the percentage of U.S. women who reported drinking in the past month increased, and so did the the average number of days that women reported drinking, according to the report from researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The percentage of women who reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days increased from 45 percent to 48 percent over the study period. Among men, however, the percentage decreased slightl
  
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• Lonely? You May Be More Likely to Get Sick

  24-11-2015 15:47
  
  Loneliness may be a health risk and can even increase a person's risk of premature death, studies have shown, but the reason for the link hasn't been clear. Now, researchers have found one way that loneliness may affect a person's health: It may trigger cellular changes that might lower a person's ability to fight viral infections. In a study of 141 older adults, researchers looked at the relationship between loneliness and patterns of gene expression in white blood cells, which are involved in
  
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• Snow and winter weather arrive in the northern hemisphere. Meanwhile, in Australia...

  24-11-2015 15:36
  
  Winter has arrived in the northern hemisphere, as many areas experienced their first snowfall of the season. Heavy snow hit the Chinese capital, leading to flight cancellations and delays at Beijing Capital International Airport.
  
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• What Makes Our Brains Special?

  24-11-2015 15:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Some say not much, but new research sheds light on the uniqueness of the human brain
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Brazil: Endangered turtle eggs relocated as toxic mud nears coastline

  24-11-2015 15:23
  
  Conservationists gathered along the coast of Espirito Santo in Brazil to monitor a loggerhead turtle laying her eggs. Conservationists are concerned that a change to the local ecosystem could threaten animals living in the area. The loggerhead turtle is an endangered species, which regularly lays its eggs on this coastline spot according to the Tamar conservation project, which is based in the area.
  
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• Australia trial for GM fruit fly

  24-11-2015 15:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Australia will carry out trials of a genetically modified fruit fly to break the breeding cycle of this crop pest.
  
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• Goodbye, Nola: Only 3 Northern White Rhinos Remain in the World

  24-11-2015 15:02
  
  One of the four northern white rhinoceros left on Earth died yesterday (Nov. 22), leaving only three surviving members of the critically endangered species. In recent weeks, Nola suffered from a bacterial infection, and on Nov. 13, the aging animal underwent surgery to drain a large abscess in her pelvic region, which veterinarians finally identified as the source of her sickness. When intensified treatment efforts were unsuccessful, the animal's caretakers chose to euthanize her yesterday, in w
  
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• Beetles Speed-Grow Their Built-In Bifocal Eyes

  24-11-2015 15:01
  
  Sunburst diving beetles, also known as "water tigers," are efficient predators that depend on their eyes to help them nab their mosquito prey. Each tube holds a lens, cone and retina, which are features common to the image-forming eyes in most vertebrates (and some invertebrates) known as "camera eyes." In camera eyes, images enter the eye through the lens and are reflected onto the retina. "Functionally, their eyes are more similar to our own eyes than to a fruit fly or other insect," Elke Busc
  
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