Science news

• Ninja lanternshark glows in the dark and becomes invisible

  28-12-2015 23:47 via cbc.ca
  
  Forget Jaws — it's the ninja lanternshark making waves on social media and in the scientific community. The timy, recently discovered predator has the camouflage of darkness, but can also cloak itself in a bluish glow and become invisible to prey or predators below.
  
  Read more

• Researchers identify areas of plague risk in western United States

  28-12-2015 23:44
  Researchers have identified and mapped areas of high probability of plague bacteria in the western United States. This investigation predicted animal plague occurrence across western states based on reported occurrences of plague in sylvan (wild) and domestic animal hosts. Plague is a disease caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium found in rodents and their fleas in many areas around the world.
  
  Read more

• Lab tests of e-cigarettes demonstrate cellular harm

  28-12-2015 23:44
  Two types of electronic cigarettes have been tested by researchers who found that they damaged cells in ways that could lead to cancer. The damage occurred even with nicotine-free versions of the products.
  
  Read more

• Childhood asthma may increase risks of shingles

  28-12-2015 23:44
  Nearly 1 million incidents of herpes zoster, which is also known as shingles, occur every year in the US, with an estimated one-third of all adults affected by age 80. Despite its prevalence, particularly between ages 50 and 59, it is still unclear why some individuals will develop shingles, and others will not.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Breast cancer detection rate using ultrasound is shown to be comparable to mammography

  28-12-2015 23:44
  The use of ultrasound in detecting breast cancer has been shown to be comparable in its sensitivity to that of mammography and should be considered when testing for the disease according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• The 10 Strangest Animal Discoveries of 2015

  28-12-2015 23:03
  
  For instance, in 2015 researchers identified a ruby-red sea dragon off the coast of Australia, a new species of giant tortoise in the Galápagos Islands and an ancient spikey worm with 30 legs in China. As these newfound creatures are uncovered, it's important to protect them from pollution, habitat loss and the havoc caused by invasive species, especially as Earth enters its sixth mass extinction, experts say.
  
  Read more

• Pocket-Size Device Turns Smartphone into a High-Powered Microscope

  28-12-2015 23:02
  A sleek, smartphone-powered microscope, dubbed μPeek, recently reached its funding goal on Kickstarter. The device, which attaches to the back of any smartphone (over the top of the camera lens), is about the size of a credit card and is controlled via an app, allowing you to view crystal-clear images of tiny objects and make adjustments to the microscope right on your phone. The microscope is equipped with a motorized lens and sophisticated optical components — two things usually found
  
  Read more

• Database of 191 million U.S. voters exposed on Internet - researcher

  28-12-2015 22:50
  An independent computer security researcher uncovered a database of information on 191 million voters that is exposed on the open Internet due to an incorrectly configured database, he said on Monday. The database includes names, addresses, birth dates, party affiliations, phone numbers and emails of voters in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, researcher Chris Vickery said in a phone interview. Vickery, a tech support specialist from Austin, Texas, said he found the information while looking fo
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Undiagnosed Diseases Program gives answers where there were none

  28-12-2015 22:17
  An Undiagnosed Diseases Program provides an ending for one family's 24 year search for answers to their children's health issues.
  
  Read more

• New method for analyzing synaptic density

  28-12-2015 22:14
  A new approach has been developed that allows researchers to broadly survey learning-related changes in synapse properties. The researchers used machine-learning algorithms to analyze thousands of images from the cerebral cortex. This allowed them to identify synapses from an entire cortical region, revealing unanticipated information about how synaptic properties change during development and learning.
  
  Read more

• Hypnosis may provide new option for 'awake surgery' for brain cancer

  28-12-2015 22:14
  Could hypnosis help to reduce the psychological trauma associated with 'awake craniotomy' for brain cancers? A new 'hypnosedation' technique offers a new alternative for patients undergoing awake surgery for gliomas, suggests a study.
  
  Read more

• Myopia-related differences in eye structure may help in developing 'customized' intraocular lenses

  28-12-2015 22:13
  The presence of myopia, or nearsightedness, significantly affects the muscles used in focusing the lens of the eye -- a finding with important implications for the development of 'accommodating' implanted intraocular lenses (IOLs) that can adjust to different visual distances, reports a new study.
  
  Read more

• Treatment time lags for heart attack patients with prior bypass graft surgery

  28-12-2015 22:12
  Heart attack patients who had previously undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery were less likely than other heart attack patients, including those with prior angioplasty, to be treated within the 90-minute recommended 'door-to-balloon time,' according to a study.
  
  Read more

• Study opens new door for ALS drug discovery

  28-12-2015 22:12
  Researchers have discovered the first-ever evidence-based description of the neuronal protein clumps thought to be important in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a fatal neurodegenerative condition. This research development could be a crucial step toward developing drugs to stop the creation of the clumps and stem the progression of the disease, they say.
  
  Read more

• Seeking treatment earlier may improve heart attack outcomes

  28-12-2015 22:12
  While hospitals have made strides in reducing the time it takes to treat heart attack patients once they arrive at the hospital, patient delays recognizing symptoms and seeking treatment are associated with increased damage to the heart, according to a study.
  
  Read more

• Researchers link climate-induced disasters, food security across time, place

  28-12-2015 22:12
  Societal vulnerability to food shortage causes susceptibility to dangerous outcomes from climate challenges, new research confirms. This research shows that social factors like limited networks and mobility are the main contributors to vulnerability to food shortage.
  
  Read more

• The end of cash? It could be coming, and sooner than you think

  28-12-2015 21:58 via cbc.ca
  
  With more and more payment options built around credit, debit, tap-and-pay and even apps, the days of cash being king in Canada's economy could be coming to an end some day soon.
  
  Read more

• Obama to welcome Canada's Trudeau for official visit March 10

  28-12-2015 21:25
  By Jeff Mason HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for an official visit to Washington on March 10, complete with a rare state dinner and discussions about energy and climate change, the White House said on Monday. "The visit will be an opportunity for the United States and Canada to deepen their bilateral relationship, which is one of the closest and most extensive in the world," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. "
  
  Read more

• Lemurs chat only with their best friends

  28-12-2015 21:23
  
  Ring-tailed lemurs maintain friendships built with grooming by calling to each other, a new study finds.
  
  Read more

• DNA sheds light on Irish origins

  28-12-2015 21:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have sequenced the first ancient human genomes from Ireland - throwing light on the genesis of Celtic populations.
  
  Read more

• Firefighters battle more than 130 wildfires in northern Spain

  28-12-2015 19:38
  
  Amid unseasonably warm weather, firefighters battled more than 130 wind-fuelled wildfires in northern Spain on Monday which officials suspect were deliberately set.
  
  Read more

• Simultaneous detection of polarities of hundreds of semiconducting nanowires

  28-12-2015 18:51
  Researchers have developed a technique to determine the individual polarities of hundreds of semiconducting nanowires in a single, time-saving process. The study constitutes a major step forward in both our understanding and application of these structures, since their polarity defines the properties of devices made from, say the scientists.
  
  Read more

• Gene analysis could allow the risk determination for esophageal cancer

  28-12-2015 18:51
  A genetic modification in the mucous membrane of the esophagus, the Barrett esophagus, can lead to esophageal cancer. If certain biomarkers are contained in these tissue alterations, so-called miDNA, these are extremely short DNA strands, it could be an indication that this preliminary stage of esophageal cancer indeed leads to cancer, scientists have discovered.
  
  Read more

• Success in observing a two-phonon quantum interference: A world first

  28-12-2015 18:48
  A research group has succeeded in observing at the intended timing two-phonon quantum interference by using two cold calcium ions in ion traps, which spatially confine charged particles. A phonon is a unit of vibrational energy that arises from oscillating particles within crystals. Two-particle quantum interference experiments using two photons or atoms have been previously reported, but this group's achievement is the world's first observation using two phonons.
  
  Read more

• Preferences for changing landscape color, complexity determined

  28-12-2015 18:47
  The relationship between landscape color changes, landscape complexity, and peoples' visual preference ratings were studied using photographs of landscapes captured during four seasons. Results indicated significant and strong effects on preference ratings, showing that people's perceptions may be affected by plant and vegetative visual changes. Results also suggested that participants preferred depictions of foliated landscapes to those showing winter dormancy and senescence. The study contains
  
  Read more

• New metamateria will speed up computers

  28-12-2015 18:47
  A two-dimensional metamaterial composed of silver elements, that refracts light in an unusual way, has been proposed by researchers who say that these structures will be able to be used to develop compact optical devices, as well as to create an 'invisibility cloak.'
  
  Read more

• Lifestyle switching: Bacillus cereus is able to resist certain antibiotic therapies

  28-12-2015 18:47
  The pathogenic bacterium Bacillus cereus causes vomiting and diarrhea as well as systemic and local infections. A team of researchers has reported for the first time that B. cereus, following contact with certain antibiotics, can switch into a special slowed-down mode. The bacteria then form small colony variants (SVCs) that are difficult to diagnose and almost impossible to treat with certain antibiotics. This discovered mechanism may provide an alternative explanation for antibiotic resistance
  
  Read more

• Astronaut concern for UK floods

  28-12-2015 18:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  British astronaut Tim Peake tweets a picture of northern England, taken from the International Space Station, and expresses concern for all those caught up in flooding.
  
  Read more

• Venomous Sea Snake Washes Up on California Beach, Surprising Scientists

  28-12-2015 18:03
  A venomous sea snake washed up on a Southern California beach recently, striking fear in the hearts of beachgoers but eliciting excitement from the scientists who study these marine reptiles. The stranded snake, which was dead when it was discovered on Dec. 12, was a yellow-bellied sea snake (Pelamis platura), the most widespread marine snake in the world. "North of the tip of Baja [California], we have only five documented observations of this snake ever.
  
  Read more

• 'Writable' Circuits Could Let Scientists Draw Electronics into Existence

  28-12-2015 18:00
  
  Scientists have developed a way to produce soft, flexible and stretchy electronic circuits and radio antennas by hand, simply by writing on specially designed sheets of material. This technique could help people draw electronic devices into existence on demand for customized devices, researchers said in a new study describing the method. Whereas conventional electronics are stiff, new soft electronics are flexible and potentially stretchable and foldable.
  
  Read more

• Swedish courts temporarily ban wolf hunting

  28-12-2015 17:15
  
  Swedish courts on Monday ordered a temporary ban on wolf hunting in parts of the country, favouring animal rights activists in one of Sweden's most hotly disputed environmental issues.
  
  Read more

• À-la-carte cable TV is coming, but at what cost?

  28-12-2015 16:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Beginning March 1, 2016, all Canadian TV providers will have to offer a basic package of channels for no more than $25 a month and give consumers the option of ordering individual channels à-la-carte or in small bundles, but a lot of the details still aren't clear to consumers.
  
  Read more

• Á-la-carte cable TV is coming, but at what cost?

  28-12-2015 16:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Beginning March 1, 2016, all Canadian TV providers will have to offer a basic package of channels for no more than $25 a month and give consumers the option of ordering individual channels a la carte or in small bundles, but a lot of the details still aren't clear to consumers.
  
  Read more

• Can't manage your gift cards? There's an app for that

  28-12-2015 16:32 via cbc.ca
  
  At least $500 million of the estimated $130 billion worth of U.S. gift cards sold this year will go unused, a consultant says. Gift card organizing apps make things simpler by consolidating cards to single place that displays their value and allow them to be spent.
  
  Read more

• Italy in car clampdown as freak weather creates killer pollution

  28-12-2015 16:25
  
  Cars were partially banished from the streets of Milan and Rome on Monday as Italy battled a buildup of health-threatening pollution caused by freakishly dry and warm winter weather.
  
  Read more

• 12 Flavors of Rainbows Identified

  28-12-2015 15:39
  
  Why are there so many songs about rainbows? There are 12 types of rainbows, distinguished by various characteristics, the study suggests. Rainbows can even appear as twins, triplets or quadruplets, Jean Ricard, a researcher at the National Meteorological Research Center, in France, said here yesterday (Dec. 17) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
  
  Read more

• Huh? Could Cleaner Air Be Worsening Global Warming?

  28-12-2015 15:38
  
  It may seem counterintuitive, but cleaner air could actually be exacerbating global warming trends. The soot and other particles that make up air pollution tend to scatter light back out into space. As countries around the globe have cleaned up their act, there are fewer particles to reflect light, meaning more sunlight is reaching the Earth's surface and warming it, Martin Wild, a researcher at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, said Tuesday (Dec. 15) here at the annual meeting of the American Geophysi
  
  Read more

• Ancient Mom: Oldest Brood of Preserved Embryos Found

  28-12-2015 15:36
  
  A tiny, shrimplike creature that lived 508 million years ago has been discovered carrying about two-dozen fossilized eggs with preserved embryos in its body, making it the earliest example of brood care with preserved embryos on record, a new study finds. Recently, paleontologists revisited the W. fieldensis fossils, looking at 979 specimens from the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada and 866 specimens housed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. After
  
  Read more

• 'Forgotten' 19th-Century Images of Eclipses, Stars & Planets Found

  28-12-2015 15:35
  
  An astronomer recently made an unexpected discovery — not in the skies, but in a tea-kitchen at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Tucked away in the basement room of the Danish capital were cartons holding hundreds of glass plates imprinted with images of telescope observations, some of which are 120 years old. The images present a striking record of historic solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and even views of binary stars and distant constellations.
  
  Read more

• 'Red Tide' Turns Gulf of Mexico Rust-Colored

  28-12-2015 15:33
  
  The strange hue was caused by a phenomenon called a "red tide," and beaches in states from Florida to Texas were closed to protect people from potential health risks. A red tide is better known in the scientific community as a harmful algal bloom (HAB), and it occurs when there is a large concentration of single-cell plants called algae. Unlike most plants, algae can swim, said Matt Garrett, a research associate at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Researc
  
  Read more

• Dogs Mimic Their Pals' Playful Behaviors

  28-12-2015 15:32
  
  In people, chimpanzees, orangutans and other primates, emotional contagion is linked to facial mimicry, a fast automatic response where they involuntarily mimic others' expressions. As such, researchers wanted to see if dogs also experienced rapid mimicry. "I think that natural conditions are extremely important if we want to reveal a phenomenon as really it is," said study lead author Elisabetta Palagi, a sociobiologist at the University of Pisa in Italy.
  
  Read more

• Flower Aroma Is a Honeybee's Chill Pill

  28-12-2015 15:31
  
  Scientists in France and Australia have found that angry honeybees are less likely to attack when exposed to certain floral scents, such as lavender, associated with the promise of food. This occurs even when the bees are provoked into releasing odorous pheromones that recruit other bees into a stinging attack. The bees respond more strongly to the smells related to gathering food than to pheromones calling for war.
  
  Read more

• Hop to It! Cocooned Wasp Larvae Jump to Survive

  28-12-2015 15:29
  
  Parasitic wasp larvae Bathyplectes anurus are perfectly hoppy inside cocoons hijacked from the weevil larvae they ate. Tiny, cocooned parasitic wasp larvae hop their way to safety, jumping to get away from predators and to find cool, shady areas, a new study finds.
  
  Read more

• Big 'Schrödinger's Cats' Created

  28-12-2015 15:26
  The imaginary feline known as Schrödinger's cat, which is both alive and dead (or neither) until beheld, is the best-known representation of the real-life phenomenon known as superposition. Now, for the first time, scientists have demonstrated superposition over a macroscopic scale of about a half-yard (0.54 meters). This finding reveals that superposition is possible at the distances and timescales of everyday life, researchers said.
  
  Read more

• Iraqi forces raise flag above government complex in Ramadi

  28-12-2015 14:56
  By Stephen Kalin and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq flew its flag above the main government complex in the western city of Ramadi on Monday, marking its military's first major victory over Islamic State since the army collapsed in the face of the fighters' shock advance 18 months ago. Footage aired on state television showed a handful of soldiers approach a low-rise building and then emerge on its roof to hoist a small tri-colour banner above their heads. "Yes, the city of Ramadi has been
  
  Read more

• Iraq state TV shows national flag raised in Ramadi centre

  28-12-2015 14:23
  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Video footage broadcast by Iraq's state television on Monday showed soldiers raising the national flag atop a low-rise building said to be the main government complex in the western city of Ramadi. A military spokesman said earlier in the day that Ramadi had been liberated from Islamic State militants, a day after the army declared the provincial capital captured in its first major victory over the Sunni Muslim Jihadist group. Reuters could not independently authenticate the
  
  Read more

• Rome, Milan clamp down on cars as smog smothers Italy

  28-12-2015 14:14
  
  Cars were banished Monday from the streets of Milan while in Rome every second vehicle was forced off the road as Italian authorities battled a buildup of smog after a spell of unseasonably dry, calm weather.
  
  Read more

• How NASA Is Making 'Star Wars' Real

  28-12-2015 14:13
  
  This weekend, fans flocked to the opening of the new "Star Wars" film, "The Force Awakens," to see intelligent droids, agile spaceships and stunning views of a galaxy far, far away. But as NASA and other space entities push humanity deeper and deeper into space — and increase the range of capabilities in space — the fiction of a world like "Star Wars" starts to resemble reality. "Star Trek" has inspired young people to become astronauts, author Arthur C. Clarke introduced ideas for n
  
  Read more

• Mars' Sweeping Dunes Steal the Show in 1st Close-Up View

  28-12-2015 14:12
  
  It's a familiar view to those who watched Matt Damon's character, Mark Watney, fight for survival in "The Martian," yet it's one we've never actually seen up close until now: rippling sand dunes on Mars. Although NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took images of the sand dunes from a distance in September, this new image from the rover is the first to show an up-close view of the Red Planet's sweeping dunes. High Dune's portrait is just the first step in NASA's mission to investigate the dark sand dune
  
  Read more

• Rocky Planet Found Around Star with Least Metal Yet

  28-12-2015 14:06
  
  Astronomers have found a star with an incredibly low concentration of heavy elements that still has a sizable planet around it — the most metal-poor star ever discovered with an orbiting, rocky planet. A team led by Annelies Mortier, an exoplanet researcher at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom, found the star, called HD175607, and its Neptune-size planet about 147 light-years from Earth, using the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph in Chile
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!