Science news

• Five sperm whales stranded on Dutch beach

  12-01-2016 23:44
  
  Five sperm whales were stranded on a Dutch beach on Tuesday, leading local authorities to urge people to stay away in order not to further distress the giant mammals.
  
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• VIDEO: How do you drink water in space?

  12-01-2016 23:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronaut Tim Peake demonstrates what happens to water in space for the Stargazing Live programme.
  
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• Long haul, night repairs for British, US spacewalkers

  12-01-2016 23:26
  
  The first-ever spacewalk on Friday for British astronaut Tim Peake will require a long journey outside the space station to replace a failed power unit while under cover of darkness, NASA said Tuesday.
  
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• U.S. helping Ukraine investigate power grid hack

  12-01-2016 23:18
  By Dustin Volz and Jim Finkle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday it was helping Ukraine investigate an apparent attack last month on the country's power grid that caused a blackout for 80,000 customers. Experts have widely described the Dec. 23 incident at western Ukraine's Prykarpattyaoblenergo utility as the first known power outage caused by a cyber attack. Ukraine's SBU state security service has blamed Russia for the incident, while U.S. cyber fi
  
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• Auto industry's green push challenged by low gas prices

  12-01-2016 22:55
  
  Beneath the hoods of the cars showing in Detroit this week lie engines that are as powerful as ever, but are smaller and, helped by direct injection, guzzle less gas.
  
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• What Apple could do with emotion-reading technology

  12-01-2016 22:01 via cbc.ca
  
  Apple has bought a startup that uses artificial intelligence to read your face and detect your emotions. CBC Radio technology columnist Dan Misener looks at what you can do "emotionally aware" computers.
  
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• Zika Virus Cases Confirmed in the U.S.--What You Need to Know

  12-01-2016 22:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A patient in Texas is the most recent of the 20+ U.S. travelers that have acquired the disease outside America
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• Zika Virus Cases Are Confirmed in the U.S.--What You Need to Know

  12-01-2016 22:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A patient in Texas is the most recent of the 20-plus U.S. travelers who have acquired the disease outside the United States
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Gravitational wave rumors ripple through science world

  12-01-2016 21:55
  
  Rumors are rippling through the science world that physicists may have detected gravitational waves, a key element of Einstein's theory which if confirmed would be one of the biggest discoveries of our time.
  
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• Clues left at a galactic hit-and-run

  12-01-2016 21:55
  
  Scientists may have discovered a dwarf galaxy that triggered a “galaxy quake” when it buzzed by the Milky Way a few hundred million years ago.
  
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• [Research Article] Coordinate actions of innate immune responses oppose those of the adaptive immune system during Salmonella infection of mice

  12-01-2016 20:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Multiparametric analysis of immune cell signaling, cytokines, and bacteria identifies connections that balance innate and adaptive immune responses to infection.
  
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• [Research Article] Astroglial networks promote neuronal coordination

  12-01-2016 20:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Gap junction-linked astrocytes form a network that coordinates neuronal activity.
  
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• [Research Article] Allosteric signaling through an mGlu2 and 5-HT2A heteromeric receptor complex and its potential contribution to schizophrenia

  12-01-2016 20:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Stimulation of one partner in a heteromeric GPCR complex in the brain activates the other partner.
  
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• [Podcast] Science Signaling Podcast for 12 January 2015: GPCR heteromers and schizophrenia

  12-01-2016 20:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Ligand binding to one member of a heteromeric GPCR complex can activate its binding partner.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Tumor-mediated suppression of T cells is EZ(H2)

  12-01-2016 20:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Glucose depletion by tumors suppresses antitumor immunity by reducing the abundance of a methyltransferase in tumor-infiltrating T cells.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] CSF-1 delivers a painful signal

  12-01-2016 20:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Injured pain neurons signal microglia by releasing colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1).
  
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• Inside the 'doomsday vault'

  12-01-2016 20:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Science editor David Shukman goes deep inside an Arctic mountain to see the world's most important seed store.
  
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• 8,000 common murres found dead on Whittier, Alaska, beach

  12-01-2016 20:41 via cbc.ca
  
  An estimated 8,000 emaciated common murres were found dead on the beach in Whittier, Alaska, and scientists think warmer water surface temperatures have reduced the numbers of the forage fish that murres depend upon.
  
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• Time running out for comet probe Philae

  12-01-2016 20:32
  
  Scientists will send a few final prods to robot lab Philae, incommunicado on the surface of a comet hurtling through space, but hopes for a reply are running out, they said Tuesday.
  
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• Researcher says shipwrecked 19th-century whalers ignored advice of Alaska locals

  12-01-2016 19:51 via cbc.ca
  
  A researcher says that the crews of 19th-century whaling ships found on the seafloor of the Chukchi Sea ignored the advice of local Inupiat, causing the loss of 33 ships.
  
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• Ambitious goal to expand marine protected areas sparks concern in Nova Scotia

  12-01-2016 19:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Nova Scotia used its first meeting with Canada's new minister of fisheries to express caution over the Trudeau government's plan to greatly expand marine protected areas which could close designated ocean and coastal areas to economic activities like offshore energy development and fishing.
  
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• Red giants map how the Milky Way grew

  12-01-2016 19:30
  
  A new catalog of the ages of our galaxy’s stars confirms that the Milky Way grew from the inside out.
  
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• SpaceX to Attempt Another Rocket Landing Sunday

  12-01-2016 19:20
  
  SpaceX is planning to try another epic rocket landing during a satellite launch Sunday (Jan. 17), according to media reports.
  
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• Infinite Loop: See the Sun's Yearlong Figure-Eight in the Sky (Photo)

  12-01-2016 19:20
  
  This strange figure of the sun creating a figure-eight shape in the sky is an awesome sight, but required a year of patience by a dedicated photographer to create.
  
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• VIDEO: Starlings form 'dancing clouds' over Israel

  12-01-2016 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Birds from Russia and eastern Europe form what is known as murmurations, grouping together to create a spectacular show in the Middle Eastern sunset.
  
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• Mom’s weight during pregnancy shapes baby’s health

  12-01-2016 19:00
  
  Obesity at conception or during pregnancy is a big problem that's getting bigger: New evidence says a child's mental health could be at stake.
  
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• Authentic Drugs Tagged with Plant DNA Could Help Snare Fake Meds

  12-01-2016 18:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A new high-tech tactic could help officials detect counterfeit drugs
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• U.S. helping Ukraine investigate December power grid hack

  12-01-2016 18:18
  By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday it was helping Ukrainian authorities investigate an apparent attack last month on the country's power grid that caused a blackout for 80,000 customers of western Ukraine's Prykarpattyaoblenergo utility. Experts have widely described the Dec. 23 incident as the first known power outage caused by a cyber attack.
  
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• Forehead Teeth? 'Deformed' Mountain Lion Puzzles Experts

  12-01-2016 18:15
  
  The hunter spotted the young male mountain lion near Preston, a city in southeastern Idaho, on Dec. 30, 2015. The hunter saw the mountain lion attack a dog on private property before running off into the hills, the department said in a statement. With the help of hounds, the hunter tracked the mountain lion for 3 hours before legally harvesting it.
  
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• Task Force Issues New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

  12-01-2016 18:14
  Women who have an average risk of breast cancer should have mammograms every two years from ages 50 to 74, according to the latest recommendations released today by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Average-risk women in their 40s also may benefit from getting mammograms, but their overall likelihood of seeing a benefit is smaller, and the potential for harm is larger than for average-risk women age 50 and older, according to the USPSTF's recommendations, published online today (
  
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• Gulp. Sugary Drinks Linked to 'Deep' Fat

  12-01-2016 18:12
  People who drink sugary beverages, such as soda or fruit juice, daily tend to gain a type of body fat associated with diabetes and heart disease, a new study finds. Researchers looked at about 1,000 middle-age people over a six-year period and found that those who drank sugar-sweetened beverages tended to have more "deep," or visceral, fat. Previous research has linked sweet drinks with other health risks.
  
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• Space bids farewell to Bowie, one of its own

  12-01-2016 18:11
  
  David Bowie's death has plunged fans around the world into grief, but his music lives on -- not only on Earth but in space.
  
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• Bottom beginning to fall out of ivory market: regulator

  12-01-2016 17:39
  
  Global efforts to crack down on illegal ivory trafficking are eating away at prices, a wildlife trade regulator said Tuesday, voicing confidence the bottom was falling out of the market.
  
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• Solar power 'stickers' you can paste anywhere the quest of Calgary researchers

  12-01-2016 17:18 via cbc.ca
  
  Imagine a new generation of solar cells so lightweight and portable that you can roll one up, carry it in your pocket and then stick it on a window to power a light bulb. That's the vision of University of Calgary researchers on a quest for the holy grail of solar energy.
  
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• Solar power 'stickers' you can paste anywhere are Calgary researchers' quest

  12-01-2016 17:18 via cbc.ca
  
  Imagine a new generation of solar cells so lightweight and portable, you can roll one up, carry it in your pocket, then stick it on a window to power a light bulb. That's the vision of University of Calgary researchers on a quest for the holy grail of solar energy.
  
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• Archaeologists hail find of 'best-preserved' UK Bronze Age dwellings

  12-01-2016 17:17
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Archaeologists said on Tuesday they had discovered what were believed to be the best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found in Britain, providing an extraordinary insight into prehistoric life from 3,000 years ago.
  
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• Lake Erie: Car found frozen solid after severe cold hits eastern US

  12-01-2016 17:07
  Video footage has been released showing a car frozen solid in a block of ice in New York state. The Mitsubishi had been parked next to Lake Erie, near Buffalo, overnight on 10 January, where it was splashed by waves amid 47mph high winds and freezing cold temperatures. The incident has now gone viral over social media, with images and video of the ice sculpture being shared thousands of times.
  
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• Fossils provide link in dino crest evolution

  12-01-2016 17:00
  
  Fossils from a newly identified duck-billed dinosaur in Montana could explain how their descendants developed flamboyant nose crests.
  
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• Of course Apple is building an electric car, Elon Musk says

  12-01-2016 16:26 via cbc.ca
  
  Is Apple really building an electric car? Obviously, says Elon Musk, founder and CEO of electric automaker Tesla.
  
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• Succession of satellites keep eye on Earth

  12-01-2016 16:00
  
  50 years after plans were laid for the first Earth-observing spacecraft, the youngest Landsat satellites are still flying and imaging the planet’s surface.
  
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• Alton Towers Unveils Virtual Reality Rollercoaster

  12-01-2016 15:43
  
  Alton Towers is opening a new rollercoaster where passengers wear virtual reality headsets - its first major addition since a crash that left 16 people injured. The Staffordshire theme park claims Galactica will be a "complete game changer" for rollercoasters as it combines a physical ride with virtual reality. Riders will wear a virtual reality headset creating the illusion they are flying through space, with the movements on-screen coinciding with those on the 840-metre long track.
  
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• 45 whales die after southern India stranding

  12-01-2016 15:34
  
  Forty-five whales have died after stranding themselves on a southern Indian beach, a government official said Tuesday, with local fishermen struggling to save others.
  
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• Bronze Age homes 'Britain's Pompeii'

  12-01-2016 15:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Archaeologists in Cambridgeshire uncover Britain's "Pompeii" with what they describe as the "best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found".
  
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• Detroit auto show, where big chrome and Silicon Valley almost meet

  12-01-2016 15:00 via cbc.ca
  
  The uneasy partnership between Silicon Valley and the big automakers is on full display at the Detroit auto show this week. At the dawn of driverless cars, where are all the tech companies? Oh, across the street.
  
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• The fine art of hunting microsnails

  12-01-2016 14:00
  
  Flotation, tact and limestone all prove vital to the quest for microsnails.
  
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• Who Owns Space Shuttle Atlantis? Trademark Question Cited in Lawsuit

  12-01-2016 13:29
  
  A lawsuit filed by the former concessionaire for Yosemite National Park against the federal government has raised a seemingly unrelated query: Who owns Space Shuttle Atlantis? The retired NASA winged orbiter, which flew 33 out of the 135 missions of the 30-year shuttle program, including the final flight in July 2011, has been on permanent display at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complexin Florida for the past two and a half years. The closest that Atlantis ever came to Yosemitein its thre
  
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• These Are the Space Missions to Watch in 2016

  12-01-2016 13:28
  
  While the coming year does not appear to promise anything quite as spectacular or awe-inspiring as 2015's signature moment — the July 14 flyby of Pluto by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft — there will still be a lot going on overhead. Here's a brief rundown of the biggest spaceflight miletones to keep an eye out for in 2016, from a NASA probe's arrival at Jupiter to the highly anticipated maiden flight of SpaceX's huge new rocket. On Sunday (Jan. 17), the U.S. National Oceanic and
  
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• NASA's Next Major Space Telescope Project Officially Starts in February

  12-01-2016 13:28
  
  NASA's next flagship astronomy mission after the James Webb Space Telescope will become a formal project in February thanks to increased funding and direction from Congress, even as the agency looks to make cuts elsewhere in its astrophysics program. Paul Hertz, director of NASA's astrophysics division, told astronomers attending the 227th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society here Jan. 4 that the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will enter its "formulation phase," the beginn
  
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• How to Spy on Alpha Centauri and Other Binary Stars to Hunt Exoplanets

  12-01-2016 13:28
  
  Direct imaging of exoplanets requires a way to blot out the overwhelming glare of a star. Most systems featuring sunlike stars "are actually multi[-star systems]," Ruslan Belikov, an astronomer at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, said during a session at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society here Wednesday (Jan. 7). "Alpha Centauri, which is the closest star to us, would be by far the best target [for direct imaging] … if it wasn't binary," he added.
  
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• Asteroid-Mining Company 3D-Prints Object from Space Rock Metals

  12-01-2016 13:28
  
  Planetary Resources, which aims to extract water and other useful materials from asteroids, has 3D-printed an object using metal powder gleaned from a space rock. "It is the first part ever 3D-printed with material from outer space and is reminiscent of a design that could originate from a 3D printer in the zero-gravity environment of space," Planetary Resources representatives wrote in a blog post Thursday (Jan. 7) about the object, which is about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) tall by 3.4 inches (8.
  
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