Science news

• 2015 smashed heat records

  20-01-2016 23:18
  
  Spurred by global warming and a “super El Niño,” 2015 now ranks as the warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880.
  
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• 10,000-Year-Old Battered Bones May Be Oldest Evidence of Human Warfare

  20-01-2016 22:26
  
  The skeletons of 27 people who died about 10,000 years ago bear marks of blunt force trauma and projectile wounds, the researchers said in the study. The victims included men, women and children. "That scale of death — it can't be an individual murder or homicide amongst families," said study co-author Robert Foley, an anthropologist and archaeologist at the University of Cambridge in England.
  
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• Planet nine: Evidence solar system has mysterious dark planet 10,000 times the mass of Pluto

  20-01-2016 21:52
  Astronomers in California believe they have found evidence of a vast, mysterious planet 10 times larger than Earth orbiting our sun way beyond Pluto - making it the ninth planet in the solar system. Although no direct sighting has yet been observed, astronomers made the deduction by studying the erratic orbit of asteroids in the Kuiper Belt. The reason astronomers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are so convinced of the existence of this mysterious world is the behaviour of sm
  
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• Mountain snows that feed Colorado River look good so far

  20-01-2016 21:43
  
  DENVER (AP) — Snowpack in the mountains that feed the Colorado River was slightly above the long-term average on Wednesday — welcome news in the drought-stricken Southwest.
  
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• New evidence points to giant 9th planet on solar system edge

  20-01-2016 21:36
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The solar system may have a ninth planet after all.
  
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• Lost at sea: CO2 may 'intoxicate' fish: study

  20-01-2016 21:29
  
  By mid-century, higher levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in ocean water could leave fish "intoxicated", becoming lost at sea, a study said Wednesday.
  
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• Planet shatters warming records, 2015 hottest 'by far'

  20-01-2016 21:14
  
  Blistering heat blanketed the Earth last year like never before, making 2015 by far the hottest year in modern times and raising new concerns about the accelerating pace of climate change.
  
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• Time running out on comet lander

  20-01-2016 21:03
  
  Philae’s days are numbered as temperatures on comet 67P drop and attempts to communicate with the lander fail.
  
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• VIDEO: Warmest year 'one of violent extremes'

  20-01-2016 20:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Global temperatures in 2015 were the warmest on record, according to data published by meteorologists in the UK and US.
  
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• 'Planet Nine' May Exist: New Evidence for Another World in Our Solar System

  20-01-2016 20:42
  
  Astronomers have found evidence for a planet 10 times more massive than Earth in the far outer solar system, orbiting about 20 times farther from the sun than distant Neptune does. "This would be a real ninth planet," one of the researchers, Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, said in a statement. Specifically, six Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) cruise around the sun on elliptical paths that all point in the same direction, even though the bodies are moving at
  
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• 'Ninth planet' may exist in solar system: US scientists

  20-01-2016 20:38
  
  A previously unknown giant planet may have been discovered lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system, US scientists announced on Wednesday.
  
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• Don't Blame Pot for Teens' IQ Drop, Study Says

  20-01-2016 20:35
  Instead, the results suggest that if teens experience a cognitive decline, other factors, such as genetics or that young person's family environment, are more likely to be responsible for the drop, the researchers said. The implications of the new findings are that "it is unlikely that the exposure to marijuana itself is causing children to show intellectual change," Isen told Live Science. Previous research on marijuana use during adolescence has yielded mixed results.
  
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• Baking-Soda Ingredient May Lower Risk of Premature Death

  20-01-2016 20:35
  Older people may be at increased risk of premature death if they have low levels of bicarbonate, a main ingredient in baking soda, in their blood, a new study suggests. The reason for the link isn't exactly clear, but it may have to do with the ill effects of having slightly acidic blood, the researchers said. Bicarbonate, a base, is a natural byproduct of metabolism that the body uses to regulate the pH level of the blood.
  
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• Science sleuths lift veil on prehistoric mass murder

  20-01-2016 20:28
  
  About 10,000 years ago, a small band of men, women and children were captured by a rival clan before being tied up, shot with arrows and bludgeoned to death.
  
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• Welsh dinosaur named 'dragon thief'

  20-01-2016 20:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 201-million-year-old dinosaur that fell out of a cliff face in Wales in 2014 is formally named Dracoraptor hanigani - the "dragon thief".
  
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• Will warming records keep tumbling?

  20-01-2016 20:05
  
  US scientists on Wednesday confirmed that 2015 was the hottest year in the hottest decade on record, and by the widest margin yet. Will the records keep tumbling?
  
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• Emergency planners plan for deadly 'Big One' earthquake

  20-01-2016 20:03
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — As military helicopters ferry search and rescue teams over the Pacific Northwest, below them are scenes of devastation from a giant earthquake that could strike the region at any time.
  
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• New tree frog genus discovered in India

  20-01-2016 20:01
  
  Researchers unveil a newly identified tree frog genus from northeastern India that eats mom’s eggs.
  
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• Spaceport Tucson: World View's New Home for Balloon Tourist Flights

  20-01-2016 19:37
  
  World View Enterprises, which aims to loft paying customers to the stratosphere beneath a giant balloon, will do so from the newly approved Spaceport Tucson in southeastern Arizona, company representatives announced Tuesday. Pima County's Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday (Jan. 19) in favor of setting up Spaceport Tucson, which the county will own but World View will operate. World View will also construct its new headquarters next to the spaceport, and will serve as anchor tenant of the ne
  
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• Undiscovered 9th planet may hide in our solar system

  20-01-2016 19:26 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists reported Wednesday they finally have "good evidence" for Planet X, a true ninth planet on the fringes of our solar system.
  
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• Scientists: Good evidence for 9th planet in solar system

  20-01-2016 19:16
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists reported Wednesday they finally have "good evidence" for Planet X, a true ninth planet on the fringes of our solar system.
  
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• "Babymoon" Turns into Zika Nightmare

  20-01-2016 19:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Californian is the latest in a string of pregnant women potentially exposed to the tropical virus
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Case made for 'ninth planet'

  20-01-2016 19:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  American astronomers say they have strong evidence that there is a ninth planet in our Solar System orbiting far beyond even the dwarf world Pluto.
  
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• Grisly fossils from Kenya reveal a 10,000-year-old massacre

  20-01-2016 19:08
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have found grisly evidence of a massacre in Kenya about 10,000 years ago, providing rare evidence of violence between groups in ancient hunter-gatherer societies.
  
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• Attack 10,000 years ago is earliest known act of warfare

  20-01-2016 19:00
  
  Human skeletons unearthed in East Africa show signs of a roughly 10,000-year-old lethal raid.
  
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• Earth's temperature depends on where you put thermometer

  20-01-2016 18:39
  WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to measuring global warming, it's all about altitude.
  
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• Meet the bugs that call your house home

  20-01-2016 18:30
  
  A census of arthropods in human homes finds plenty of diversity — but few pests.
  
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• NOAA, NASA: 2015 was Earth's hottest by a wide margin

  20-01-2016 18:29
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year wasn't just the Earth's hottest year on record — it left a century of high temperature marks in the dust.
  
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• Telecom fight leaves thousands of Canadian NetTalk users in limbo

  20-01-2016 18:24 via cbc.ca
  
  Seventy-five thousand Canadian subscribers of the internet-based phone service NetTalk are wading through a war of words between the Florida-based company and its Canadian carrier, trying to figure out why their phones aren't working.
  
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• Evidence mounts for hidden ninth planet

  20-01-2016 18:13
  
  A new analysis of bodies in the Kuiper Belt strengthens the case for an unseen planet lurking in the outer regions of our solar system.
  
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• Russian space agency scales back plans as crisis shrinks budget

  20-01-2016 17:59
  
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will spend 30 percent less on its space program in the next decade and scale back a slew of projects to save money in the face of tanking oil prices and a falling rouble, a plan presented by the country's space agency showed on Wednesday,
  
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• Last year was hottest on record globally - U.S. science agencies

  20-01-2016 17:47
  By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last year’s global average temperature was the hottest ever by the widest margin on record, two U.S. government agencies said on Wednesday, adding to pressure for deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts scientists say are needed to arrest warming that is disrupting the global climate. Data from U.S. space agency NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that in 2015, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfac
  
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• 2015 'shattered' temperature record

  20-01-2016 17:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Global temperatures in 2015 were the warmest since records began, according to data published by meteorologists in the UK and the US.
  
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• 2015 was by far hottest in modern times

  20-01-2016 17:33
  
  Blistering heat blanketed the Earth last year like never before, making 2015 by far the hottest year in modern times and raising new concerns about the accelerating pace of climate change.
  
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• 2015 is now the hottest year on record — by far

  20-01-2016 17:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Last year wasn't just the Earth's hottest year on record — it left a century of high temperature marks in the dust.
  
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• 2015 immolates previous record for hottest year

  20-01-2016 17:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Last year wasn't just the Earth's hottest year on record — it left a century of high temperature marks in the dust.
  
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• New prime number is record breaker with 22 million digits

  20-01-2016 16:47 via cbc.ca
  
  A new prime number has been discovered — and it's the biggest by almost five million digits.
  
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• Sorry, Spider-Man! You're Too Big to Scale That Wall

  20-01-2016 16:30
  
  Like spiders, a variety of critters can scurry up walls, including some species of cockroach, lizard and beetle. "If a human, for example, wanted to walk up a wall the way a gecko does, we'd need impractically large, sticky feet — our shoes would need to be a European size 145 or a U.S. size 114," study senior author Walter Federle, a professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, said in a statement. In fact, humans would need adhesive pads co
  
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• Hundreds of Tiny Bugs Are Probably Hiding in Your Home

  20-01-2016 16:29
  
  Entomologists from North Carolina State University conducted an investigation to find out just how many different arthropods — insects, spiders and other invertebrates that have segmented bodies and jointed legs — might share homes with people. Many arthropod species — like termites, bedbugs and roaches — are known to live alongside humans, and to seek out these living spaces, generally bringing a measure of discomfort and inconvenience to their hosts. The researchers vis
  
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• Raging Fires in Australia Visible from Space

  20-01-2016 16:27
  
  Australia rang in the new year with dangerous tidings: Parts of Western Australia have been battling large bushfires since the beginning of the month. The blazes seem to be easing off, but an Earth-observing satellite captured a dramatic view of the fires earlier this month, showing thick clouds of smoke hugging the nation's southwestern coast. Last week, NASA's Earth Observatory posted a photo taken Jan. 7 by the Suomi NPP satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
  
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• Dissolving Implants Could Monitor the Brain One Day, Rat Study Shows

  20-01-2016 16:26
  Electronic implants can now help treat everything from heart attacks to traumatic brain injuries. For instance, pacemakers can help keep the heart beating properly, while brain sensors can monitor patients for potentially dangerous swelling and pressure in the brain. "We are excited because this work demonstrates a new kind of implantable electronic device, with a key unique feature — complete bioresorbability — that opens up many possibilities for its use in improving health outcome
  
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• Strong Evidence Suggests a Super Earth Lies beyond Pluto

  20-01-2016 16:22 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Astronomers have found compelling hints of a huge, unseen world that may reside in the murky reaches of the Kuiper Belt
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Some Pregnant Women in US Should Be Tested for Zika Virus: CDC

  20-01-2016 16:20
  
  Some pregnant women who traveled to areas where Zika virus is spreading should be tested for the disease, health officials announced today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today (Jan. 19) that pregnant women should be tested for Zika virus if they have two or more symptoms of the disease — such as fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes — and if these symptoms appeared during or within two weeks of travel to an area where the virus is spreading. Pregnant women also sh
  
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• Melanoma May Be Deadlier in Pregnant Women

  20-01-2016 16:19
  
  Pregnant women with the skin cancer melanoma may be more likely to die from it than women with melanoma who are not pregnant, according to a new study. Researchers found that women in the study who were diagnosed with melanoma during pregnancy or within one year of giving birth were more than five times more likely to die from the skin cancer than women with melanoma who were not pregnant. Moreover, the women with melanoma who were pregnant at the time or were recently pregnant were nearly seven
  
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• 'Water Jets' May Stem Tide of Student Obesity

  20-01-2016 16:18
  Inexpensive dispensers that bring cold, filtered water into New York City public schools may be putting a dent in the childhood obesity epidemic there. More than 40 percent of children in elementary or middle school in New York City are overweight or obese. "These are small but meaningful numbers, particularly for an intervention like this that was very low-cost to implement and can be done widely throughout New York City public schools," said Brian Elbel, an associate professor of population he
  
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• Cardiac Arrest Deadlier in a High Rise, Study Says

  20-01-2016 16:18
  People who go into cardiac arrest (their hearts stop beating) on the middle or upper floors of high-rise buildings may be less likely to survive the ordeal than those on the lowest floors, found a new study from Canada. Over the five-year study period, 4.2 percent of patients in Toronto who went into cardiac arrest while located below the third floor survived, whereas 2.6 percent of those on floors 3 and above survived, according to the study. To improve survival of people experiencing cardiac a
  
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• Rare Case of Scurvy Seen in Infant Fed Almond Milk

  20-01-2016 16:17
  In a rare case, an 11-month-old infant in Spain developed scurvy because the only food he ate was an almond-based baby formula that didn't have vitamin C, according to a new report of his case. After a few months, the child's symptoms improved, his vitamin C levels were normal and he began walking, the report said.
  
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• Brief Psychotic Breaks Remain a Mystery

  20-01-2016 16:14
  Not all psychotic episodes signal the beginning of a long-term mental health disorder like schizophrenia. The new findings, based on a review of research covering 11,133 patients, highlight how little is understood about how psychosis may progress, the researchers said. "In the history of psychiatry, it has been a challenge to understand the prognosis of brief and remitting psychotic episodes.
  
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• Lead Poisoning Threatens Michigan Kids: What Are the Risks?

  20-01-2016 16:12
  The mayor of Flint, Michigan, declared a state of emergency last week after elevated levels of lead were detected in the city's drinking water. Experts say that young children are especially susceptible to even low levels of lead because their brains are still developing. Ingesting the metal can lead to neurological problems in children, studies have shown.
  
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• Insight - Russian bombs take toll in Syria as Islamic State under pressure

  20-01-2016 16:02
  By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria are taking their toll on rebel forces, strengthening the hand of a defiant President Bashar al-Assad as the United Nations struggles to get peace talks off the ground. Insurgents in the west are being hit harder, while in eastern and central parts of the country, Islamic State is also under military pressure and is cutting fighters' pay as its oil-smuggling operations are hit by plunging prices. R
  
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