Science news

• Cockroach-inspired robots can squeeze through cracks

  08-02-2016 23:59
  
  Inspired by cockroaches that can squeeze through tiny spaces, US scientists have designed a small robot that may one day help locate people in the rubble of earthquakes, tornadoes or explosions.
  
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• Death by Meteorite? India Tragedy May Be 1st in Recorded History

  08-02-2016 23:39
  
  The incident happened Saturday (Feb. 6) when an object, thought to be a meteorite, hit a college campus in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, the Wall Street Journal reported. The impact killed a man and injured three others, the WSJ said. Officials found a 4-feet-deep (1.2 meters) crater in the ground that contained "bluish black" rock fragments, G. Baskar, the college's principal in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district, told the WSJ.
  
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• Physicists find signs of four-neutron nucleus

  08-02-2016 23:08
  
  Strong evidence of a tetraneutron, an atomic nucleus with four neutrons but no protons, defies physicists’ theoretical expectations.
  
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• Robo-roaches designed to search rubble during earthquakes

  08-02-2016 22:18 via cbc.ca
  
  When buildings collapse in future disasters, the hero helping rescue trapped people may be a robotic cockroach.
  
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• Snug as a bug: the hated cockroach inspires a helpful robot

  08-02-2016 22:15
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People use a lot of words to describe the reviled cockroach: disgusting, ugly, sneaky and repulsive, to name a few. But it may be time to add a surprising new one: inspirational.
  
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• Beyonce set to start 'Formation' world tour in April

  08-02-2016 22:01
  After a sizzling performance during the Super Bowl on Sunday and shortly after releasing the new single “Formation” and music video, Beyonce announced she would embark on a world tour in April. It will be the first major world tour by the Grammy-winning singer in three years. During the halftime Super Bowl performance with Cold Play and Bruno Mars she dominated the conversation on social media.
  
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• Colombia says rebels must free hostages before any peace talks

  08-02-2016 21:47
  The National Liberation Army, Colombia's second-largest leftist rebel group, must release a civilian and a soldier held hostage before the government will agree to begin a peace process, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Monday. The two sides have been holding preliminary talks for more than two years while the government negotiates a peace deal in Cuba with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the country's better known leftist rebel group. The talks with FARC look set to rea
  
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• Announcement Thursday on Einstein's gravitational waves

  08-02-2016 21:36
  
  Scientists are set to make a major announcement Thursday on efforts to pinpoint the existence of gravitational waves, or ripples of space and time that transport energy across the universe.
  
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• In autism, there are social benefits of being a girl

  08-02-2016 21:17
  Infant girls at risk for autism pay more attention to social cues in faces than infant boys, according to a new study — the first one known to prospectively examine sex-related social differences in at-risk infants.
  
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• El Niño brings fears of dengue fever outbreaks

  08-02-2016 21:15
  The dengue virus affects 390 million people globally every year, and fears are that early 2016 will see an epidemic, particularly in South-East Asia, due to the predicted extreme intensity of El Niño. A new study has revealed the significant role that this monster climatic phenomenon plays in the outbreak of hemorrhagic fevers.
  
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• Asian monsoon season weakens as the Indian Ocean warms

  08-02-2016 21:15
  The variable nature of the summer monsoon season makes Southern Asia one of the most vulnerable regions to natural disasters associated with climate change, such as droughts and floods. A recent study has revealed that the warming of the Indian Ocean is reducing the intensity of the summer monsoon season and drying up the subcontinent. In a region that is home to a large part of the world's population, dynamic climate modelling represents a major challenge in the prevention of the human and econ
  
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• A new role for vitamin B6 in plants

  08-02-2016 21:15
  Vitamin B6 is essential for all living organisms. Researchers have discovered an unexpected role for this micronutrient, in relation to nitrogen metabolism. The results indicate that one of the vitamers informs the plant of its content in ammonium, a basic nitrogen compound needed for the biosynthesis of various molecules essential for life. In the future, vitamin B6 could be used to ascertain the nitrogen status of plants and eventually prevent the overuse of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, sa
  
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• An icky new hero: Roach-like robots may help in disasters

  08-02-2016 21:08
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — When buildings collapse in future disasters, the hero helping rescue trapped people may be a robotic cockroach.
  
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• This roach-inspired robot can wiggle through tight spaces

  08-02-2016 21:00
  
  Cockroaches inspired a compressible, crevice-navigating robot.
  
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• Zika Mosquitoes 'Could Reach Europe By Plane'

  08-02-2016 20:14
  
  Airlines may have to take extra precautions to prevent the spread of mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus, a top scientist has warned. Professor David Heymann, who heads the World Health Organization's Zika emergency committee, told Sky News that global air travel could allow the virus to spread to native mosquitoes in Europe. He said international borders could not stop the disease, adding: "Airlines are considering whether they need to do more spraying to stop mosquitoes hitching a ride on
  
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• Beluga researchers alarmed by number of mothers, newborns dying in St. Lawrence Estuary

  08-02-2016 20:11 via cbc.ca
  
  Researchers are sounding the alarm about beluga deaths in the St. Lawrence Estuary, after most beluga carcasses recovered in Quebec in 2015 were once again those of pregnant females, new mothers and newborn calves.
  
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• Scientists elucidate genetic underpinnings of congenital heart disease

  08-02-2016 20:10
  Mutations in the gene TBX5 have been shown to cause both rare and more prevalent forms of congenital heart disease, yet the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear. A team of researchers has now found evidence pointing to a culprit.
  
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• Restricting ketamine would have 'dire consequences' for surgery in low-resource countries, anesthesiologists warn

  08-02-2016 20:07
  Proposals to restrict access to ketamine by making it a "Schedule I" drug would have a major impact on the availability of anesthesia and surgery in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs)—where ketamine is often the only general anesthetic drug available, according to experts.
  
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• Fossil discovery: Extraordinary 'big-mouthed' fish from Cretaceous Period

  08-02-2016 20:07
  Two new plankton-eating fossil fish species of the genus called Rhinconichthys have been discovered from the oceans of the Cretaceous Period, about 92 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the planet.
  
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• Using medical marijuana to stop seizures in kids

  08-02-2016 20:06
  Desperate for relief, parents are taking unusual steps to help children plagued with seizures. The relief, however, comes in a most unlikely form: marijuana.
  
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• Living with people they bite, Zika mosquitoes hard to fight

  08-02-2016 20:03
  SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus are among the hardest species to fight because they live and breed in tub drains, dog bowls, buckets, flower pots and other places inside the houses and yards of the people they bite.
  
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• Leishmania parasites reveal their sexuality

  08-02-2016 20:02
  With 16 million people affected worldwide, mainly in developing countries, leishmaniosis (also called leishmaniasis) is a major public health problem. It is, however, a neglected disease, from the point of view of both treatment and research effort spent on it. In particular, little is yet known in biological terms about the parasites responsible, called Leishmania. How do they reproduce? How do they evolve and adapt to their environment and hosts, and to drugs, and so on? A recent study lifts t
  
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• Secondary tropical forests absorb carbon at higher rate than old-growth forests

  08-02-2016 19:54
  Forests are an important carbon sink. While most attention has focused on old-growth tropical forests, it turns out that secondary forests that re-grow after forest clearance or agricultural abandonment can sequester large amounts of carbon. A large international team of researchers found that carbon uptake in these new-growth tropical forests was surprisingly robust.
  
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• Researchers identify new Borrelia species that causes Lyme disease

  08-02-2016 19:54
  A new bacterial species that causes Lyme disease in people has been identified by researchers. The new species has been provisionally named Borrelia mayonii. Prior to this finding, the only species believed to cause Lyme disease in North America was Borrelia burgdorferi.
  
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• New strategies, tools offered for genome editing

  08-02-2016 19:54
  Bioengineers have studied alternative CRISPR-Cas9 systems for precision genome editing, with a focus on improving its accuracy and limiting 'off-target' errors.
  
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• Nanoparticle therapy that uses LDL and fish oil kills liver cancer cells

  08-02-2016 19:54
  An experimental nanoparticle therapy that combines low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and fish oil preferentially kills primary liver cancer cells without harming healthy cells, researchers report.
  
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• Long jumping earthquakes: Double dose of bad earthquake news

  08-02-2016 19:54
  A team of researchers has discovered that earthquake ruptures can jump much further than previously thought, a finding that could have severe implications on the Los Angeles area and other regions in the world.
  
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• New research identifies drug target for dengue virus

  08-02-2016 19:44
  No vaccine or drug has yet become available against the Dengue virus. A flavivirus like the newly prominent Zika virus, Dengue has become a leading cause of serious illness and death in some Asian and Latin American countries. Now a team of investigators has data suggesting that a protein in dengue virus that goes by the scientific name, NS4B, would make a promising target for antiviral drug development.
  
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• Experts urge extreme caution on 'rewilding' to save wild places

  08-02-2016 19:44
  Efforts to 'rewild' the landscape have become increasingly popular in some corners, but researchers say that scientific evidence supporting the potential benefits of this form of restoration is limited at best. As history has shown, the introduction of species into new places is often met with unexpected, negative consequences for the environment.
  
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• A Single Concussion May Triple the Long-Term Risk of Suicide

  08-02-2016 19:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A new study of mild concussions in Canadian adults suggests the risks are even higher for recreational injuries
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Veterans Affairs health system faces significant challenges, studies find

  08-02-2016 18:48
  A series of reports prepared as part of a Congressionally mandated review of the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system finds that demands on the VA will continue to increase through the end of the decade. Veterans who rely on the VA for health care are less healthy, with higher rates of chronic conditions and mental illness, than veterans who do not use the VA health system.
  
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• Higher cellulolytic activity of a vital microorganism explained

  08-02-2016 18:48
  Researchers say that a better understanding of a bacterium could lead to cheaper production of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels. Their discovery was made during an investigation into the performance of Clostridium thermocellum. The scientists found the microorganism utilizes the common cellulase degradation mechanisms known today (free enzymes and scaffolded enzyme attached to the cell), and a new category of scaffolded enzymes not attached to the cell.
  
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• Brain scars in multiple sclerosis patients reveal possible cause of taste problems

  08-02-2016 18:48
  Taste deficits appear to be more prevalent among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients than previously reported and correlate with brain lesions left by the debilitating disease, a new study has found.
  
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• Wholesome wholegrain

  08-02-2016 18:42
  When it is a matter of health, whole grain has the X factor -- or rather the BX factor -- in the form of a certain group of bioactive compounds called benzoxazinoids, or BX. Scientists have documented the uptake of these compounds in humans and their possible beneficial effect on the immune system.
  
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• New cause of strong earthquakes discovered

  08-02-2016 18:42
  A geologic event known as diking can cause strong earthquakes -- with a magnitude between 6 and 7, according to an international research team.
  
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• Nature's mirror: The code for chirality

  08-02-2016 18:42
  How information is transferred from biological molecules to crystalline surfaces could pave the way for the development of new drugs and other synthetic materials.
  
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• Climate change helps bats to spread their wings

  08-02-2016 18:42
  Climate change is most likely behind the spread of a type of vesper bat across Europe over the last four decades. Kuhl's pipistrelle has extended its range by nearly 400 percent, according to a new study. It is the first to record a range expansion for bats on such a continental scale.
  
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• Nobel medicine prize panel official resigns over inquiry

  08-02-2016 18:41
  HELSINKI (AP) — The Swedish panel that awards the Nobel medicine prize says its secretary-general, Urban Lendahl, has resigned because of an investigation into disputed stem-cell scientist Paolo Macchiarini.
  
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• Scientists propose 'pumpjack' mechanism for splitting, copying DNA

  08-02-2016 18:38
  New close-up images of the proteins that copy DNA inside the nucleus of a cell have led a team of scientists to propose a brand new mechanism for how this molecular machinery works. The scientists studied proteins from yeast cells, which share many features with the cells of complex organisms such as humans, and could offer new insight into ways that DNA replication can go awry.
  
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• Origin of sighing reflex in the brain pinpointed

  08-02-2016 18:38
  Two tiny clusters of neurons in the brain stem are responsible for transforming normal breaths into sighs, say researchers. The discovery may one day benefit patients who cannot breathe deeply on their own -- or who suffer from disorders in which frequent sighing becomes debilitating.
  
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• Multicomponent intervention linked to better sun protection for kids

  08-02-2016 18:38
  A multicomponent intervention including reminder text messages, a swim shirt for children and a read-along book was associated with increased sun-protection behaviors among young children and a smaller change in children's skin pigment, according to a new article.
  
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• Taiwan earthquake: Powerful photos show scale of devastation in Tainan

  08-02-2016 18:26
  An earthquake hit the south west coast of Taiwan at approximately 4am on 6 February during the Lunar New Year holiday, with a large number of casualties found in the Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building. Rescue efforts have blocked off all areas surrounding the buildings that have been hit, amid a desperate search to find survivors, focusing mainly on the wreckage of the 17-storey building in Tainan, where many are still missing and are expected to be buried deep under the debris. Taiwan has not witn
  
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• Millennials say one thing but do another when choosing chocolate

  08-02-2016 17:30
  Despite strong preferences for ethical chocolate in focus groups, only 14 percent of millennials in individual choice studies selected candy with ethical or social factors labeling, according to a study. In addition, a majority of millennials also prefer chocolate with clean labeling.
  
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• Long-term picture offers little solace on climate change

  08-02-2016 17:30
  Climate change projections that look ahead one or two centuries show a rapid rise in temperature and sea level, but say little about the longer picture. A new looks at the next 10,000 years, and finds that the catastrophic impact of another three centuries of carbon pollution will persist millennia after the carbon dioxide releases cease.
  
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• Traffic-related air pollution linked to facial dark spots

  08-02-2016 17:29
  A large scale study that included women from Germany and China has demonstrated a link between levels of traffic-related air pollution and air pollution-associated gases with the formation of dark spots on the skin, known as lentigenes. The most pronounced changes were observed on the cheeks of Asian women over the age of 50.
  
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• Old trees reveal Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) around 1,500 years ago

  08-02-2016 17:29
  A dendroclimatologist and his fellow researchers were able for the first time to precisely reconstruct the summer temperatures in central Asia for the past 2,000 years. This was made possible by new tree-ring measurements from the Altai mountains in Russia. The results complement the climatological history of the European Alps, stretching back 2,500 years, that the research team has published in the past.
  
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• New target, potential treatment found for unhealthy levels of fat that can occur in type 1 diabetes

  08-02-2016 17:27
  Researchers have new insight into the complex interchange that can raise blood levels of unhealthy lipids, or fat, in type 1 diabetes, and early evidence that a drug under study to block cancer cell growth can restore healthier levels.
  
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• Antiperspirant May Boost Variety of 'Bugs' Living on Your Armpits

  08-02-2016 17:21
  If you're an antiperspirant user, you probably slather on the stuff in order to wipe out odor-causing bacteria. The use of antiperspirants and deodorant alter the skin microbiome, according to a new open-access study published in the journal PeerJ on Tuesday (Feb. 2). Antiperspirants reduce the total number of bacteria dramatically, but seem to leave a more diverse group of survivors than what is seen on the underarms of people who use just deodorant or nothing at all.
  
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• Treasures Dug Up by Tomb Robbers Returned to Italy

  08-02-2016 17:20
  
  At least 45 boxes filled with archaeological treasures have been returned to Italy after they were hidden in a Geneva warehouse by a disgraced British art dealer, Swiss authorities said. Swiss investigators suspect that tomb robbers illegally dug up most of these antiquities at ancient cemeteries in central Italy's Umbria and Lazio regions, where the Etruscan civilization thrived 2,500 years ago before the rise of Rome. The Etruscans are particularly famous for producing beautiful sarcophagi, or
  
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• Whooping Cough Booster Wears Off in Teens

  08-02-2016 17:10
  A booster vaccine aimed at protecting teens against whooping cough may wear off over time, a new study suggests. In the study, researchers looked at about 1,200 cases of whooping cough (also called pertussis) that occurred among a population of about 280,000 teens in California between January 2006 and March 2015. Despite high vaccination rates against the disease among teens, there were two major outbreaks in this group in California, in 2010 and 2014.
  
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