Science news

• This Sugar May Be New Weapon Against Fructose

  24-02-2016 23:59
  This could be the implication of a new study on mice revealing that a natural sugar called trehalose prevents a diet high in fructose, or fruit sugar, from causing fatty liver disease. "In general, if you feed a mouse a high-sugar diet, it gets a fatty liver," said Dr. Brian DeBosch, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who led the study. The mice given the trehalose also had lower body weights at the end of the study and lower levels of ci
  
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• The Science Behind Hitler's Possible Micropenis 

  24-02-2016 23:58
  History buffs know that Adolf Hitler had an undescended testicle, but a new review of his medical records suggests that der Führer also had other genital problems, including a condition called a micropenis. In fact, Hitler had a slew of below-the-belt problems, according to the new book, "Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute," (Short Books Ltd, 2015), by historians Jonathan Mayo and Emma Craigie. After reading Hitler's medical records, they said they found evidence that Hitler had a conditio
  
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• Kalamazoo Shooting: When Is a Person Brain Dead?

  24-02-2016 23:58
  But based upon the possibility that Kopf could die from her injuries, at the request of and with the permission of her parents, the team treating Kopf contacted an organ donation organization, Dr. Aaron Lane-Davies, the medical director of Bronson Children's Hospital in Kalamazoo, where Kopf is being treated, said in a statement. In the statement emailed from a hospital spokeswoman to Live Science today, Lane-Davies said that the treatment team had not yet begun to conduct a series of exams that
  
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• Alzheimer's, Stroke and Heart Disease Death Rates Rise Slightly

  24-02-2016 23:57
  The rates of death from a number of maladies, including heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's, were higher in 2015 than in 2014, a new report finds.
  
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• Bird brain? Dodos were not so dumb after all

  24-02-2016 23:48 via cbc.ca
  
  The dodo is an extinct flightless bird whose name has become synonymous with stupidity. But it turns out that the dodo was no bird brain, but instead a reasonably brainy bird.
  
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• Space projects lured $1.8 billion in venture capital last year: report

  24-02-2016 23:13
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Venture capital groups invested $1.8 billion in commercial space startups in 2015, more than in the last 15 years combined, a report by aerospace consultants the Tauri Group shows.
  
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• Banff wolf pack caught on camera taking down elk

  24-02-2016 22:49 via cbc.ca
  
  Professional photographer Christopher Martin spends a lot of his time watching wildlife, so when he spotted an elk erratically walking back and forth on a rail bridge in Banff National Park, it caught his eye.
  
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• Tiger protection in Thailand produces results

  24-02-2016 21:41
  
  Despite good efforts, the goal of doubling the global tiger population by 2022 looks impossible.
  
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• Radio flash came from galaxy 6 billion light-years away: study

  24-02-2016 21:19
  
  For nine years, astronomers have been trying to pinpoint the origins of mysterious radio flashes which erupt briefly and violently in the faraway Universe.
  
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• [Research Article] Trehalose inhibits solute carrier 2A (SLC2A) proteins to induce autophagy and prevent hepatic steatosis

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The disaccharide trehalose blocks glucose uptake in hepatocytes and induces autophagy that prevents fatty liver disease.
  
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• [Research Article] Endothelial cells decode VEGF-mediated Ca2+ signaling patterns to produce distinct functional responses

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A proangiogenic factor triggers proliferation or migration in endothelial cells by stimulating different calcium signaling patterns.
  
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• [Research Article] Dynamic regulation of neutrophil polarity and migration by the heterotrimeric G protein subunits Gai-GTP and Gγ

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Opposing effects of Gi protein a and γ subunits on the abundance of the second messenger cAMP enable neutrophil migration.
  
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• [Podcast] Science Signaling Podcast for 23 February 2016: G proteins in neutrophil migration

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The heterotrimeric G protein subunits Gαi and Gβγ make distinct contributions to neutrophil migration.
  
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• [Focus] Mystery solved: Trehalose kickstarts autophagy by blocking glucose transport

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Trehalose may be a silver bullet in the therapeutic arsenal against proteostasis and metabolic disorders.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] New connections: Interpreting calcium signals

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Single-cell and computational analysis reveals how cells decode calcium signals.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] NEK7 activates NLRP3

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A kinase that mediates mitosis is required for activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] lncRNAs promote gene expression, too

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  GAL lncRNAs in yeast induce gene transcription by enabling gene-looping through the formation of RNA-DNA hybrids.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Epidermal signals confine dendrites

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Intercellular signaling from the epidermis maintains proper dendritic patterning in Drosophila sensory neurons.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Bacteria give that full feeling

  24-02-2016 21:12 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Peptides produced by stationary phase bacteria trigger satiety signals.
  
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• Acidic oceans stifling coral growth: study

  24-02-2016 20:53
  
  Scientists unveiled the first smoking-gun evidence Wednesday that growing ocean acidity caused by global warming is already stifling growth of vital coral reefs.
  
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• Iran opposition figure Karoubi to vote in elections-son

  24-02-2016 19:14
  Iranian opposition figure Mehdi Karoubi, under house arrest since 2009, will cast his vote in elections on Friday, his son said in a Facebook posting, a move that may provide a boost to reformist candidates close to President Hassan Rouhani. This would be the first time that Karoubi will vote in any election since his arrest.
  
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• French Berenson robot programmed to use 'artificial taste' to judge works of art

  24-02-2016 19:11
  Strolling through the exhibition halls of Paris' Quai Branly museum of indigenous art, a little robot in a bowler hat has learned to become a silent art critic. The Berenson robot, developed in France in 2011 and named after American art expert Bernard Berenson, is the brainchild of anthropologist Denis Vidal and robotics engineer Philippe Gaussier. Its programming allows it to record reactions of museum visitors to certain pieces of art and then use the data to develop its own unique taste, whi
  
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• Radio flash tracked to faraway galaxy

  24-02-2016 19:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronomers pinpoint the source of an explosive 'fast radio burst' for the very first time, and use it to measure the density of the cosmos.
  
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• Fast radio burst tracked to its galaxy of origin

  24-02-2016 19:00
  
  After years of searching, astronomers finally track an elusive cosmic radio signal to its home: a galaxy about 6 billion light-years away.
  
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• Obama cautious on Syria plan as opposition yet to commit

  24-02-2016 18:38
  By Jeff Mason and Tom Perry WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama expressed caution on Wednesday about a plan to stop fighting in Syria, while the main opposition group said it had yet to commit to the deal. Combatants are required to say whether they will agree to the "cessation of hostilities" by noon on Friday (1000 GMT), and to halt fighting at midnight Saturday. The United Nations hopes the planned halt in the fighting will provide a breathing space for Syrian peace talk
  
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• 13 Dead Bald Eagles Prompt Investigation, $10,000 Reward

  24-02-2016 18:36
  Thirteen bald eagles were found dead recently in Maryland, prompting officials to offer a reward of up to $10,000 for information about what happened to the federally protected birds of prey. Bald eagles were listed as an endangered species in the lower 48 states after the birds nearly went extinct in the 1960s.
  
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• U.S. plans more freedom of navigation moves in South China Sea - admiral

  24-02-2016 18:29
  By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Command told a congressional committee on Wednesday he will carry out more, and more complex, freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea. "We will be doing them more, and we'll be doing them with greater complexity in the future and as the Secretary has said, we'll fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,"Admiral Harry Harris told a House Armed Services Committee hearing, referring to U.S. Defen
  
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• Lebanon: Beirut's piles of trash continue to grow after plan to export waste to Russia collapses

  24-02-2016 18:27
  A river of rubbish snakes through Beirut's northern suburbs, and vast mountains of trash surround the Lebanese capital. The government came up with a radical plan to get rid of the rubbish: shipping it to Russia. The British firm chosen to export the rubbish to Russia for disposal, Chinook Urban Mining, failed to obtain documents proving Russia had agreed to accept the waste by the deadline, annulling the deal, according to government agency the Council for Reconstruction and Development (CDR).
  
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• Obama says cautious about expectations for Syria deal

  24-02-2016 18:23
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he was cautious about raising expectations regarding the agreement to pause hostilities in Syria. But, if some progress is made in Syria, then that will lead to a political process to end the five-year-old civil war in the country, Obama told reporters after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in the Oval Office. Obama said the United States is committed to helping Jordan deal with the refugees who have fled to its borders to
  
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• Qatar and Kuwait join Gulf allies to urge against Lebanon travel

  24-02-2016 18:11
  Kuwait and Qatar on Wednesday followed the example of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in urging their citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon for safety reasons, their state news agencies reported. Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama issued statements on Tuesday calling on their citizens not to travel to Lebanon, long a favourite holiday destination for Gulf Arabs. The moves by the Gulf Arab allies came after Saudi Arabia last week suspended aid worth $3 billion to the Lebanese army over
  
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• Here's How It Felt to Discover Gravitational Waves (Kavli Hangout)

  24-02-2016 17:56
  
  When Rainer "Rai" Weiss and colleagues first proposed an audacious experiment to detect ripples in space-time, called gravitational waves, in the late 1970s, they knew the whole endeavor was a long shot. Now, four decades later, millions of people worldwide have read about the historic detection of gravitational waves as the result of Weiss and his fellow scientists' efforts: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). At the U.S. National Science Foundation's LIGO announceme
  
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• To Make a Moon Village, Think Beyond Science and Engineering (Op-Ed)

  24-02-2016 17:40
  
  Tomoya Mori is a senior at Brown University pursuing interdisciplinary studies in space exploration, multimedia and education. "Been there, done that." President Barack Obama famously used that line to help shift the world's attention from the moon to Mars as a space destination in recent years, though the debate on where to go next continues. It goes beyond the realm of science and engineering, the two fields often considered the core of space exploration, and include politics, law, architectur
  
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• Every year could bring a heat wave if climate change continues

  24-02-2016 17:26
  By Megan Rowling BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Without reductions in planet-warming emissions, blistering heat waves of the strength that now typically occur once every 20 years could happen annually on 60 percent of the Earth's land areas by 2075, scientists have warned. The researchers said a worsening of extreme heat could have potentially deadly effects. "Imagine the hottest day that you can remember and instead of 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit), it's now 45 degrees
  
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• The 5 questions around Apple's 'perilous' fight with the FBI

  24-02-2016 17:00 via cbc.ca
  
  There have been a lot of headlines, hot takes and misunderstanding about Apple's legal fracas with the FBI and U.S. government. Here is what's at stake.
  
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• Now you can click 'sad' or 'angry' instead of 'like' on Facebook

  24-02-2016 16:42 via cbc.ca
  
  Facebook has started making "haha," "angry" and four other responses available around the world for those who think "like" just isn't an appropriate response to a friend's post.
  
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• No aping: study finds toddlers can invent tools

  24-02-2016 16:32
  
  Toddlers can figure out how to make and use simple tools without being taught, said a study Wednesday that defies conventional wisdom and earlier research.
  
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• Weedkiller traces found in 'organic' panty liners in France, Canada

  24-02-2016 16:18
  
  Some 3,000 boxes of "organic" women's panty liners have been yanked from the shelves in France and Canada after they were found to contain tiny amounts of pesticide, Italian manufacturer Corman said Wednesday.
  
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• Fukushima meltdown alert 'was delayed'

  24-02-2016 16:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant hit by the 2011 tsunami admits it should have announced a nuclear meltdown at the site sooner.
  
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• Biggest fireball since Chelyabinsk streaks over Atlantic Ocean

  24-02-2016 16:03 via cbc.ca
  
  A fireball hit the Earth with nearly the energy of a Hiroshima-type atomic bomb earlier this month, making it the most powerful meteor strike since a 2013 event that injured more than 1,000 people in Russia.
  
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• Vaginal Ring Offers Hope in HIV Prevention

  24-02-2016 16:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A ring that dispenses an antiviral drug is a step in the long, difficult slog to achieve HIV prevention
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Body Bioelectronics: 5 Technologies that Could Flex with You

  24-02-2016 15:49
  
  As "smart" electronics get smaller and softer, scientists are developing new medical devices that could be applied to — or in some cases, implanted in — our bodies. We want to solve the mismatch between rigid wafer-based electronics and the soft, dynamic human body, said Nanshu Lu, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin. Lu, who previously studied with John Rogers, a soft-materials and electronics expert at the U
  
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• How Cuckoos Lay Deceptive Blue Eggs: It's in Their Genes

  24-02-2016 15:47
  
  Now, scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have solved one piece of the egg puzzle: The gene that causes cuckoos to lay blue eggs is determined by the mother alone. "The enigma for scientists is the distinct colors and patterns of eggs mimicking different host species," said lead study author Frode Fossøy, a research scientist in the Department of Biology at NTNU. Male birds have ZZ and females have ZW, and so the gene for blue eggs could be carried on th
  
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• Kinky Spiders: Males Tie Up Partners During Sex

  24-02-2016 15:45
  
  By restraining their partners, male spiders reduce their chances of falling victim to sexual cannibalism, a new study finds. Prior studies described the male spider's unusual mating behavior — wrapping silk around the female's legs before and during copulation — and the scientists wondered if longer legs would help males restrain their hungry mates, leaving the guys more likely to survive cannibalism sparked during the throes of passion. In some insect and spider species, sex can be
  
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• Surprise! Sharks Have 'Social Lives'

  24-02-2016 15:42
  
  While these apex predators were typically thought to lead mostly solitary lives, a new study finds that sand tiger sharks may be a lot more social than scientists had suspected. Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) go by a number of common names, including grey nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark, slender-tooth shark and ground shark.
  
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• Dodo Birds Weren't 'Dodos' After All

  24-02-2016 15:32
  
  Dodos weren't as dumb as their reputation suggests. New research finds that these extinct, flightless birds were likely as smart as modern pigeons, and had a better sense of smell. Dodos (Raphus cucullatus) had gone extinct by 1662, less than 100 years after their island home of Mauritius became a destination for Dutch explorers.
  
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• Readers respond to blue tarantulas, multiparticles and white outs

  24-02-2016 15:15
  Readers respond to the January 9, 2016 issue of Science News withthoughts on blue tarantulas, multiparticles, and avalanches.
  
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• Syrian army battles Islamic State for third day near key road

  24-02-2016 15:11
  AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army and Islamic State militants waged fierce battles on Wednesday around Khanaser, a strategic town southeast of Aleppo, where an attack by the jihadist group has cut the main land route to the city during three days of fighting. A government military source denied reports Khanaser had fallen to Islamic State. "They are around Khanaser - it is under their sniper fire," the source told Reuters.
  
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• What Whales Do at Night

  24-02-2016 15:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  New technology helps researchers make better nighttime observations and devise conservation plans for the aquatic mammals
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Celebrating a new way to listen to the universe

  24-02-2016 15:00
  Editor in Chied Eva Emerson reflects on the detection of gravitational waves as a historic moment for physics.
  
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• ‘Selfish’ DNA flouts rules of inheritance

  24-02-2016 14:00
  
  R2d2 is selfish DNA that could skew scientists’ views of adaptation and evolution.
  
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