Science news

• [Research Article] Structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rtr1 reveals an active site for an atypical phosphatase

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The atypical phosphatase involved in transcription has a nonconsensus active site and distinct reaction mechanism.
  
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• [Focus] Properly dividing with YAP

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  YAP helps to define where cells undergoing mitosis separate.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] PTEN contributes to Alzheimer's disease

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  β-amyloid-induced recruitment of PTEN to neuronal spines decreases synaptic activity in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Pain in the joint

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Lipids activate an acid-sensing channel to produce pain signals.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] New connections: Moonlighting proteins, YAP and BUB1

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A scaffolding role for YAP in cytokinesis and a role for the cell cycle kinase BUB1 at the TGF-β receptor are revealed.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Improved glucose metabolism without skeletal muscle MED13

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Mediator complex subunit MED13 suppresses genes encoding proteins involved in glucose uptake and metabolism in skeletal muscle.
  
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• [Review] Occurrence, structure, and evolution of nitric oxide synthase-like proteins in the plant kingdom

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Nitric oxide synthase is conserved in some species of algae, but not in land plants.
  
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• [Research Article] Cytokinesis involves a nontranscriptional function of the Hippo pathway effector YAP

  01-03-2016 23:58 via stke.sciencemag.org
  YAP has a nontranscriptional role in the separation of daughter cells during mitosis.
  
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• VIDEO: Photos of the moon from all angles

  01-03-2016 23:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Millions of images of the moon taken from space
  
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• Fifty shades of gray (or more): gene for graying hair identified

  01-03-2016 23:28
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They may not have settled the enduring debate over whether gray hair makes a person look distinguished or just plain old, but scientists have identified for the first time a gene behind graying hair.
  
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• Scott Kelly heads home after nearly a year in space

  01-03-2016 22:46
  
  After nearly a year orbiting the Earth, US astronaut Scott Kelly was on the cusp of coming home Tuesday after spending more time in space than any other American.
  
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• Scientists tell Justin Trudeau, premiers to rethink pipelines

  01-03-2016 22:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists have written an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers arguing spending on infrastructure for fossil fuels may not be the most productive use of resources, while a group of 50 executives from B.C.'s clean tech industry are proposing incentives to spur growth in new technologies.
  
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• Pamela Anderson asks Prime Minister to end federal subsidies for seal hunt

  01-03-2016 22:11 via cbc.ca
  
  Pamela Anderson has sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to meet her to discuss phasing out or ending federal subsidies for the East Coast commercial seal hunt.
  
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• Scott Kelly Tweets Final Sunrise as Sun Sets on One-Year Space Mission

  01-03-2016 22:05
  
  U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly bid farewell to Twitter at the end of his yearlong mission this morning with a sequence of five sunrise photos before he leaves the International Space Station. Kelly has broken the American records for most time consecutively spent in space, and data from his and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko's stay will help scientists evaluate the best ways to support humans in space for long journeys, such as a trip to Mars. Amid final preparations to leave with Kornienko and
  
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• Bright fireball spotted over Scotland

  01-03-2016 21:56 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists say a meteor was the cause of a bright flash of light reported by people across Scotland and northern England.
  
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• SpaceX pushes satellite launch, rocket landing to Friday

  01-03-2016 21:55 via cbc.ca
  
  SpaceX has again postponed an attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket and land the main stage on a barge, after three previous cancelled launch attempts in the past week.
  
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• Leonardo DiCaprio Is Kind of Right About Less Snow

  01-03-2016 20:53
  
  Snow might not be as hard to come by as Leonardo DiCaprio suggested it was during his Oscar acceptance speech Sunday night (Feb. 28), but climate trends do suggest that the actor is onto something, experts said. "Making 'The Revenant' was about man's relationship to the natural world," DiCaprio said at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The answer is yes, but only during the spring, said David Robinson, a professor in the Department of Geography at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
  
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• Fossil reveals an ancient arthropod’s nervous system

  01-03-2016 20:32
  
  A roughly 520-million-year-old fossil preserved an ancient arthropod’s ventral nerve cord and peripheral nerves.
  
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• Monarch butterflies make big comeback

  01-03-2016 20:17 via cbc.ca
  
  Monarch butterflies have made a big comeback in their wintering grounds in Mexico, after suffering serious declines.
  
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• Gene holds key to (no) grey hair: study

  01-03-2016 20:07
  
  Dyeing one's hair may no longer be the only option for keeping grey at bay, scientists said Tuesday in announcing the discovery of a gene that makes hair lose its luster.
  
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• Environmentalists take on Indian guru over festival

  01-03-2016 19:44
  
  World-famous Indian guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has come under fire for a mass festival to promote peace that environmentalists say risks damaging the delicate ecosystem of Delhi's Yamuna river.
  
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• Peugeot Citroen reveals 'real-world' fuel consumption

  01-03-2016 19:35
  
  Leading French automobile manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen published Tuesday "real-world" fuel consumption figures for three of its diesel cars, seeking to win over wary customers after the Volkswagen pollution cheating scandal.
  
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• Aerojet on track to finish AR1 rocket engine work by 2019: CEO

  01-03-2016 19:21
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc is on track to complete development of its AR1 rocket engine by 2019 as a replacement for the Russian-built RD-180 engine after receiving a funding "booster shot" from the U.S. Air Force, Chief Executive Officer Eileen Drake told Reuters on Tuesday.
  
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• By the Numbers: Astronaut Scott Kelly's Year-in-Space Mission

  01-03-2016 19:16
  
  Kelly and Kornienko launched in March 2015 and are set to return to Earth Tuesday night (March 1), landing with cosmonaut Sergey Volkov on the snow-covered steppe of Kazakhstan aboard Russia's Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft. During those 5,440 orbits, Kelly and Kornienko traveled some 143,846,525 miles (231,498,542 kilometers) at 17,500 mph (28,160 km/h).
  
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• Apple Plans to Step Up Security as Congress Debates Encryption

  01-03-2016 19:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The tech company could continue to move more security features into its iPhone processors and has hired a secure messaging specialist
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• NASA, Lockheed Martin team up to build quiet supersonic jet plane

  01-03-2016 17:58 via cbc.ca
  
  An aircraft that can fly at supersonic speeds but generates a soft sonic 'heartbeat' instead of a loud sonic boom is being designed for NASA by Lockheed Martin.
  
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• Hunt for Intelligent Aliens Should Focus on 'Transit Zone'

  01-03-2016 17:12
  
  Researchers have identified and characterized many potentially habitable alien planets via the "transit method," which notes how parent stars' light changes when orbiting worlds cross these stars' faces from Earth's perspective. Intelligent aliens could theoretically use this same strategy to discover Earth, and to determine that it has the ability to support life, scientists said. Advanced aliens who have made such a detection might try to send Earth a message to get in touch, the reasoning goe
  
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• How Gut Microbiota Impacts HIV Disease

  01-03-2016 17:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A new understanding of the role gut microbiota plays in HIV disease is beginning to emerge, suggesting potential new strategies to manage the infection
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Insight - Elections gains unlikely to shift Iran power balance fast

  01-03-2016 16:35
  Impressive gains by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in heavily handicapped elections to parliament and a clerical body are evidence of an isolated nation eager to move from theocracy to a more open democracy, but few expect a sudden shift in power. The scale of gains by Rouhani's supporters was undoubtedly a setback for hawks opposed to any opening to the West. Prominent critics of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers were defeated.
  
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• Zika Virus Linked to Guillain-Barré in New Study

  01-03-2016 16:06
  
  A new study from French Polynesia provides the strongest evidence to date of a link between the Zika virus and the rare neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), researchers said. In GBS, a person's own immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, and sometimes, paralysis in adults and children. In the new study, researchers analyzed blood samples from 42 adults who were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré between November 2013 and February 2014 during the
  
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• How to Start Exercising Again After Pregnancy

  01-03-2016 16:05
  But with a new bundle of joy, finding the time to exercise can be challenging. But postpartum physical activity doesn't have to drain your time — here are four tips to get back in action after having a baby. Gone are the days when doctors commonly recommended bed rest for pregnant women.
  
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• Remember the night you spent with Marilyn? One day you could, says scientist

  01-03-2016 16:03
  A British scientist who helped uncover the foundation of memory in the 1970s has spoken of the future possibility of visiting a "synapse surgeon" who could implant his brain with fond memories of spending the night with Marilyn Monroe.
  
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• Moving Ink: Cool Animation Tech Brings Tattoos to Life

  01-03-2016 15:40
  
  In July 2015, Oskar & Gaspar, a collective of multimedia and visual artists based in Portugal, staged a landmark event in Lisbon, Portugal, called "Ink Mapping" that used projection mapping to transform tattoos into dynamic works of art. Projection mapping combines traditional projection technology with software that conforms the projected media to fit within the boundaries of a three-dimensional surface — like a building façade — rather than a flat, rectangular screen. Th
  
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• Encryption is a 'vicious guard dog,' FBI director says

  01-03-2016 15:30 via cbc.ca
  
  FBI Director James Comey likened impenetrable digital encryption to a "vicious guard dog" Tuesday, as a high-stakes fight between privacy and national security moved from the courts to Congress.
  
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• Astronaut Scott Kelly to Return from Nearly a Year in Space

  01-03-2016 15:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  An American and a Russian are ending one of the longest stays in orbit of all time, having spent 340 days onboard the International Space Station
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Astronaut Mark Kelly Returns from Nearly a Year in Space

  01-03-2016 15:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  An American and a Russian have ended one of the longest stays in orbit of all time, having spent 340 days onboard the International Space Station
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• UK trio win 1m euro 'Brain Prize'

  01-03-2016 15:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Three British researchers win a one million-euro prize for their work on how memories are stored inside the brain.
  
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• 'Nobel' prize of neuroscience awarded to three British researchers

  01-03-2016 15:00
  
  Three British researchers have received one of the world's most coveted science prizes for work that uncovered the foundation of memory.
  
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• Deepwater Horizon Spill Altered Shipwreck Ecosystems

  01-03-2016 15:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The thriving of microbial communities in the presence of oil could put historic shipwrecks at risk
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Meteor 'fireball' sparks reports

  01-03-2016 14:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sightings of a large, bright flash in the skies over Scotland prompt 999 calls to police in Aberdeen and Inverness.
  
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• Astronauts Return To Earth After Year In Space

  01-03-2016 14:24
  
  US astronaut Scott Kelly will return from the International Space Station after becoming the first American to spend virtually a whole year continuously in space. The 52-year-old began collaborative investigations on the space station with Russian Mikhail Kornienko into how the human body adjusts to weightlessness, isolation, radiation and the stress of long duration space flight in March 2015 . NASA considers the mission crucial for future Mars explorers who will have to spend much longer in sp
  
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• 1-Year Space Mission Ends Tonight: Watch the Landing Live

  01-03-2016 14:15
  
  The first-ever yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station ends tonight, and you can watch its final moments live.
  
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• 'Space Men': Documentary Shows How Balloon Tests Paved Way to Space

  01-03-2016 14:05
  
  Ask most Americans about the early space program, and the first names mentioned will probably be Alan Shepard and John Glenn, the first NASA astronauts to reach space and orbit Earth, respectively. But a lot of work led up to these epic 1961 and 1962 flights, as the new PBS documentary "Space Men" makes clear. You can see an exclusive clip from "Space Men" here.
  
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• Pluto's North Pole Carved Up by Long Canyons (Photo)

  01-03-2016 14:05
  
  A series of canyons snakes across Pluto's frigid north polar region, a gorgeous, newly released photo of the dwarf planet reveals. The enhanced-color image, which was captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft during its historic Pluto flyby last July, shows a region informally named Lowell Regio, after Percival Lowell, the founder of Arizona's Lowell Observatory and the person who began the search that led to Pluto's discovery in 1930 (by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh). Several canyons run
  
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• NASA Astronaut Don Williams, Led Mission to Launch Jupiter Probe, Dies at 74

  01-03-2016 14:04
  
  Donald Williams, a NASA astronaut who commanded a space shuttle mission that launched the first probe to orbit Jupiter, died Tuesday (Feb. 23). Williams' death was confirmed by the Association of Space Explorers, a society of astronauts and cosmonauts. "We are sad to pass along the news that former astronaut Don Williams has passed away," the organization wrote on Facebook.
  
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• ISS: Scott Kelly hands over command of space station to Tim Kopra and prepares to go home

  01-03-2016 13:37
  Calling it "bittersweet," Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly handed over command of the International Space Station to Tim Kopra on 29 February, as he prepared to return home after enduring the longest spaceflight by an American ever. "A really smart person said to me one time, 'team work makes the dream work in space flight'," said the 52 year-old astronaut, who has participated in three previous flights. "Space flight is the biggest team sport there is, and it's incredibly important that we all work t
  
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• Pachauri charged with sexual harassment

  01-03-2016 13:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The former head of the UN climate change panel (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, is formally charged in court in a case of sexual harassment.
  
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• Really? Millennials Probably Not Too Lazy to Eat Cereal

  01-03-2016 13:16
  Millennials may not be eating cereal, but it's not because they're lazy. Internet outrage erupted last week after a New York Times food column on cereal reported that 40 percent of millennials said cereal is an inconvenient food because it requites cleanup after eating.
  
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