Science news

• Study: Juneau Ice Field to shrink if warming continues

  25-03-2016 22:43
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A Rhode Island-size ice field in the mountains behind Alaska's capital could disappear by 2200 if climate-warming trends continue, according to a University of Alaska Fairbanks study.
  
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• Saturn's Moons and Rings May Be Younger Than the Dinosaurs

  25-03-2016 21:22
  
  Some of Saturn's icy moons may have been formed after many dinosaurs roamed the Earth. New computer modeling of the Saturnian system suggests the rings and moons may be no more than 100 million years old. A new computer model suggests that the Saturnian moons Tethys, Dione and Rhea haven't seen the kinds of changes in their orbital tilts that are typical for moons that have lived in the system and interacted with other moons over long periods of time.
  
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• See a Green Comet in the Night Sky: Where and When to Look

  25-03-2016 21:20
  
  Comet LINEAR (formally designated 252P) is coming into view for observers in the Northern Hemisphere during the last few days of March. From the Southern Hemisphere, observers have recently been able to spot the comet with the naked eye in very dark areas. Although the moon's light will flood the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, the comet may be visible with binoculars in a sufficiently dark area.
  
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• With the Right 'Words,' Science Can Pull Anyone In (Op-Ed)

  25-03-2016 21:15
  
  Paul Sutter is an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University and the chief scientist at COSI Science Center. Sutter is also host of the podcasts Ask a Spaceman and RealSpace, and the YouTube series Space In Your Face. The language that physicists and astronomers use to describe the natural world around us and the vast cosmos above us is just that — mathematics.
  
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• You're Surrounded: New Tech Unleashing 3D Audio

  25-03-2016 21:08
  
  David Pedigo is the senior director of learning & emerging trends at CEDIA. With movies like "Mockingjay: Part 2," "Sicario" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," we're becoming genuinely immersed in the action of these films through a new approach to audio.
  
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• 6 of the World's Best Cities to Be a Scientific Genius

  25-03-2016 21:06
  More than a backdrop to innovation, certain cities in the United States and around the world have emerged as active innovation centers, where forward-thinking public and private-sector investment is focused on attracting scientists and other innovators to live and work in the region. Do you live in a global innovation hub?
  
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• Isaac Newton's Recipe for Magical 'Philosopher's Stone' Rediscovered

  25-03-2016 21:00
  One of Isaac Newton's 17th-century alchemy manuscripts, buried in a private collection for decades, reveals his recipe for a material thought to be a step toward concocting the magical philosopher's stone. The "philosopher's stone" was a mythical substance that alchemists believed had magical properties and could even help humans achieve immortality. The manuscript turned up at an auction at Bonhams in Pasadena, California, on Feb. 16, where the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in Philadelphia
  
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• Tiny Artificial Life: Lab-Made Bacterium Sports Smallest Genome Yet

  25-03-2016 20:59
  An artificial bacterial genome with the smallest number of genes needed for life has been created in a lab, opening the way for creating synthetic organisms with customized sets of genes aimed at specific tasks, such as eating oil. The newly created bacterium, which can metabolize nutrients and self-replicate (divide and reproduce), brings the team one step closer to building custom artificial life with particular functionalities, they said. The artificial bacterium has only 473 genes, compared
  
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• Storm Katie is set to bring a depressing end to your sunny bank holiday weekend...

  25-03-2016 19:56
  
  Really, really sorry about that.
  
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• Coral larvae feed on their baby fat

  25-03-2016 19:00
  
  Free-floating corals use their baby fat to survive.
  
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• Baby seal found 4 miles from water in San Francisco Bay Area

  25-03-2016 18:43
  
  FREMONT, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a baby seal made it 4 miles from the water to the front yard of a home in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  
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• Apple says iPhone unlocking help in drug case may not be needed

  25-03-2016 18:26 via cbc.ca
  
  Apple Inc said the U.S. Justice Department's new attempts to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters without the tech giant's help could eliminate the government's need for its assistance in a similar dispute in New York.
  
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• Simple solutions for overweight kids to lose weight as the weather warms up

  25-03-2016 18:22
  Obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years nationwide. One expert says that the most effective approach to addressing weight loss in children are lifestyle-based modifications that involve parents.
  
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• Metallic ink revealed in Herculaneum papyri

  25-03-2016 18:20
  Thanks to a novel, non-invasive X-ray imaging technique (3D phase contrast tomography), scientists were able to decipher words and reconstitute an almost complete Greek alphabet from inside the very badly damaged and rolled papyrus scrolls, carbonized during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Since this discovery, scientists have continued to reveal the secrets of the Herculaneum papyri using synchrotron light. This latest scientific discovery deeply modifies our knowledge of Greek and Lat
  
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• Micro-sanctuaries key to survival of wildlife in human-dominated landscapes

  25-03-2016 18:14
  Maintaining even the tiniest wildlife sanctuaries will help preserve some biodiversity in increasingly urbanized landscapes, a new report suggests.
  
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• Cells in standby mode

  25-03-2016 18:14
  Normally, cells are highly active and dynamic: in their liquid interior, called the cytoplasm, countless metabolic processes occur in parallel, proteins and particles jiggle around wildly. If, however, those cells do not get enough nutrients, their energy level drops. During such unfavorable conditions, the cytoplasm can solidify and protect the cell from death, new research shows.
  
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• North America's oldest orangutan born in zoo dies in Seattle

  25-03-2016 18:07
  
  SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle zoo says North America's oldest orangutan born in a zoo has died after struggling with respiratory problems.
  
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• Easter's Early Arrival: How the Moon Shapes the Date

  25-03-2016 17:10
  
  This month, depending on which time zone you live in, the vernal equinox (the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere) occurred either on March 19 or March 20. This year, if you have not already noticed, Easter is going to arrive rather early: Sunday, March 27. The date of Easter has a curious link to the moon's phases.
  
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• This video of styrofoam cups disappearing in a bowl of acetone is bizarrely mesmerising

  25-03-2016 16:13
  
  Let’s Melt This want to show us what it’s like to melt polystyrene cups.
  
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• Surgery is going to be live streamed using virtual reality for the first time

  25-03-2016 16:09
  
  Dr Shafi Ahmed says it will be a “gamechanger” for healthcare innovation and education.
  
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• Apple iPhone SE: Beyond size, what you get and give up

  25-03-2016 15:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Apple's new 4-inch iPhone SE is significantly cheaper than the larger iPhone 6S. But what are the trade-offs? Here's a look at the pros and cons of Apple's newest iPhone model.
  
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• Couples' Caffeine Use Linked to Higher Risk of Miscarriage

  25-03-2016 15:41
  Couples who wish to get pregnant may want to avoid caffeine because it's associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, a new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests. But women's caffeine consumption wasn't the only factor: Among couples in which the male partner drank more than two caffeinated beverages daily before conception, there was a 73 percent higher risk of a miscarriage, according to the study.
  
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• Zika Virus Was in Brazil a Year Before It Was Detected

  25-03-2016 15:40
  The Zika virus was likely circulating in Brazil for more than a year before it was detected, according to a new genetic analysis of a small number of Zika samples from Brazil. Airline data from that time show an upsurge in the number of people traveling to the country, particularly from areas where Zika was circulating. The findings suggest that, contrary to previous speculations, fans who attended the FIFA World Cup or a championship canoe race, held in Brazil in 2014, aren't to blame for bring
  
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• Heart Attack Patients Are Getting Younger, and Sicker

  25-03-2016 15:40
  People who experience the most severe type of heart attack have become younger and more obese in the past two decades, according to a new study. This group is also increasingly more likely to smoke, and to have high blood pressure and diabetes, all of which are preventable risk factors for a heart attack, the researchers found. "On the whole, the medical community has done an outstanding job of improving treatments for heart disease, but this study shows that we have to do better on the preventi
  
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• Women with Oral HPV Also Usually Have Vaginal HPV

  25-03-2016 15:39
  Infections with the human papillomavirus (HPV) in the mouth or throat are not common, but a new study finds that about three-quarters of women who do have an oral HPV infection also have a vaginal HPV infection. The study also found that women who'd had two or more oral sex partners in the past year were three times more likely to have both oral and vaginal infections with the same strain of HPV (called a concordant infection) than women who'd had no oral sex partners in the past year. The findi
  
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• Exercise May Stave Off Cognitive Decline

  25-03-2016 15:38
  Older people who exercise may experience a slower rate of cognitive decline than those who don't exercise, according to a new study. The people in the study who did not exercise at all or who exercised very little experienced a decline in their memory and thinking skills equal to 10 extra years of cognitive aging compared with the people who were more physically active. "More and more evidence is suggesting that exercise is good for the brain, and in this observational study, we found that peopl
  
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• Is 'Cat Litter' Parasite Making You a Rageaholic?

  25-03-2016 15:37
  Uncontrollable, explosive bouts of anger such a road rage might be the result of an earlier brain infection from the toxoplasmosis parasite, an organism found in cat feces, a new study finds. In the study of more than 350 adults, those with a psychiatric disorder called Intermittent Explosive Disorder, or IED, were twice as likely to have been infected by the toxoplasmosis parasite compared with healthy individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis. The study adds to a growing body of evidence sugge
  
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• How to Avoid Zika on Spring Break

  25-03-2016 15:36
  This spring-break season, thousands of families and college students will flock to the Caribbean and other sunny locales, including areas where the mosquito-borne Zika virus is spreading. People should take precautions to avoid becoming infected with the Zika virus, doctors say. Several simple measures can help reduce the risk of Zika infection.
  
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• Looking at the bacteria inside: New method of viewing TB bacteria

  25-03-2016 14:39
  Although tuberculosis (TB) is commonly thought of as being a disease that mainly affects nineteenth century poets and Victor Hugo characters, it is still the second-most common cause of mortality from an infectious disease in the world, killing nearly three people every minute.
  
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• Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release

  25-03-2016 14:38
  An expert assessment helps quantify the amount of carbon dioxide that will be released in the Arctic following climate-related changes in the biomass.
  
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• Curcumin may help overcome drug-resistant tuberculosis

  25-03-2016 14:37
  New research indicates that curcumin -- a substance in turmeric that is best known as one of the main components of curry powder -- may help fight drug-resistant tuberculosis.
  
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• Change by the bundle: Study shows people are capable of multiple, simultaneous life changes

  25-03-2016 14:37
  People are capable of multiple, simultaneous life changes, a new study suggests. Participants in the study were tested on a variety of factors, including physical fitness, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, working memory capacity, reading comprehension and more. They also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains to examine areas known to be associated with a range of cognitive functions.
  
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• Wnt secretion preventing drugs may reduce renal fibrosis, study shows

  25-03-2016 14:36
  Renal fibrosis or the scarring of kidneys, following an injury, reduces their function and can cause kidney disease to progressively worsen. In a recent study, researchers have shown that drugs that target Wnt secretion by inhibiting Porcupine, a protein usually targeted for cancer treatment, may reduce renal fibrosis and protect the kidneys.
  
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• The first 3-D atlas of the extinct dodo

  25-03-2016 14:36
  For the first time since its extinction, a 3-D atlas of the skeletal anatomy of the dodo has been created, based upon two exceptional dodo skeletons that have remained unstudied for over a century. This atlas represents the culmination of nearly five years of work and thousands of human-hours of digital investigation on the only two associated, near-complete skeletons of the dodo in existence.
  
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• Parents think life quality is worse for teens, adults born very premature

  25-03-2016 14:36
  Parents of very premature babies are more worried about their grown up children's lives than mothers and fathers whose babies were born full term.
  
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• Antarctic birds recognize individual humans

  25-03-2016 14:36
  Brown skuas in Antarctica can discriminate individual people, even though they normally do not see many people around. Scientists studied brown skuas living in Antarctica.
  
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• Debris Belongs to Doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Experts Say

  25-03-2016 14:35
  
  Two pieces of plane debris discovered in Mozambique very likely belong to the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which went missing two years ago en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, the Australian government announced today (March 24). The Malaysian investigation team for MH370 reported that the pieces, which were discovered Feb. 27, are consistent with panels from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft, said Darren Chester, the Australian minister for infrastructure and transport. "The
  
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• Print Your Hike! 3D Keepsakes Memorialize Mountain Conquests

  25-03-2016 14:32
  
  Hikers who have conquered some of the most challenging trails and want to show off these accomplishments can now memorialize their impressive feats in stunning 3D-printed sculptures made from their GPS tracks. Nice Trails, a project started by Oscar Ardaiz, a computer science Ph.D. candidate based in Barcelona, Spain, creates models, or "trophies," that visualize GPS-tracked hiking trails, cycling trails or other mountainous routes in three dimensions. A user can simply upload and save a GPS tra
  
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• Dracula Science: How Long Does It Take for a Vampire to Drain Blood?

  25-03-2016 14:16
  
  A team of university students recently combined vampire lore with the study of fluid dynamics — the physics of how liquid behaves — to find out. Their findings, timed to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the classic vampire film "Dracula" (1931), were published online in the 2015 issue of the University of Leicester's Journal of Physics Special Topics. The student researchers considered how long a vampire could sip from a human host — easily accessed by a bite to the neck &md
  
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• Live Sumatran Rhino Captured in Indonesia

  25-03-2016 14:11
  
  A live Sumatran rhinoceros has been captured in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, a region where these critically endangered animals were thought to be extinct. A single camera-trap image and telltale footprints found in 2013 had previously revealed that Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) still survived in Kalimantan, which makes up the southern 73 percent of Borneo. Conservation groups estimate that fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos are left in the wild, most of which live on th
  
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• Mystery of Long-Lost Navy Tugboat Is Solved

  25-03-2016 14:08
  
  The disappearance of the U.S. Navy tugboat USS Conestoga 95 years ago has stymied experts for nearly a century. The tugboat and its crew of 56 officers and sailors were last seen on March 25, 1921, when the Conestoga departed Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on its way to American Samoa. But yesterday (March 23), the location of the Conestoga finally came to light.
  
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• Mercury Spacecraft Departs Cosmosphere for 3-Year Exhibit in Indiana

  25-03-2016 12:14
  
  Liberty Bell 7, the historic NASA capsule that launched the second American to space, is leaving its museum home for the home state of its astronaut pilot. The Mercury spacecraft, which was flown by Indiana-born Virgil "Gus" Grissom in July 1961, has departed its display at the Cosmosphere in Kansas for a three-year loan to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The new Schaefer Planetarium & Space Object Theater at The Children's Museum will initially showcase Liberty Bell 7 in a "dyna
  
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• Diverse yeasts make their home on coffee and cacao beans

  25-03-2016 12:00
  
  Yeasts in coffee and cacao are shaped by geography and human migration, genetic analysis finds.
  
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• British Mars rover 'Bruno' will help scientists search for life on Red Planet

  25-03-2016 10:55
  
  Scientists are currently testing rover prototypes at a giant hangar in Hertfordshire.
  
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• Synthetic bug given 'fewest genes'

  25-03-2016 10:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists take another step in their quest to understand the bare genetic essentials of life, producing a laboratory bacterium that has only 473 genes - fewer than any independent bug in nature.
  
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• Rover 'Bruno' helps scientists search for life on Mars

  25-03-2016 09:00
  
  His name is Bruno, he is British, and together with his two siblings he is helping scientists embark on one of humankind's greatest adventures - the search for life on Mars.
  
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• What's in a name? In some cases, longer life

  25-03-2016 05:00
  
  (Michigan State University) Black men with historically distinctive black names such as Elijah and Moses lived a year longer, on average, than other black men, according to new research examining 3 million death certificates from 1802 to 1970.
  
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• Unlocking the gates to quantum computing

  25-03-2016 05:00
  
  (Griffith University) Researchers from Griffith University and the University of Queensland have overcome one of the key challenges to quantum computing by simplifying a complex quantum logic operation. They demonstrated this by experimentally realizing a challenging circuit -- the quantum Fredkin gate -- for the first time.
  
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• Study finds brain's response to social exclusion is different in young marijuana users

  25-03-2016 05:00
  
  (Massachusetts General Hospital) A study from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers finds that the brains of young adult marijuana users react differently to social exclusion than do those of non-users.
  
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• Sniffing out a dangerous vapor

  25-03-2016 05:00
  
  (University of Utah) University of Utah engineers have developed a new type of fiber material for a handheld scanner that can detect small traces of alkane fuel vapor, a valuable advancement that could be an early-warning signal for leaks in an oil pipeline, an airliner, or for locating a terrorist's explosive.
  
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