Science news

• Diminutive 'Hobbit' people vanished earlier than previously known

  30-03-2016 23:45
  By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The extinct human species dubbed the "Hobbit" vanished from its home on the Indonesian island of Flores far earlier than previously thought, according to scientists who suspect our species may have had a hand in these diminutive people's demise. Researchers on Wednesday said they recalculated the age of bones of the species, named Homo floresiensis, found inside a Flores cave, and determined it disappeared about 50,000 years ago rather than 12,000 years ago
  
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• Antarctic melt to 'double sea-level rise'

  30-03-2016 23:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sea levels could rise by more than double the current estimate over the next 100 years, according to a new analysis of climate change in Antarctica.
  
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• Merkel's conservatives and Greens to start coalition talks in western state

  30-03-2016 22:58
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats agreed on Wednesday to hold coalition talks with the Greens in one western state, a party spokesman said, potentially fuelling a debate on whether the two could form a national government next year. An alliance between the two parties in the wealthy state of Baden-Wuerttemberg could be seen as a template for a national government after an election in 2017. The environmentalist Greens became the strongest party in a state for the first time in
  
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• Writing Sci-Fi? First Understand How Elephants Aren't Dragonflies (Op-Ed)

  30-03-2016 22:54
  
  Ken Liu is an author and translator of speculative fiction, as well as a lawyer and programmer. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards, he has been published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov's, Analog, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed and Strange Horizons, among others. Ken's debut novel is "The Grace of Kings" (Saga, 2015), the first in a silkpunk epic fantasy series.
  
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• Average snowpack could prolong California water conservation

  30-03-2016 22:50
  
  ECHO SUMMIT, California (AP) — A nearly average spring snowpack in the Sierra Nevada will likely prolong tough water conservation measures in drought-stricken California — although the restrictions could be loosened in some areas after an El Nino storm system drenched the northern half of the state this winter, officials said Wednesday.
  
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• Age of 'Hobbit' species revised

  30-03-2016 22:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The diminutive human species nicknamed "the Hobbit" probably went extinct at least 50,000 years ago - not the 12,000 years ago initially thought to be the case.
  
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• Majority of scientists back staying in the EU, poll finds

  30-03-2016 22:42
  
  British scientists were more in favour of the UK being part of the EU than their continental colleagues.
  
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• AUDIO: 'Hobbit' species older than thought

  30-03-2016 22:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The diminutive human species nicknamed "the Hobbit" probably went extinct at least 50,000 years ago - not the 12,000 years ago initially thought to be the case.
  
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• Eat beans and you'll lose weight according to new research

  30-03-2016 22:29
  
  Participants in a study lost weight by eating a 130 gram serving of pulses each day without making dietary changes.
  
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• Should C-section babies get wiped down with vagina microbes?

  30-03-2016 22:21
  
  A study suggests that a post-birth rubdown with vaginal fluid offers starter microbes to babies born by C-section. But it might not always be a good idea.
  
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• Microsoft chatbot Tay accidentally turned back on, spams Twitter

  30-03-2016 22:09 via cbc.ca
  
  Almost a week after being shut down for spewing racist and sexist comments on Twitter, Microsoft Corp's artificial intelligence 'chatbot' called Tay briefly rejoined Twitter on Wednesday only to launch a spam attack on its followers.
  
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• Home internet is essential, but too pricey, CRTC survey suggests

  30-03-2016 21:57 via cbc.ca
  
  Canadians rely on home internet more than any other telecommunications service, but most are dissatisfied with the price, suggests a new survey commissioned by Canada's telecommunications regulator.
  
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• University of Toronto rejects calls to dump holdings in fossil fuel industry

  30-03-2016 21:53 via cbc.ca
  
  The University of Toronto has rejected recommendations to sell off its fossil fuel investments, but says it will consider environmental, social and governance factors in making investment decisions.
  
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• 'Dancing' tadpoles discovered in India

  30-03-2016 21:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new tadpole that burrows through sand is discovered in the Western Ghats of India, scientists report.
  
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• A Hidden Factor in Stroke Severity: The Microbes in Your Gut

  30-03-2016 21:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A new study in mice demonstrates that manipulating the microbiome can influence the extent of brain damage caused by a stroke
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• Tiny gravity gadget to peer underground

  30-03-2016 21:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UK researchers build a device the size of a postage stamp that measures tiny fluctuations in gravity and could help monitor volcanoes or search for oil.
  
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• California snowpack nearly average _ won't end drought

  30-03-2016 21:05
  
  ECHO SUMMIT, California (AP) — State water surveyors found a barely average snowpack in the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, setting the stage for tough decisions to come on water conservation requirements for California residents.
  
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• VIDEO: Dog 'sniffs out' diabetes danger

  30-03-2016 20:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 13-year-old girl from Lancashire with diabetes says she has taught her dog, Pip, to sniff out changes in her blood sugar levels.
  
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• NASA Considers Its Next Flagship Space Telescope

  30-03-2016 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The space agency has embarked on a long and arduous process to select a new grand space observatory that will meet the needs of astronomers in the mid-2030s
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• Ancient Assyrians buried their dead with turtles

  30-03-2016 20:00
  
  Why did ancient Assyrians bury their dead with turtles? The reptiles may have served as symbolic protectors of the dead.
  
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• Weird, Oozing Super-Earth Planet Has Hot Nights, Even Hotter Days

  30-03-2016 19:49
  The first super-Earth planet to get its photo taken may be superweird and superhot, and perhaps have super-runny lava in spots on its surface, researchers said. Astronomers investigated the alien planet 55 Cancri e, the innermost of five known planets orbiting the star 55 Cancri, located about 41 light-years from Earth. This exoplanet is a super-Earth, a rocky world nearly twice Earth's width and eight times its mass.
  
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• Bugs and bees will be better off if the UK stays in the EU, charity says

  30-03-2016 19:45
  
  It will be Boris versus the bees, by the sounds of it.
  
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• Congo opposition parties endorse powerful ex-governor for president

  30-03-2016 19:23
  By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Leading opposition parties in Democratic Republic of Congo endorsed a prominent former governor, Moise Katumbi, for president on Wednesday, hoping to rally support for an alternative to President Joseph Kabila. The multi-millionaire Katumbi governed Congo's southeastern copper mining heartland from 2007 until last September when he quit Kabila's ruling party, accusing it of plotting to keep the president in power beyond the country's two-term limit. Kabila, who
  
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• Study: Indonesia "hobbit" fossils older than first thought

  30-03-2016 19:11
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — It was a spectacular discovery: Fossil remains in an Indonesian cave revealed a recent relative of modern humans that stood about 3 feet tall. The creatures were quickly nicknamed "hobbits."
  
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• Study: Antarctic ice may melt faster than expected

  30-03-2016 19:07
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Warmer air, less frigid water and gravity may combine to make parts of Antarctica's western ice sheet melt far faster than scientists had thought, raising sea levels much more than expected by the end of the century, according to a new study.
  
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• The world is losing basic navigation skills due to its dependance on satnav, apparently

  30-03-2016 19:02
  
  A leading expert argues navigation and map reading should be on the school curriculum as we’re all too reliant on technology.
  
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• Hobbits died out earlier than thought

  30-03-2016 19:00
  
  Tiny Indonesian hominids disappeared earlier than thought, around 50,000 years ago.
  
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• Astronomers Create the First Heat Map of a Super-Earth

  30-03-2016 19:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The super-Earth 55 Cancri e may have a magma ocean or windblown clouds of vaporized rock
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Astronomers Create First Heat Map of a Super-Earth

  30-03-2016 19:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The super-Earth 55 Cancri e may have a magma ocean or windblown clouds of vaporized rock
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• VIDEO: Race to save Japan's lost satellite

  30-03-2016 18:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists and engineers in Japan are scrambling to save a satellite and more than a quarter of a billion dollars of investment tumbling out of control in space.
  
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• Ash coats village areas near erupting Alaska volcano

  30-03-2016 18:40 via cbc.ca
  
  A village not far from an erupting Alaska volcano urged residents to stay indoors after the mountain rained down ash, coating ground areas and turning some rooftops and car windows black.
  
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• This eclipse goes on and on

  30-03-2016 18:12
  
  The longest known stellar eclipse hides a nearby star for nearly 3.5 years behind a thick clump of orbiting dust once every 69 years.
  
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• Improved California spring snowpack won't end drought

  30-03-2016 18:03
  
  FRESNO, California (AP) — California drought surveyors will trudge through deep snow Wednesday to manually measure what could be close to a normal Sierra Nevada snowpack for this time of year, a key indicator of the state's water condition.
  
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• 5G researchers aim to turn science fiction into reality

  30-03-2016 17:51
  Researchers are working to create a new mobile network which could enable remote surgery and driverless cars.
  
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• Space rock smashing into Jupiter captured by amateur astronomers

  30-03-2016 17:45 via cbc.ca
  
  A comet or asteroid zipping through space smashed into Jupiter earlier this month, with the impact captured on video by two amateur astronomers on Earth.
  
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• TV service complaints outnumber all others, Canadian regulator says

  30-03-2016 16:30 via cbc.ca
  
  Canada's top telecom regulator gets more complaints about television service than it does about all other forms of telecom put together, the watchdog said in its semi-annual report yesterday.
  
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• Space Walk of Fame to Auction Astronaut-Donated Artifacts to Benefit Museum

  30-03-2016 16:28
  
  A fragment from a recovered rocket, a segment of netting used on the surface of the moon and a chunk of landing gear tire from a space shuttle are among the more than 200 historic NASA artifacts being auctioned this week to benefit a Florida museum devoted to honoring and preserving space history. The U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum, located near the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida, has organized the charity auction to support its educational programs and exhibits. The U.S. Space Walk
  
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• Viva 'Mars World': Las Vegas May Get Red Planet Experience

  30-03-2016 16:27
  
  A consortium that includes a renowned space designer wants to build an immersive experience called "Mars World" near the famed Las Vegas Strip by 2021. The multi-acre simulated city will rise on yet-to-be purchased land somewhere between the I-15 freeway and Las Vegas Boulevard, if all goes according to plan. Visitors will be treated to the music, costumes and culture of a Mars colony.
  
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• Twin Suns Hurl Tatooine-Like Planets into Interstellar Space

  30-03-2016 16:27
  
  In "Star Wars," the planet Tatooine orbited twin stars. Rather, they exist in binary systems — where two stars orbit each other — or in systems with even more stars living together. Many scientists once doubted that circumbinary planets — worlds that orbit both the stars in a binary system — could exist.
  
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• Russian Meteor Fragments Showcased in New 'Infinity Pen'

  30-03-2016 16:27
  A team of entrepreneurs launched the "Infinity Pen" project — which will include a tiny chunk of the asteroid that exploded over Russia in February 2013 in the titular pen — on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter today (March 29). "We wanted to design something that puts this amazing piece of the universe in the palm of your hands," Infinity Pen founder James Glass said in a statement. The team sourced the Chelyabinsk rocks from a reputable meteorite broker and has enough material to m
  
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• Ice wall at Fukushima nuclear plant gets turned on this week

  30-03-2016 14:38 via cbc.ca
  
  Japanese regulators have approved the use of a giant refrigeration system to create an unprecedented underground frozen barrier around buildings at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in an attempt to contain leaking radioactive water.
  
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• 'Unicorns' Lumbered Across Siberia 29,000 Years Ago

  30-03-2016 13:36
  
  Large, four-legged beasts, each with a single horn growing from its head, once ambled across part of western Siberia, in what is now Kazakhstan. Sometimes referred to as "unicorns" because of their single horns, these animals were originally thought to have gone extinct 350,000 years ago. A 1923 publication by paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn estimated the creatures to be larger than any of the modern rhino species.
  
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• Experts Doubt Claims of 'Hidden Chambers' in King Tut's Tomb

  30-03-2016 13:34
  
  Radar experts are casting doubt on claims that King Tutankhamun's tomb contains hidden, undiscovered chambers — and they're calling for more data to be released. At a March 17 newsconference, officials at Egypt's antiquities ministry released radar data that they said showed the presence of hidden cavities inside the tomb of King Tut. The scans, carried out by Japanese radar technologist Hirokatsu Watanabe, "suggest the presence of two empty spaces or cavities beyond the decorated North an
  
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• New smartphone-shaped handgun is the ultimate 'concealed carry' weapon

  30-03-2016 09:49 via cbc.ca
  
  Gun enthusiasts are rushing to order a new, 380-calibre pistol that's been designed to resemble a smartphone.
  
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• When women feel their partner demands perfection, sex life suffers

  30-03-2016 06:00
  
  (University of Kent) Women who perceive that their sexual partner is imposing perfectionist standards on them may suffer sexual dysfunction as a result, psychologists at the University of Kent have found.
  
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• USDA announces $5.2 million for nanotechnology research

  30-03-2016 06:00
  
  (National Institute of Food and Agriculture ) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced an investment of more than $5.2 million to support nanotechnology research at 11 universities.
  
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• Urban collective design environment online: EU launches the U_CODE Project

  30-03-2016 06:00
  
  (Technische Universität Dresden) A new Europe-wide research project under the aegis of the TU Dresden WISSENSARCHITEKTUR Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Rainer Noennig) will develop methods and processes that shall enable the involvement of the citizens and help to prevent escalations.
  
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• UC San Diego cybersecurity expert honored with ACM-Infosys Foundation Award

  30-03-2016 06:00
  
  (University of California - San Diego) The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Infosys Foundation announced today that Stefan Savage, a computer scientist at the University of California, San Diego, is the recipient of the 2015 ACM-Infosys Foundation Award in the Computing Sciences. He was cited for innovative research in network security, privacy and reliability that has taught us to view attacks and attackers as elements of an integrated technological, societal and economic syste
  
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• Tracking deer by NASA satellite

  30-03-2016 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Mule deer mothers are in sync with their environment, with reproduction patterns that closely match the cycles of plant growth in their habitat. And new research using NASA satellite data shows that tracking vegetation from space can help wildlife managers predict when does will give birth to fawns.
  
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• The impact of anti-odor clothing on the environment

  30-03-2016 06:00
  
  (American Chemical Society) Anti-odor athletic clothes containing silver nanoparticles have gained a foothold among exercise buffs, but questions have arisen over how safe and effective they are. Now scientists report in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology that silver nanoparticles and coatings do wash off of commercially available garments in the laundry but at negligible levels. They also found that even low concentrations of silver on clothing kept microbes at bay.
  
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