Science news

• Facebook changes put bigger focus on live video

  06-04-2016 23:36 via cbc.ca
  
  Facebook is rearranging the notification panel on its mobile apps in an effort to broaden the audience creating, watching and reacting to live video on its social network.
  
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• South America's prehistoric people spread like 'invasive species'

  06-04-2016 22:24
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the first prehistoric people trekked into South America toward the end of the Ice Age, they found a wondrous, lush continent inhabited by all manner of strange creatures like giant ground sloths and car-sized armadillos.
  
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• Global warming, El Nino leave 36 per cent of coral reefs on death watch

  06-04-2016 22:08 via cbc.ca
  
  While dramatic images of unprecedented total bleaching on Australia's Great Barrier Reef are stunning the world, thousands of miles to the east conditions are somehow even worse.
  
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• [Research Article] Inhibition of class I histone deacetylases blunts cardiac hypertrophy through TSC2-dependent mTOR repression

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  HDAC inhibitors prevent pathological cardiac hypertrophy by suppressing a growth-promoting kinase.
  
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• [Research Article] Defining the stoichiometry of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate binding required to initiate Ca2+ release

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Four IP3 molecules are needed to activate the IP3 receptor.
  
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• [Perspective] IP3 receptors: Take four IP3 to open

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The requirement of four IP3 molecules to bind to activate the IP3 receptor contributes to the complex spatial organization of intracellular Ca2+ signals.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Keeping cGAS under control

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Glutamylation inhibits the cytosolic DNA sensor cGAS and suppresses antiviral immune responses.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Electromagnetogenetics for remote mind control

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A noninvasive technique enables the control of neuronal activity with radio waves or magnetic fields.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] B cells fuel pancreatic cancer

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Targeting B cells may slow the inflammatory progression of pancreatic cancer.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] An arginine sensor for mTORC1

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Binding of arginine to CASTOR1 disrupts its binding to a complex that promotes mTORC1 activity.
  
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• [Editorial Guide] Beyond canonical: The Wnt and β-catenin story

  06-04-2016 21:34 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Regulation by Wnts and β-catenin reveals the pitfalls in canonical thinking.
  
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• Level Up Showcase exhibit brings student-made video games to the public

  06-04-2016 21:28 via cbc.ca
  
  Students in Toronto will get to show off their creativity in computer and artistic design Wednesday at the Level Up Showcase, an exhibition of student-made video games.
  
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• Nearly half of natural World Heritage sites threatened by development: report

  06-04-2016 21:04 via cbc.ca
  
  Industrial activity such as mining and logging threatens almost half of the world's natural World Heritage sites, from Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru, the WWF conservation group said on Wednesday.
  
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• Exploding stars left mark on Earth

  06-04-2016 20:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two studies confirm that multiple supernovae have showered the Earth with radiation within the last few million years.
  
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• Researchers identify potent antibodies against HIV

  06-04-2016 20:03
  Researchers have isolated antibodies with a loop-like structure that binds tightly to HIV and disables it -- even in people who have never been infected by the virus. Using computer modeling, they re-engineered and optimized the antibodies' neutralizing capacity.
  
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• Plastic proteins: Synthetic material mimics essential characteristics of natural proteins

  06-04-2016 20:03
  Researchers hoping to design new materials for energy uses have developed a system to make synthetic polymers -- some would say plastics -- with the versatility of nature's own polymers, the ubiquitous proteins. Based on an inexpensive industrial chemical, these synthetic polymers might one day be used to create materials with functions as limitless as proteins, which are involved in every facet of life.
  
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• How deep does life go? Study describes microbial neighborhood beneath ocean floor

  06-04-2016 20:03
  A new study offers the first description of an active microbial community buried in cold oceanic crust at North Pond, an isolated sediment pond on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
  
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• Advance may make quantum computing more practical

  06-04-2016 20:03
  Researchers have developed a new approach to preserving superposition in a class of quantum devices built from synthetic diamonds. The work could ultimately prove an important step toward reliable quantum computers.
  
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• Saturated fats 'jet lag' body clocks, triggering metabolic disorders, study shows

  06-04-2016 18:46
  New research parses out why saturated fats are 'bad' -- and suggests that it may all be in the timing. The findings show that consumption of saturated fats (specifically palmitate) at certain times may 'jet lag' internal body clocks, triggering metabolic disorders.
  
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• For parents of autistic children, more social support means better health

  06-04-2016 18:46
  About one in 68 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Their parents consistently report greater stress levels, caregiving burden and depression than parents of typically developing children. Chronic caregiving stress has also been associated with poorer physical health -- more pain, more disruptions from physical-health problems and lower overall health-related quality of life. One powerful way to reduce their stress: social support.
  
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• Brain responses found to originate from previously unknown source

  06-04-2016 18:46
  Scientists have made an important discovery about the human auditory system and how to study it, findings that could lead to better testing and diagnosis of hearing-related disorders.The researchers detected frequency-following responses (FFR) coming from a part of the brain not previously known to emit them. FFRs are neural signals generated in the brain when people hear sounds.
  
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• Statement on use of antenatal corticosteroids in late preterm birth period

  06-04-2016 18:43
  A statement on the use of antenatal corticosteroids during the late preterm birth period for women at risk of preterm birth has been released by experts.
  
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• Existing state laws collectively require a 50 percent increase in US renewable electricity

  06-04-2016 18:43
  State renewables portfolio standards, known as RPS policies, have contributed to more than half of all renewable electricity growth in the United States since 2000. Most state RPS requirements will continue to rise through at least 2020, if not beyond, and collectively these policies will require substantial further growth in US renewable electricity supplies.
  
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• Cause of Maryland food poisoning outbreak traced to Asia

  06-04-2016 18:43
  Vibrio parahaemolyticus caused an outbreak of food poisoning in Maryland in 2010. The pathogen strain sequenced from patients proved to be the same strain as one of those found in raw oysters from local restaurants, strong evidence that the oysters were the source of the illness. That particular strain of V. parahaemolyticus was not local, but was traced to Asia, report investigators.
  
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• Yeast against the machine: Bakers' yeast could improve diagnosis

  06-04-2016 18:39
  It's easier than ever to sequence our DNA, but doctors still can't exactly tell from our genomes which diseases might befall us. Now a research team is setting out to change this by going to basics -- to our billion-year-old cousin, baker's yeast. It turns out our billion-year-old cousin can reveal -- more reliably than leading algorithms -- whether a genetic mutation is actually harmful.
  
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• Results of world's first study on new treatment for heroin addiction

  06-04-2016 18:39
  The results of the ground-breaking SALOME research show that chronic heroin addiction now has another effective treatment tool -- hyrdomorphone, a licensed pain medication.
  
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• Natural history museum professionals, biodiversity scientists identify needs

  06-04-2016 18:39
  Today, the Biodiversity Collections Network released a report that includes overarching recommendations for how the biodiversity sciences community can improve communication within the community and with key decision-makers.
  
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• Mediterranean loggerhead turtles dying in waters off the Middle East, North Africa

  06-04-2016 18:39
  Conservation biologists have found that many adult loggerhead turtles are migrating to areas of the Mediterranean where they are dying, trapped in fishing nets used by small scale fishing operations in Cyprus, the Middle East and North Africa.
  
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• Learning in the absence of external feedback

  06-04-2016 18:39
  Rewards act as external factors that influence and reinforce learning processes. Researchers have now been able to show that the brain can produce its own learning signals in cases where no such external feedback is available. A report on the mechanisms underlying these self-generated feedback signals has been published, and shows clear parallels between the neurobiological processes involved in learning based on external and self-generated feedback.
  
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• Is there association between MC1R and melanoma risk after controlling for sun?

  06-04-2016 18:39
  There is a well-described association between UV radiation exposure from the sun and the development of melanoma. The development of melanoma independent of sun exposure has only recently been described in mice.
  
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• For young people with schizophrenia, physical and mental exercises offer hope

  06-04-2016 18:39
  Researchers have found a promising way to tackle the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. When combined with antipsychotic medication, a rigorous regime of mental and physical exercise can repair what is the most debilitating aspect of the mental illness: deficits in memory, problem solving, speed of processing and social intelligence. More than anything, these deficits are what tend to result in individuals with schizophrenia becoming disabled.
  
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• Italian police use tear gas, water cannon in Naples anti-Renzi protests

  06-04-2016 18:07
  Italian police fired tear gas and water cannon on Wednesday during running battles with protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi during a visit to the southern city of Naples. Renzi, in Italy's third-largest city to discuss plans for the urban development of a former industrial site, was greeted by a hostile group of 1,500 people, some of whom threw fireworks and stones and tried to force police road blocks. The protesters, who oppose the redevelopment plans which they say ha
  
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• Mama birds pay attention to more than chicks’ begging

  06-04-2016 18:00
  
  Whether a mama bird decides to feed her offspring depends on more than just who begs most — her environment is a big factor, a new study finds.
  
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• Cambodia launches plan to reintroduce tigers from abroad

  06-04-2016 17:44 via cbc.ca
  
  Cambodia has unveiled a plan to reintroduce tigers from abroad into the dry forests of the country, where the big cat has become virtually extinct thanks to poaching, conservation officials said Wednesday.
  
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• Distant Volcanic Roars Reveal Eruption Hazards

  06-04-2016 17:39
  
  The roar of a volcano erupting on a remote Alaska island reveals important details about the blast, such as its size and location, a new study reports. Armed with this new information, scientists in Alaska are listening to volcanoes to better pinpoint eruption hazards. "Sound waves are very good at telling you about how, when and where a volcano is erupting," said lead study author David Fee, a research assistant professor at the Alaska Volcano Observatory and Wilson Alaska Technical Center in F
  
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• 42 Tombs and a Shrine Discovered in Egypt

  06-04-2016 17:38
  
  Forty-two rock-cut tombs and a shrine decorated with a winged sun disc have been found along the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. "This is actually a major hub of commerce, worship and possibly political [activity]," said John Ward, assistant director of the Gebel el Silsila Survey Project. Survey project mission director Maria Nilsson, Ward and their colleagues have been discovering much more than that at the site, however.
  
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• Wrong Baby Daddy? It's Not Likely, Science Says

  06-04-2016 17:21
  Contrary to what daytime talk shows might have you believe, men are rarely hoodwinked into raising children who aren't their own, according to several recent studies. The findings challenge the evolutionary idea that "women 'shop around' for good genes" for their children by having sex outside a monogamous relationship, said Maarten Larmuseau, a researcher at the Belgian university KU Leuven who wrote a review article on the topic, published today (April 5) in the journal Trends in Ecology &
  
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• Think Fast! Caffeine Speeds Up Older Adults' Reaction Time

  06-04-2016 17:21
  Coffee has been linked to a slew of health benefits, and now, a new study suggests that it may improve reaction time in older adults. In the study, presented today (April 5) here at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's annual meeting, researchers set out to examine the effects of caffeine on a number of cognitive abilities in healthy, older adults. Ultimately, their goal is to see what role caffeine may play in treating dementia, said Kanchan Sharma, a neurology researcher at the University of B
  
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• Brains Scans Reveal How People with Insomnia May Be Wired Differently

  06-04-2016 17:19
  To sleep, perchance to dream … and to keep your brain working: Scientists have long known about the importance of getting a good night's sleep to improve memory, learning and mental health. But the underlying cause of primary insomnia — a chronic inability to sleep soundly that's not associated with the use of stimulants, or medical disorders such as depression — has eluded researchers. Now, a small study comparing healthy participants to patients who have primary insomnia has
  
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• Lip-readers ‘hear’ silent words

  06-04-2016 16:57
  
  Lipreading prompts activity in the brain’s listening area.
  
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• Young, unattached Jupiter analog found in solar neighborhood

  06-04-2016 16:32
  A team of astronomers has discovered one of the youngest and brightest free-floating, planet-like objects within relatively close proximity to the Sun.
  
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• Separatist forces lose 50 troops in four days of Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

  06-04-2016 16:30
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Armenian-backed forces have lost 50 fighters, including 20-30 who are missing, in four days of renewed clashes with Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, RIA news agency reported on Wednesday. RIA cited the separatists' Moscow-based representative as saying more than 100 fighters were wounded, RIA reported. (Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov)
  
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