Science news

• Ted Cruz wins Wyoming Republican presidential nominating contest

  16-04-2016 23:57
  By Ginger Gibson CASPER, Wyo. (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Ted Cruz won all 14 delegates at stake on Saturday in Wyoming, besting rival Donald Trump, who made little effort to win the rural state, and further narrowing the gap in the race for the party's nomination. Cruz is trying to prevent Trump from obtaining the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination at the July convention in Cleveland. By continuing to rack up small wins, Cruz is gaining ground on the
  
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• Hurricane forecast pioneer Bill Gray dead at age 86

  16-04-2016 23:19
  FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Bill Gray, a pioneer in hurricane forecasting, died Saturday in Fort Collins, according to his longtime assistant. He was 86.
  
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• VIDEO: Space station gets inflatable extension

  16-04-2016 22:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An experimental inflatable module has been attached to the International Space Station remotely by a Nasa ground control team.
  
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• UK study supports cardiovascular safety of calcium and vitamin D supplementation

  16-04-2016 21:31
  Rsearchers have presented a new study that supports the cardiovascular safety of calcium and vitamin D supplementation. The study was based on analysis of the UK Biobank, a very large study comprising 502,664 men and women aged 40-69 years.
  
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• Hip fracture risk rises in the 10 years after total knee replacement

  16-04-2016 21:31
  A Swedish study shows that individuals with total knee replacement (TKR) due to primary osteoarthritis had a low risk for hip and vertebral fracture in the decade before surgery. However, after total knee replacement, the risk for hip fracture increased by 4 percent and the risk for vertebral fracture increased by 19 percent compared to the population without TKR.
  
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• Farmers are not just the backbone of a nation, they may have stronger hips too

  16-04-2016 21:31
  This study found that in Sweden, for male farmers, the risk of a hip fracture was 14 percent lower compared to other occupations, adjusted for age. When also adjusted for rural status of residence, the risk reduction was still 15 percent lower. When also adjusted for income, education and latitude the effect was even more marked -- at 39 percent lower risk.
  
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• Experimental inflatable module attached to space station

  16-04-2016 21:00
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuters) - A NASA ground-control team on Saturday used a robot arm to unpack an expandable module and attach it to the International Space Station, setting the stage for a novel test of a habitat for astronauts, researchers and even tourists.
  
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• U.S. looks to Gulf allies to help Iraq rebuild post-Islamic State

  16-04-2016 19:34
  By Yeganeh Torbati AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates - U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Saturday he would ask Gulf states next week to contribute to efforts to rebuild parts of Iraq devastated by the fight against Islamic State. Carter spoke at the start of a regional trip during which he will meet leaders of Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies in the Gulf to discuss the battle against the militant group and other defence issues, such as Iranian actions in the region. President Ba
  
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• Iraq's Sadr threatens renewed protests to bring about new government

  16-04-2016 19:31
  By Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr warned on Saturday he would re-start protests within 72 hours if the nation's leaders failed to vote on a cabinet of technocrats proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to tackle corruption. The political crisis is crippling parliament and Abadi says it threatens to hamper Iraq's campaign against Islamic State militants who still control swathes of territory in the north and west of the oil-
  
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• Shot in the dark: New surveillance tool called shotspotter tracks and records incidents of gunfire

  16-04-2016 19:08
  When gunfire is heard and unreported, what does it reveal about the state of crime in America? One expert is determined to find out. She has been using data from new surveillance technology to research the disparity between the number of recorded gunshot sounds and the number of reported incidents of gun violence.
  
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• In the face of chronic pain, clinicians seek best practices for management while evading opioid abuse

  16-04-2016 19:08
  Researchers have discussed best practices in management of chronic pain in people with cancer.
  
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• Going tobacco-free, tall order for health-care facilities

  16-04-2016 19:08
  Healthcare facilities being tobacco-free seems like a natural fit, but enforcing a tobacco-free policy that prohibits all people from using tobacco in buildings and on campus grounds it owns and leases can be a tall order. A state-wide survey showed that hospital, clinics and cancer treatment were among the health-care facilities in South Dakota with the more comprehensive policies. Use of an electronic health record system was key to assessing patients' tobacco use.
  
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• France's Hollande, in Beirut, vows to boost Lebanon military aid

  16-04-2016 18:59
  By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that France would provide immediate additional military aid to Lebanon, and urged politicians to end a long-running crisis by electing a president as soon as possible. Hollande also said he had decided to step up assistance for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, giving 50 million euros (£39.7 million) this year and 100 million euros over the next three years to cope with the crisis. Lebanon hosts more than 1 million r
  
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• ISS gets expandable inflatable room

  16-04-2016 17:41 via cbc.ca
  
  The world's first inflatable room for astronauts was installed on the International Space Station on Saturday. NASA hopes the soft-sided compartment will pioneer a new way of living in space.
  
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• VIDEO: Repaired Solar Impulse flies again

  16-04-2016 16:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The zero-fuel aircraft Solar Impulse is ready to resume its round-the-world challenge following repairs in Hawaii.
  
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• Logos make a group seem real

  16-04-2016 15:48
  New research shows that logos create the impression that a group is unified, effective and coordinated, even when the members of the group don't really seem that way on their own.
  
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• A laser for your eyes

  16-04-2016 15:48
  A unique laser, which is a compact light source with wavelengths harmless to the human eye, has been created by a research team.
  
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• Women with epilepsy just as likely to get pregnant as healthy women of childbearing age

  16-04-2016 15:47
  In a prospective study, women with epilepsy had a comparable likelihood of achieving pregnancy, time taken to get pregnant, and pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, compared to a group of healthy peers. These findings contradict previously held beliefs in the medical community regarding the fertility of women with epilepsy.
  
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• Preliminary study: Antibody therapy reduces cancer stem cells in multiple myeloma

  16-04-2016 15:47
  An experimental antibody treatment decreased by half the number of cancer stem cells that drive the growth of tumors in nearly all patients with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow and bone tissue, according to new results.
  
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• Sarcopenia (loss of muscle) which affects up to 20 percent of European seniors, may increase 63 percent by 2045

  16-04-2016 15:46
  Sarcopenia is a disease associated with the ageing process. Hallmark signs of the disorder are loss of muscle mass and strength, which in turn affects balance, gait and overall ability to perform tasks of daily living. This study assessed the prevalence of sarcopenia in Europe, finding that, when using the definition providing the highest prevalence estimates, the number of individuals with sarcopenia in Europe will rise by 63.8 percent in 2045.
  
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• Pollutants in fish inhibit human's natural defense system

  16-04-2016 15:46
  In a new study, environmental pollutants found in fish were shown to obstruct the human body's natural defense system to expel harmful toxins. The research team suggests that this information should be used to better assess the human health risks from eating contaminated seafood.
  
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• Low fat diet helps postmenopausal women avoid deadly breast cancers

  16-04-2016 15:46
  Women who stayed on a low fat diet for approximately eight years reduced their risk of death from invasive breast cancers and improved their survival rates.
  
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• Heart attack patients more depressed but get fewer antidepressants

  16-04-2016 15:46
  Heart attack patients are more depressed but are less often prescribed antidepressants than people who have not had a heart attack, according to new research.
  
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• Experimental drug guadecitabine found safe in patients with colorectal cancer

  16-04-2016 15:46
  In a small, phase I clinical trial, researchers say they show for the first time that the experimental drug guadecitabine (SGI-110) is safe in combination with the chemotherapy drug irinotecan and may overcome resistance to irinotecan in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
  
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• Phase 2 data show treatment efficacy in 'difficult-to-cure' hepatitis C patients

  16-04-2016 15:38
  A hepatitis C (HCV) drug currently under investigation, ABT-493 and ABT-530, which is an all-oral once-daily antiviral treatment, helped HCV genotype 3 patients with heavily scarred livers and no previous treatment history to achieve a 100 percent sustained virologic response after receiving the treatment for 12 weeks (SVR12).
  
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• Rescuers rush to trapped residents as Japan quakes kill 41

  16-04-2016 15:32
  
  MASHIKI, Japan (AP) — Army troops and other rescuers rushed Saturday to try to reach scores of trapped residents after a pair of strong earthquakes in southwestern Japan killed at least 41 people, injured about 1,500 and left hundreds of thousands without electricity or water.
  
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• 'BEAM' Aboard: Experimental Inflatable Room Attached to Space Station

  16-04-2016 15:14
  
  The International Space Station gained a brand new room on Saturday (April 16), but it will be another month before it grows large enough for the astronauts to enter. A first-of-its-type inflatable structure, the BEAM — or Bigelow Expandable Activity Module — built by Bigelow Aerospace, was attached to the rear-facing port of the space station's Tranquility node. Early Saturday, flight controllers at NASA's Mission Control in Houston began sending commands to the space station's
  
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• Waist not weight: Key to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

  16-04-2016 15:00
  A new study demonstrates that a build-up of fat around the waist can cause more serious complications than obesity in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
  
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• Scientists find a way to cure hepatitis C with 6 weeks of treatment

  16-04-2016 15:00
  A pilot study found that all patients with acute HCV who were treated with a direct-acting antiviral treatment over a 'short-duration' of six weeks had undetectable HCV after a 12 week follow-up. The investigator-initiated study demonstrated that the combination of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir for only six weeks is sufficient to treat patients with acute HCV.
  
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• Potential first-in-class treatment is well-tolerated in patients with chronic hepatitis B

  16-04-2016 15:00
  New data confirms that a novel first-in-class treatment for hepatitis B, called NVR 3-778, is well-tolerated and can reduce levels of the virus' genetic material in the body when combined with pegylated interferon after four weeks of treatment.
  
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• New study demonstrates efficacy of all-oral treatment regimens in adolescents with hepatitis C virus

  16-04-2016 15:00
  Adolescents with Hepatitis C (HCV) could benefit from a combination of direct-acting antivirals, according to new data. The study demonstrated that adolescent patients with HCV genotype 1 aged 12 to 18 years who were treated for 12 weeks with a fixed dose combination of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir attained high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates.
  
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• New study challenges the concept of treatment failure in hepatitis C

  16-04-2016 15:00
  New data demonstrate that choosing a different combination of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for hepatitis C can eradicate the virus at four weeks in patients who had already failed on previous medication regimens.
  
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• Low-cost generic direct-acting antiviral treatment for hep C is equivalent to branded formulations

  16-04-2016 15:00
  New data demonstrates that generic direct-acting antivirals are as effective and safe as branded treatments to cure hepatitis C.
  
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• Investigational treatment provides hope for some chronic liver disease sufferers

  16-04-2016 15:00
  A new study provides hope for a new treatment in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare condition characterized by inflammation and scarring in the bile ducts of the liver and for which there are currently no medicines.
  
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• Science at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and Beyond--Virtual Reality and Science Fiction

  16-04-2016 14:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Many films at the festival push the technological boundaries of story-telling
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Rescuers rush to trapped residents as Japan quakes kill 32

  16-04-2016 12:42
  
  MASHIKI, Japan (AP) — Army troops and other rescuers rushed Saturday to save scores of trapped residents after a pair of strong earthquakes in southwestern Japan killed at least 32 people, injured about 1,500 and left hundreds of thousands without electricity or water.
  
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• Japan quakes kill at least 32; rescuers rush to free trapped

  16-04-2016 11:46
  
  MASHIKI, Japan (AP) — Army troops and other rescuers rushed Saturday to save scores of trapped residents after a pair of strong earthquakes in southwestern Japan killed at least 32 people, injured about 1,500 and left hundreds of thousands without electricity or water.
  
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• Winter returns as cold snap brings snow to the UK

  16-04-2016 11:17
  
  The UK enjoyed warm weather earlier this week, but that changed overnight as temperatures plummeted.
  
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• 'You've made me into a girl': Video game players outraged when half given female avatars

  16-04-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Players of Rust, a survival-theme online video game, recently logged in to find their avatars, previously all male, had been randomly assigned a gender. The resulting fracas highlights the connection between video gamers and their in-game representations and what that means for game developers.
  
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• Rust video game players outraged after half given female avatars

  16-04-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Players of Rust, a survival-theme online video game, recently logged in to find their avatars, previously all male, had been randomly assigned a gender. The resulting fracas highlights the connection between video gamers and their in-game representations and what that means for game developers.
  
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• Orca satellite tagging halted after dart found in dead whale

  16-04-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A controversial satellite tagging program for orcas has been temporarily suspended by U.S. researchers after one of the affected whales turned up dead in B.C. waters with fragments of a dart still in its fin.
  
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• Japan quakes kill at least 29; rescuers rush to free trapped

  16-04-2016 09:36
  
  Two powerful earthquakes a day apart shook southwestern Japan, killing at least 29 people and injuring 1,500, as thousands of army troops and other rescuers on Saturday rushed to save scores of trapped ...
  
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• Public health concern as data reveals high prevalence of hepatitis B among refugees in Germany

  16-04-2016 06:00
  
  (European Association for the Study of the Liver) A new study presented today demonstrates the potential challenge posed to public health systems across Europe as a result of the prevalence of hepatitis B among new refugee populations. The study was presented at The International Liver Congress™ 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.
  
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• Twin quakes kills at least 29 in south Japan; many trapped

  16-04-2016 05:59
  
  MASHIKI, Japan (AP) — Two powerful earthquakes a day apart shook southwestern Japan, killing at least 29 people, injuring 1,500, trapping many beneath flattened homes and sending thousands to seek shelter in gymnasiums and hotel lobbies.
  
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• Twin quakes kills at least 16 in south Japan; many trapped

  16-04-2016 04:21
  
  MASHIKI, Japan (AP) — Two powerful earthquakes a day apart shook southwestern Japan, killing at least 16 people, trapping many others beneath flattened homes and sending thousands of residents to seek refuge in gymnasiums and hotel lobbies.
  
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• Why Do So Many Earthquakes Strike Japan?

  16-04-2016 04:14
  
  A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck southern Japan today, less than two days after a 6.2-magnitude temblor rocked the same region, triggering tsunami advisories in the area. The most recent earthquake struck the Kumamoto region on Japan's Kyushu Island early Saturday (April 16) at 1:25 a.m. local time (12:25 p.m. ET on April 15), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). With residents of the Kumamoto region reeling from two sizable earthquakes in as many days, and with memories of the massi
  
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• E-skin 'can monitor body's oxygen level'

  16-04-2016 04:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in Japan say they have developed ultra-thin electronic "skin" that can measure oxygen levels when stuck to the body.
  
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• Tiger countries agree to preserve big-cat habitats

  16-04-2016 03:46
  
  NEW DELHI (AP) — Countries with wild tiger populations have agreed to do more to protect tiger habitats that are shrinking drastically because of deforestation and urban sprawl, conservationists said Friday.
  
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• The Soviet space secret found by pupils

  16-04-2016 02:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The English school that unearthed a Soviet space secret
  
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• Mountain lion dashes from Los Angeles school to backyard

  16-04-2016 01:35
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Students and teachers at a Los Angeles high school missed their lunch break Friday after a mountain lion strolled onto campus and tried to join them.
  
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