Science news

• Heads up: intact skull sheds light on big, long-necked dinosaurs

  26-04-2016 23:30
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A beautifully preserved fossil skull unearthed in Argentina is giving scientists unparalleled insight into the sensory capabilities and behavior of a group of dinosaurs that were the largest land animals in Earth's history.
  
  Read more

• Social media blamed for Alberta's gonorrhea and syphilis 'outbreak levels'

  26-04-2016 23:15 via cbc.ca
  
  Some of Alberta's sexually transmitted infection rates have spiked to levels not seen since the 1980s, and experts blame social media.
  
  Read more

• Do Vitamins and Supplements Make Antidepressants More Effective?

  26-04-2016 23:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Fish oil, Vitamin D and other nutrients appear to raise the potency of medication
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• [Research Article] Sleep deprivation impairs memory by attenuating mTORC1-dependent protein synthesis

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Sleep deprivation impairs memory formation by suppressing protein synthesis.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• [Research Article] Neuropilin-1 mediates vascular permeability independently of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 activation

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Blood vessel leakiness can be induced through the coreceptor NRP1 independently of VEGFR.
  
  Read more

• [Research Article] Identification of GPR83 as the receptor for the neuroendocrine peptide PEN

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Functional coupling occurs between PEN-GPR83 and bigLEN-GPR171, ligand-receptor pairs implicated in feeding
  
  Read more

• [Perspective] How Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors, the kinase PKA, and the phosphatase PP2B are intertwined in synaptic LTP and LTD

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Interplay of PKA and PP2B mediates AMPA receptor trafficking in synaptic plasticity.
  
  Read more

• [Focus] The molecular neurobiology of the sleep-deprived, fuzzy brain

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Lack of sleep prevents the brain from making new proteins that enable memory formation.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• [Editors' Choice] Tackling kinase inhibitor resistance

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Examining receptor and intracellular kinase dynamics at the single-cell and posttranslational levels reveals new strategies to overcome drug resistance.
  
  Read more

• [Editors' Choice] Roots respond when the iron is not

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Arabidopsis thaliana DELLA proteins have a tissue-specific response to iron deficiency.
  
  Read more

• [Editors' Choice] Polo kinase at the mitochondria

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Phosphorylation of the mitochondrial protein Miro by Polo kinase controls mitochondrial calcium handling.
  
  Read more

• [Editors' Choice] New Connections: Role of 4EBPs in controlling cell behavior

  26-04-2016 22:26 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The regulation of protein synthesis by 4EBP proteins underlies memory and tumor drug resistance.
  
  Read more

• Moderate earthquakes recorded in central, northwest Oklahoma

  26-04-2016 22:08
  HARRAH, Okla. (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey reports several moderate earthquakes in central and northwest Oklahoma.
  
  Read more

• Spotify hacked? Users report strange behaviour on their accounts

  26-04-2016 21:59 via cbc.ca
  
  A growing number of Spotify users from around the world are saying their accounts have been hacked, something the music streaming service adamantly denies.
  
  Read more

• Supersharp Mars Photos Show UK's Long-Lost Beagle 2 Lander

  26-04-2016 21:49
  
  New supersharp photos of Mars show Europe's long-lost Beagle 2 lander, ancient Red Planet lake beds and snaking rover tracks in unprecedented detail. Scientists "stacked and matched" photos captured over the years by NASA's eagle-eyed Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) using new machine-vision methods, creating images in which features just 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide can be seen. Further use of this technique could help space agencies select safe landing sites for future Mars missions, search
  
  Read more

• Next-Gen Propulsion System Gets $67 Million from NASA

  26-04-2016 21:49
  
  The next-generation engines that NASA is counting on to power missions to an asteroid and Mars will begin taking shape soon. The space agency has awarded California-based company Aerojet Rocketdyne a $67 million, 36-month contract to design, build and test an advanced, superefficient solar electric propulsion (SEP) system. "We basically are building a new drive train that enables whole new platforms for deep-space exploration," Bryan Smith, director of the Space Flight Systems Directorate a
  
  Read more

• Webby Awards 2016 winners include The Weeknd, the NFB

  26-04-2016 21:31 via cbc.ca
  
  Chart-topping Toronto singer The Weekend and Canada's National Film Board are 2016 Webby Award winners, sharing the limelight alongside late-night host Jimmy Fallon, true crime series Making a Murderer and companies such as Vice Media, Netflix and Spotify.
  
  Read more

• Hubble Telescope has found a tiny moon orbiting a distant dwarf planet

  26-04-2016 21:25
  
  Makemake now has a new moon.
  
  Read more

• Goslings new stars of the show on University of Waterloo goose cam

  26-04-2016 21:23 via cbc.ca
  
  A livestream featuring a goose - and now its goslings - on the roof of a building at the University of Waterloo has been viewed more than 9,000 times.
  
  Read more

• Here's why women who are cheated on 'end up winning' in the long run

  26-04-2016 20:54
  
  Scientists say it’s because they now have a “higher mating intelligence”, compared to the ‘other’ women.
  
  Read more

• Hubble Telescope finds tiny moon orbiting dwarf planet

  26-04-2016 20:52
  
  The Hubble Space Telescope has detected a tiny, dark moon circling a dwarf planet on the frozen fringes of our solar system.
  
  Read more

• Apple's iPhone sales fall for 1st time

  26-04-2016 20:39 via cbc.ca
  
  Apple reported its first year-over-year quarterly decline in sales of the iPhone, its dominant product, as the company reported second-quarter results on Tuesday.
  
  Read more

• How animal poop could be key in solving echidna mystery

  26-04-2016 20:30
  
  The western long-beaked echidna hasn’t been seen in Australia in 10,000 years. But DNA in scat could reveal its presence.
  
  Read more

• Laundry pods more toxic than traditional detergents: study

  26-04-2016 20:26 via cbc.ca
  
  A U.S. study found that laundry detergent packets pose more of a danger to toddlers than traditional laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent.
  
  Read more

• 'Sparks' in the bedroom could help boost IVF process, scientists say

  26-04-2016 19:49
  
  It’s all about the “radiant zinc fireworks” when sperm meets egg.
  
  Read more

• 2 P.E.I. sites bought for protection by Nature Conservancy of Canada

  26-04-2016 19:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Two forested sites on P.E.I.'s Percival River have been purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
  
  Read more

• Ruckus forces Iraqi MPs to leave main chamber to vote on cabinet rejig

  26-04-2016 18:52
  By Stephen Kalin and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A dozen lawmakers disrupted the Iraqi parliament's session on Tuesday, clapping, slamming their hands on desks and chanting slogans, forcing nearly two hundred other deputies to leave the main chamber to vote on a cabinet reshuffle. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi wants to replace some ministers - chosen to balance Iraq's divisions along party, ethnic and sectarian lines - with technocrats.
  
  Read more

• Yemen peace talks back on track following world pressure

  26-04-2016 18:27
  By Mohammed Ghobari KUWAIT (Reuters) - Yemen's warring factions agreed on an agenda on Tuesday for U.N.-backed peace negotiations, delegates said, following heavy pressure from world powers. The talks to end fighting between the Iran-allied Houthis and supporters of Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi were launched last week but were suspended on Sunday amid bickering about flights over Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition. The Hadi government insists the flights are intended to prevent th
  
  Read more

• U.S. safety agency calls out distracted drivers on Twitter

  26-04-2016 18:00 via cbc.ca
  
  If laws and fines won't convince drivers not to text and drive, will online shaming work? As part of a new campaign, one U.S. federal agency is using social media to "name and shame" drivers who tweet, text and snap behind the wheel.
  
  Read more

• EU Immigration To UK 'Not An Exact Science'

  26-04-2016 17:35
  
  The UK's top statistician has admitted that "we don't know exactly" how many European Union citizens are living in the country. National Statistician John Pullinger has promised "extra real information" on EU immigration in May, as the issue shapes up to be a major battleground in the run-up to the referendum in June. He will draw upon figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue and Customs, the Home Office and the international passenger survey.
  
  Read more

• Beetle saved in amber had helicopter wings

  26-04-2016 17:30
  
  For the first time, scientists report the fossilized remains of two tiny Jacobson’s Beetles, preserved in amber for at least 37 million years.
  
  Read more

• James Webb's mirror is revealed

  26-04-2016 16:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The covers come off the huge mirror that the James Webb Space Telescope - the planned successor to Hubble - will use to detect the light from the first stars to shine in the Universe.
  
  Read more

• The surface of Mars has been pictured in greater deal than ever before and we even spotted Beagle 2

  26-04-2016 16:28
  
  The surface of Mars, including the landing site of Beagle 2, has been shown in unprecedented detail.
  
  Read more

• Blaze guts Delhi museum housing dinosaur fossil

  26-04-2016 16:05
  
  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A fire on Tuesday damaged a museum of natural history in the Indian capital that had scores of exhibits of plants and animals, among them a 160-million-year-old dinosaur fossil.
  
  Read more

• William Shatner: 'Star Trek' Tech Is 'Not That Far-Fetched'

  26-04-2016 15:41
  
  William Shatner knows a thing or two about sci-fi tech. The 85-year-old actor is best known for his portrayal of the fictional Captain James Kirk, the courageous and willful leader of the starship Enterprise from the original "Star Trek" TV series. The show, which debuted in 1966, exposed audiences to spaceships, intergalactic space travel and a bevy of high-tech, futuristic gadgets.
  
  Read more

• New Wearable Device Is Virtual Ski Coach Inside Your Boot

  26-04-2016 15:39
  
  The Carv insert does not sink under pressure as memory foam does, but it does remember and record where it experiences pressure, with the help of 48 sensors, according to MotionMetrics. The sensors are designed to pick up subtle changes in pressure distribution and to track acceleration, rotation speed and location, said Jamie Grant, CEO of MotionMetrics. The insert is less than a millimeter thick and doesn’t affect the user's ability to ski, according to the company.
  
  Read more

• Tesla Coils 'Sing' in Electrifying Performance

  26-04-2016 15:38
  
  ArcAttack creates music using two giant structures called Tesla coils, which were invented by the eccentric genius Nikola Tesla in 1891, as part of his dream to develop a way to transmit electricity around the world without any wires. Now, more than 120 years later, a band that is described by its founding member, Joe DiPrima, as a "mad scientist-slash-rock group," has found an innovative way to use these tower-like structures for entertainment. When they are played, the Tesla coils emit a soft
  
  Read more

• New Safe Confinement arch to seal what remains of Chornobyl reactor

  26-04-2016 15:09 via cbc.ca
  
  In the middle of a vast exclusion zone in northern Ukraine, the world's movable, largest land-based structure has been built to prevent deadly radiation coming from the Chornobyl nuclear disaster site for the next 100 years.
  
  Read more

• New Safe Confinement arch to seal Chornobyl reactor remains later this year

  26-04-2016 15:09 via cbc.ca
  
  In the middle of a vast exclusion zone in northern Ukraine, the world's movable, largest land-based structure has been built to prevent deadly radiation spewing from the Chornobyl nuclear disaster site for the next 100 years.
  
  Read more

• South Sudan rebel leader Machar back in Juba for first time in two years

  26-04-2016 15:05
  JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar arrived in Juba on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, returning to the capital for the first time since a conflict erupted more than two years ago and after a row last week over the weapons he could bring. (Reporting by Denis Dumo; Writing by George Obulutsa)
  
  Read more

• Severed, by Toronto indie studio DrinkBox, might be PlayStation Vita's swansong

  26-04-2016 15:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Severed, available tomorrow, is the third major game from Toronto's DrinkBox Studios for the beleaguered Sony PlayStation Vita. Could it be the last great game on the system, or will is struggle to find an audience?
  
  Read more

• He Will Rock You: Decoding Freddie Mercury's Vocal Prowess

  26-04-2016 14:37
  
  As the lead singer of the legendary rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury possessed a voice with the quicksilver qualities of his mercurial last name, soaring to seemingly impossible heights before descending to rumbling depths, and lending a signature drama to Queens' distinctive sound. During the two decades that Mercury led the band, the extent of his impressive vocal abilities were the subject of much speculation, but they were never studied in depth. Using acoustic data from sampled recordings a
  
  Read more

• Scientists reveal new detail of Mars surface

  26-04-2016 14:13
  
  The surface of Mars, including the landing site of Beagle 2, has been shown in unprecedented detail.
  
  Read more

• Obama - U.S. preparing 'shield' to block low-level North Korea threats: CBS

  26-04-2016 13:39
  The United States is preparing to defend itself against North Korea, positioning its missile development systems and setting up a "shield" to counter low-level threats from an "erratic" country, U.S. President Barack Obama told CBS in an interview that aired on Tuesday. "One of the things that we have been doing is spending a lot more time positioning our missile development systems, so that even as we try to resolve the underlying problem of nuclear development inside of North Korea, we're also
  
  Read more

• Stop Flushing Water Down the Drain [Excerpt]

  26-04-2016 13:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A mechanical engineer explains how reusing wastewater at the town and even household levels can save both water and energy
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Space-Time Experiment Could Study Hazardous, Speedy Space Rocks

  26-04-2016 13:17
  
  A spacecraft built to help search for ripples in space-time could also count up the number of tiny space rocks that pose a potential hazard to satellites and spacecraft that orbit the sun. Micrometeoroids  — those that are about the size of a pea or smaller — regularly pepper satellites and spacecraft that venture off the surface of the Earth. Though the designers of the Laser Interferometer Space Antennae (LISA) Pathfinder spacecraft never intended their instrument to be used f
  
  Read more

• Rocket for Giant Satellite-Launching Stratolaunch Airplane Remains a Mystery

  26-04-2016 13:16
  
  Vulcan Aerospace continues to assemble the world's largest aircraft at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, but its builders are remaining mum about the Stratolaunch project's biggest mystery: What rocket will the air-launch system carry aloft to place satellites into orbit? At the 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs earlier this month, Stratolaunch Executive Director Chuck Beames said he could not talk about the launch vehicle strategy yet, but he promised a series of announcemen
  
  Read more

• Hubble Telescope Captures Sharpest Image Yet of Mysterious Red Rectangle

  26-04-2016 13:16
  
  A striking new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope delivers a deep look into a mysterious cosmic object called the Red Rectangle Nebula. The source of the red light emitted by the Red Rectangle baffled scientists for more than 30 years. This new image gives scientists the best understanding yet of the structure of the Red Rectangle, according to a statement from NASA.
  
  Read more

• 'Human swan' to join Russia migration

  26-04-2016 11:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A conservationist plans to take flight this autumn alongside thousands of swans as they make a 4,500-mile journey from the Russian arctic to the UK.
  
  Read more

• Beagle probe 'seen in sharper view'

  26-04-2016 11:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Supporting evidence that the Beagle-2 probe is sitting intact on the surface of Mars has come from a new imaging technique developed by UCL scientists.
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!