Science news

• Barbie Gets Beamed Up For 'Star Trek' 50th Anniversary Collection

  06-06-2016 23:54
  
  Two 1960s icons get mashed up as Mattel has created Barbie versions of James. T. Kirk, Spock and Nyota Uhura for the 50th anniversary of "Star Trek."
  
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• Ancient bison fossils offer hints about 1st humans in southern Canada

  06-06-2016 23:42 via cbc.ca
  
  The fossils of bison that roamed near what is now Edmonton 13,000 years ago are helping solve the mystery of the earliest humans in southern Canada, including how and when they got there and where they came from.
  
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• Why the Pain Drug That Killed Prince Can be Especially Dangerous

  06-06-2016 23:20 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Fentanyl’s fast action is great for pain relief but adds to its risks
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• Uganda's Yoweri Museveni names new cabinet, gives wife key ministry

  06-06-2016 23:01
  By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's veteran leader Yoweri Museveni named a new cabinet on Monday that retained his prime minister and ministers in the key energy and finance jobs while giving the education portfolio to his wife. Museveni, 71, who has ruled the east African country for 30 years, was declared winner of the February presidential election with 60 percent of the vote and sworn in for a new term on May 12. On May 13, Besigye was charged with treason after a mock ceremony
  
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• Biden unveiling public database for clinical data on cancer

  06-06-2016 22:57
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden unveiled a public database for clinical data on cancer on Monday that aims to help researchers and doctors better tailor new treatments to individuals.
  
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• Factbox - Mexico ruling party loses powerful states in regional vote

  06-06-2016 22:32
  The ruling party of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto lost several historical strongholds on Sunday in an election largely seen as a referendum on corruption, impunity, and violence across the country. Results showed the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, losing six of 12 gubernatorial races in the country, with contenders on both the right and left making gains. The PRI formerly held nine of the 12 governorships.
  
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• Pluto Stamp Palooza! Philatelic Fans and NASA Cheer Dwarf Planet Postage

  06-06-2016 22:29
  
  Alan Stern and other NASA officials celebrated the release of new "Pluto — Explored!" and "Views of our Planets" stamps Tuesday (May 31) with a crowd of more than 500 stamp enthusiasts, leading a spirited countdown to the official reveal of the new stamps. Stern, the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission that flew by Pluto last July, and the other researchers spoke to the significance of the Pluto flyby and the fact that America was the first to reach all nine classical p
  
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• New Film 'Mission Control' Focuses on Men Who Put a Man on the Moon

  06-06-2016 22:29
  
  "Mission Control: The Men Who Put a Man on the Moon," a new documentary being previewed for the first time this week, brings the flight controllers from behind the consoles to the front of the cameras. "Mission Control was a central part of the Apollo program, but its [team's] achievements were overshadowed by the astronauts," David Fairhead, director of "Mission Control," said. "Combine this with the humble backgrounds that the [flight] controllers shared, and we have a great story," described
  
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• Mexico's rulers must heed message after regional vote rout - Pena Nieto

  06-06-2016 21:50
  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's rulers should listen to the message from voters after regional elections in which his ruling party was handed a solid drubbing, President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Monday. Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, lost several bastions in Sunday's regional elections to the centre-right opposition, underscoring anger at his failure to crack down on corruption and quell gang violence. (Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom)
  
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• Desalination Breakthrough: Saving the Sea from Salt

  06-06-2016 21:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Chemist finds way to cut supersalty discharge and CO2 as the Middle East relies ever more on seawater desalination
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• Human route into Americas traced via trail of bison fossils

  06-06-2016 21:20
  
  Bread crumbs in the form of ancient bison may mark one potential path that humans took to colonize the Americas.
  
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• Bikini Atoll radiation levels remain alarmingly high

  06-06-2016 21:00
  
  Lingering radiation levels from nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll are far higher than previously estimated.
  
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• New alien threat returns in 'Independence Day' sequel

  06-06-2016 20:58
  The aliens return for more sci-fi action in "Independence Day: Resurgence", a sequel to the 1996 blockbuster packed with special effects and human drama. The plot picks up 20 years after the original space invasion adventure, actors Jeff Goldblum and Liam Hemsworth said as they promoted the movie in London on Monday. "I play a young fighter pilot who has got his wings clipped and as punishment is now working on (a) moon base ... for the earth space defense system," Hemsworth told Reuters on his
  
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• Spiny softshell turtle put on endangered species list

  06-06-2016 19:57 via cbc.ca
  
  Continuing decline of the turtle in both Ontario and Quebec is blamed primarily on the loss of natural nesting grounds, invasive plants and poaching.
  
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• Astronauts Enter Inflatable Space Station Module for 1st Time (Video)

  06-06-2016 19:09
  
  The International Space Station's new inflatable habitat has had its first visitors.
  
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• Astronauts enter world's first inflatable space habitat

  06-06-2016 18:52
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Space station astronauts opened the world's first inflatable space habitat Monday and floated inside.
  
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• US bid to grow human organs for transplant inside pigs

  06-06-2016 17:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US scientists try to grow human organs inside pigs to solve the transplant shortage by injecting human stem cells into pig embryos.
  
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• Under-threat bat populations 'avoiding roads' after collisions

  06-06-2016 17:12
  
  Researchers identified 1,207 reports of bat road fatalities in Europe between 1998 and 2013.
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg's social media accounts hacked

  06-06-2016 17:07 via cbc.ca
  
  ​Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter and Pinterest accounts are briefly hacked by a group calling itself OurMine.
  
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• The Science of Football: Which Positions Take the Hardest Hits?

  06-06-2016 17:04
  In a new study, researchers at the University of Michigan set out to answer that question. A race car braking and turning is under about 5 G's of force, said Dennis K. Lieu, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, in an email interview with Live Science. The researchers found the running backs in the study — the men generally tasked with carrying the ball — experienced more "severe" impacts (above 10 G's) than all other offensive positions, al
  
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• Why Pregnant Women Shouldn't Give In to Food Cravings

  06-06-2016 17:03
  It may seem logical that if you crave certain foods during pregnancy, that craving is just your body's way of telling you what it needs. The more often women in the study gave in to such cravings, the more likely they were to gain too much weight during their pregnancy, according to the study, published May 20 in the journal Appetite. Previous research has shown that the more weight you gain during pregnancy, the harder it is to lose that weight after giving birth.
  
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• Workaholism Linked to ADHD and Depression

  06-06-2016 17:02
  People who work too much may be more likely to have ADHD or depression, according to a new study from Norway. Researchers found that, among the workaholics in the study, nearly 33 percent had symptoms of ADHD, compared with about 13 percent of non-workaholics. For the study, workaholics were defined as those who met seven criteria, including whether they work so much that it has negatively influenced their health, or they feel stressed when they are prohibited from working.
  
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• Astronauts enter world's first inflatable space lodge

  06-06-2016 16:58
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The world's first inflatable space habitat is now open for business.
  
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• Hate spiders? Spectacular peacock spiders may change your mind

  06-06-2016 16:37 via cbc.ca
  
  A Sydney scientist has discovered seven new species of the tiny Australian peacock spider — a spectacularly coloured, three-millimetre arachnid that dances to attract a female mate.
  
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• Save the last dance for me: Being cute not enough for this spider when choosing a mate

  06-06-2016 16:11
  
  SYDNEY (Reuters) - A Sydney scientist has discovered seven new species of the tiny Australian peacock spider - a spectacularly colored, three-millimetre arachnid that dances to attract a female mate.
  
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• Take the Moon Home with Incredibly Detailed Lunar Globe

  06-06-2016 16:05
  
  If you want a nice view of the moon, instead of squinting into the night sky or cursing tall buildings, you could soon gaze at an expertly crafted model of the stunning celestial object. Its makers used NASA data to re-create the moon's many craters, including Petavius and Copernicus, at 1/20,000,000th the original size. The mini moon comes with a ring of LED lights that revolve around the globe and illuminate the face of the moon as seen from Earth.
  
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• Who Was Sattjeni? Tomb Reveals Secrets About Ancient Egyptian Elite

  06-06-2016 15:44
  
  The coffin, discovered this year in the necropolis at Qubbet el-Hawa across the Nile River from Aswan, belonged to an important local woman, Sattjeni, daughter of one governor, wife of another and mother of two more, said excavation leader Alejandro Jiménez-Serrano, an Egyptologist at the University of Jaén in Spain. Sattjeni was not a royal, but her family practiced royal strategies to hold on to their governing power: She married her sister's widower, and the family also associat
  
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• Males' Oversize Right Claw Lures Crustacean Ladies

  06-06-2016 15:43
  
  If she's Dulichiella appendiculata — a tiny relative of the sand-hopping beach flea — she's impressed by the size of the male's enlarged right front claw, which is significantly bigger than its left one. And she definitely prefers righties to lefties. Scientists have investigated the mating success of right-clawed D. appendiculata males versus their left-clawed rivals, and found that righty males attracted more females.
  
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• Lost Underwater ‘City’ Revealed as Natural Geological Formation

  06-06-2016 15:43
  
  Pipe-like, disc and doughnut-shaped structures discovered by underwater divers near the island of Zakynthos, Greece, were originally believed to be ruins of an ancient city, such as remnants of paved floors, courtyards and columns. Now researchers have found that the "ruins" are in fact geological formations, the results of a natural phenomenon that took place in the Pliocene epoch, up to 5 million years ago. Suspecting a geological explanation, the Greek Ministry brought in researchers from the
  
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• NASA Satellite Spots Toxic Air Pollution That Went Unreported

  06-06-2016 15:41
  
  A new satellite-based detection method has revealed 39 unreported and major human-made sources of toxic air pollution. A known health hazard and contributor to acid rain, sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions are closely monitored. Before this satellite-based analysis, SO2 monitoring methods had relied on known locations of pollution sources and subsequent use of emissions inventories from ground-based measurements.
  
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• The Heat Is On: Most of US Likely to Have a Scorching Summer

  06-06-2016 15:35
  
  It's likely to be a sweltering summer for most of the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In a continuing trend of 2016 being a warmer-than-average year, this summer could be a scorcher for a majority of the U.S., NOAA says. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center released its summer outlook last week, which predicts above-average temperatures for the next season.
  
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• New Gadget Helps Turn Departed Loved Ones into Trees

  06-06-2016 15:33
  
  The Bios Incube, created by the company Bios Urn, is an incubator that monitors and cultivates trees from human ashes in people's homes. "When someone dies, they physically die, but the people who are around the deceased person still remember," said Roger Moliné, co-founder of Bios Urn. The Bios Incube is a sleek, white plant pot that measures 2.5 feet (76 centimeters) tall and about 1 foot (33 cm) in diameter.
  
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• Shape-Shifting Touch Screens Can Morph on Demand

  06-06-2016 15:31
  
  Researchers at the University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom, have designed a device that could one day do just that. Its designers say the technology could pave the way to more adaptable handheld gadgets. "I'm very interested in how, as humans, we manipulate things," said Anne Roudaut, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol and lead researcher of the Cubimorph project.
  
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• Vintage Brew: Carlsberg Recreates Historic Lager with Old Yeast

  06-06-2016 15:30
  
  Three years ago, Carlsberg's head brewer, Erik Lund, was walking through the halls of his research lab when he saw a group of his colleagues huddled in an office. Construction had been going on just outside the lab on the site of the historic brewery, and three dusty beer bottles —still corked, full of liquid, and bearing their old-school Carlsberg labels —had been discovered in a forgotten beer cellar. "I was amazed because I have tasted old beers before and this was surprisingly go
  
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• Mystery of Mongol Retreat from Hungary Solved

  06-06-2016 15:29
  
  In 1241, the Mongol army marched into Hungary, defeating the Polish and Hungarian armies and forcing the Hungarian king to flee. In 1242, despite meeting no significant military resistance, the Mongols abruptly packed up and left. Now, a new study of the climate in Eastern Europe that year suggests a reason for this mysterious military retreat: The Mongols got bogged down.
  
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• Dino Senses: Ankylosaurus Cousin Had a Super Sniffer

  06-06-2016 15:27
  
  The armored cousin of the Ankylosaurus dinosaur didn't have a football-size club on its tail, but it did have a super sense of smell, said scientists who examined its skull. It was an earlier version, so to speak, of the heavily armored Ankylosaurus, which lived about 35 million years later, they said. A computerized tomography (CT) scan of its braincase also suggests that the dinosaur had an excellent sense of smell for finding prey and avoiding predators.
  
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• Russian rocket that worried Inuit groups launched Saturday, Canada says

  06-06-2016 14:41 via cbc.ca
  
  A spokesman for the federal public safety department said Sunday the rocket blasted off Saturday morning, and no debris had been observed falling on Canadian territory as of Sunday morning.
  
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• World's Largest Radio Telescope Faces Troubling Future

  06-06-2016 14:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The National Science Foundation is considering pulling its support from the famous Arecibo radio dish in Puerto Rico
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• World's Largest Radio Telescope Faces a Troubling Future

  06-06-2016 14:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The National Science Foundation is considering pulling its support from the famous Arecibo radio dish in Puerto Rico
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Geothermal energy research in Alberta making strides with new technology

  06-06-2016 14:27 via cbc.ca
  
  Researchers in the province are looking to cash in on the wealth of geothermal energy we have in Alberta. As we get closer and closer to the NDP's deadline to be off coal-fired electricity by 2030, this could be a big part of the solution.
  
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• Mexico ruling party routed in regional vote on graft, gang violence

  06-06-2016 13:51
  By Dave Graham XALAPA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling party lost several bastions in Sunday's regional elections, dealing a heavy blow to President Enrique Pena Nieto for failing to crack down on corruption and gang violence. Early results from gubernatorial races in 12 of Mexico's 31 states on Monday showed Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, heading for defeat in seven of them, a result far worse than most polls had forecast. Projected losses included two oil-ric
  
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• Milky Way Glitters Over Arches National Park

  06-06-2016 13:37
  
  Astrophotographer Manish Mamtani saw his first Milky Way on a spring trip to Utah four years ago. Mamtani took this image of the Milky Way in April 2016 from Arches National Park in Utah. The park is a hub for astrophotographers because the area is relatively dark and unaffected by light pollution .
  
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• Where's the Edge of the Universe?

  06-06-2016 13:36
  
  Paul Sutter is an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University and the chief scientist at COSI Science Center. Well, our universe does have an edge — that is, if by "our universe," you mean the observable universe.
  
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• Making the Most of Summer Star Parties with Your Mobile Device

  06-06-2016 13:35
  
  Warmer weather brings star-party season, when folks gather for big regional events or local gatherings put on by neighborhood astronomy clubs. In this edition of Mobile Astronomy, we'll look at how to use your mobile device to make the most of the star-party experience, including how best to configure your devices and apps. Every astronomer I know loves showing the public the wonders of the skies, either via a telescope or simply by pointing out the constellations and bright planets.
  
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• Gorgeous 'Twilight Zone' Photo of Pluto May Show Cloud for 1st Time

  06-06-2016 13:35
  
  NASA even described the view as the "twilight zone" of Pluto. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft captured the photo shortly after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, when the sun was on the other side of the dwarf planet from the probe's perspective. In the backlit twilight view, sunlight filters through Pluto's many-layered atmosphere and lights up certain features, including the towering Norgay Montes mountain range and the vast plain known as Sputnik Planum, whose surface is like
  
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• Astronaut Drew Feustel Talks Orion and the Future of Space Exploration (Video)

  06-06-2016 13:35
  
  NASA astronaut Drew Feustel was destined to play a big role in the exploration of space. Not only is Feustel from Lake Orion, Michigan — Orion is the name of NASA's next crew-carrying spacecraft — but he also grew up along a cluster of streets with NASA-worthy names. "I lived on Saturn Drive," Feustel told Space.com's Dave Brody in a video interview.
  
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• Francis Crick’s good luck revolutionized biology

  06-06-2016 13:00
  
  Francis Crick, born 100 years ago, chose to study molecular biology first and then later tackled consciousness.
  
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• Did Ancient Climate Change Ignite Human Evolution?

  06-06-2016 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  How drying forests and lightning may have turned fire from a primal threat into a life-sustaining object of reverence
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Private lunar mission 'seeks US approval'

  06-06-2016 12:14
  
  Space startup Moon Express looks to embark on a mission to land a 20-pound (nine-kilo) package of scientific gear, including a telescope, on the moon sometime in the second half of 2017
  
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• Could this 'no-brainer' concept be the key to harnessing the power of the Bay of Fundy tides?

  06-06-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Big Moon Power thinks its Kinetic Keel might be just the device to finally harness the power of the Bay of Fundy and tame its powerful tides.
  
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