Science news

• Could eating Weetabix prevent early death? Harvard scientists think so...

  13-06-2016 23:06
  
  Researchers believe eating more whole grains could cut the risk of dying from any cause.
  
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• Summer Safety: How to Avoid Bee-Swarm Attacks

  13-06-2016 22:40 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Hard as it may be to resist, do not swat at the bees that come at you
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Andrea Doria shipwreck more badly deteriorated than expected

  13-06-2016 20:44
  
  BOSTON (AP) — The wreck of the Italian ocean liner the Andrea Doria off Nantucket may be more badly deteriorated than previous sonar images suggest, with its bow nearly broken off, a team of undersea explorers said Monday.
  
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• 'Overall it's good for Greenland': Global warming may unlock frozen assets

  13-06-2016 20:01 via cbc.ca
  
  Greenland may be one of the few places on Earth to actually benefit from global warming. The melt could unlock frozen assets and help businesses including fishing, farming, mining, shipping and tourism.
  
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• Slimmer Xbox One S console announced at Microsoft's E3 press conference

  13-06-2016 18:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Microsoft announced a new, slimmer version of its Xbox One console, calling it the Xbox One S, to open its press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on Monday.
  
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• Microsoft announces 2 new Xbox One consoles at E3 press conference

  13-06-2016 18:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Microsoft announced a new, slimmer version of its Xbox One console, calling it the Xbox One S, to open its press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on Monday.
  
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• Long-Term Marijuana Use Linked to Changes in Brain's Reward System

  13-06-2016 18:41
  People who use marijuana for many years respond differently to natural rewards than people who don't use the drug, according to a new study. Researchers found that people who had used marijuana for 12 years, on average, showed greater activity in the brain's reward system when they looked at pictures of objects used for smoking marijuana than when they looked at pictures of a natural reward — their favorite fruits. "This study shows that marijuana disrupts the natural reward circuitry of t
  
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• New discovery made at ancient city Petra using Google Earth, drones

  13-06-2016 17:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Satellite and drone images have led to a new discovery in the ancient city of Petra — a massive man-made stone platform hidden under sand.
  
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• Calgary elementary school students send 22 'Hitchbots' on summer road trips

  13-06-2016 17:04 via cbc.ca
  
  A group of Calgary elementary school students has built a fleet of "Hitchbots" and is sending them off on a summer road trip.
  
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• After shooting attack in Orlando, an unsure E3

  13-06-2016 16:47 via cbc.ca
  
  The weeklong event kicked off Sunday with flashy presentations featuring footage of upcoming games — many of which depict unrelenting gun violence —from publishers Electronic Arts and Bethesda Softworks.
  
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• There's no link between elderly heart disease and cholesterol - so taking statins is 'waste of time', study claims

  13-06-2016 16:12
  
  But other scientists have issued rebuttals over the research….
  
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• New experimental drug offers hope for young patients with aggressive blood cancer

  13-06-2016 15:53
  
  Results showed 66% of patients saw their tumours shrink after using the immunotherapy drug.
  
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• 'No drone zone' signs revealed for airports, more rules coming, minister says

  13-06-2016 15:42 via cbc.ca
  
  As close calls between drones and planes become more and more common, the federal government has created 'no drone zone' signs for airports and says draft legislation to strengthen drone rules is expected next year.
  
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• Filling the Periodic Table: New Names for the Newest Elements

  13-06-2016 15:08
  The new names were announced Wednesday (June 8) by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the organization that standardizes chemical element names. The endings of each of the proposed names (such as –ium) reflect the element's place in the periodic table. The rest of the name is specific to each element's discovery, according to a statement that IUPAC issued in recommending the new names.
  
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• 'Smart' Blocks Turn Lego Creations into Web-Connected Toys

  13-06-2016 15:07
  
  The new devices, from Israel-based Brixo Smart Toys, use chrome-plated blocks that conduct electricity to connect batteries with electronics. "The human body resists electrical currents from passing though it — it has a high electrical resistance," said Brixo founder Boaz Almog, a quantum physicist at Tel Aviv University.
  
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• Shock and Awe: Eels Leap to Deliver Electrifying Attacks

  13-06-2016 15:00
  
  In a "shocking" turn of events, a researcher has discovered that electric eels can intensify their electrical attacks by leaping from the water to make physical contact with animals that threaten them, according to a new study. The finding provides support for a famous but previously contested observation of a dramatic interaction between electric eels and horses dating back to 1800. When 19th-century naturalist Alexander von Humboldt set out to collect electric eels in South America, local fish
  
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• Biologists seek help to ‘see’ itty-bitty molecules in 3-D

  13-06-2016 15:00
  
  A new citizen science project called Microscopy Masters aims to improve how scientists build three-dimensional models of proteins.
  
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• Genius: Can Anybody Be One?

  13-06-2016 14:56
  
  For Mensa, the exclusive international society comprising members of "high intelligence," someone who scores at or above the 98th percentile on an IQ or other standardized intelligence test could be considered genius. In his new science series "Genius" on PBS, Stephen Hawking is testing out the idea that anyone can "think like a genius." By posing big questions — for instance, "Can we travel through time?" — to people with average intelligence, the famed theoretical physicist aims to
  
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• What's next from Apple? What to expect at today's keynote presentation

  13-06-2016 14:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Is Siri about to get smarter? Apple's annual software developers conference, which kicks off today, will be its next big opportunity to show the world what's coming next. Here's what to expect.
  
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• Apple announces smarter Siri, upgraded software for Music, TV, Watch, Pay

  13-06-2016 14:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Apple kicked off its annual software developer conference with an artificial intelligence upgrade for Siri, its digital assistant, as well as an overhaul of its music service and a deal to bring ApplePay to the web involving Ottawa-based Shopify.
  
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• Apple announces Siri for Macs, new tvOS, fitness tracking for wheelchair users

  13-06-2016 14:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Siri is coming to laptops and desktops, Apple TV will be better integrated into your home, and wheelchair users will soon get fitness tracking via Apple Watch, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference today.
  
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• Apple announces deal with Shopify for Apple Pay on the web for small merchants

  13-06-2016 14:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Apple kicked off its annual software developer conference with an artificial intelligence upgrade for Siri, its digital assistant, as well as an overhaul of its music service and a deal to bring ApplePay to the web involving Ottawa-based Shopify.
  
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• Microsoft pays 49% premium to buy LinkedIn

  13-06-2016 14:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Microsoft is buying social media networking company Linkedin for more than $26 billion US.
  
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• When Will China's 'Heavenly Palace' Space Lab Fall Back to Earth?

  13-06-2016 13:36
  
  A Chinese space lab is bound to come back to Earth relatively soon, but when and where this happens is a matter of debate and speculation. For example, some satellite trackers think China may have lost control of the uncrewed 8-ton (7.3 metric tons) vehicle, which is called Tiangong-1. "If I am right, China will wait until the last minute to let the world know it has a problem with their space station," Dorman told Space.com.
  
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• The 'Blue Hour' Milky Way Glitters Over Havasu Falls in Stunning Photo

  13-06-2016 13:36
  
  The electric blue sky dotted with Milky Way stars is reflected in the flowing waterfall in this stunning image. Astrophotographer Tony Prince took this image on March 10, from Havasu Falls, Arizona. March is an early time in the year to capture the Milky Way and Prince had to wait for the so-called "Blue Hour" – a time during dawn and dusk each day when residual sunlight takes on a blue hue.
  
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• SpaceX Hopes to Relaunch a Used Falcon 9 Rocket This Fall

  13-06-2016 13:36
  
  The private spaceflight company SpaceX plans to relaunch one of its Falcon 9 boosters into orbit this fall — a test flight that will mark the next giant leap in the firm's pursuit of reusable rocket technology. SpaceX has four successful rocket landings under its belt, including three back-to-back touchdowns at sea this spring, the most recent of which launched and landed on May 27. "Fourth rocket arrives in the hangar," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday (Ju
  
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• Newborn Alien World Is Getting Annihilated by Its Host Star

  13-06-2016 13:36
  
  The outer layers of the Jupiter-like exoplanet candidate PTFO8-8695b are being ripped away by the strong gravity of its 2-million-year-old host star, a new study suggests. "We don't know the ultimate fate of this planet," study lead author Christopher Johns-Krull, of Rice University in Houston, said in a statement. The "hot Jupiter" orbits extremely close to its host star, completing one lap every 11 hours.
  
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• Moms’ voices get big reactions in kids’ brains

  13-06-2016 13:00
  
  Mothers’ voices get big responses in kids’ brains, a neural reaction that may lead to feelings of calm.
  
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• Canada Science and Technology Museum wants public feedback on new science park

  13-06-2016 12:28 via cbc.ca
  
  The Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa is looking for public feedback about the design of its new science park. The museum has been holding public consultations all month around the redevelopment of its green space.
  
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• Powerful Saudi prince to meet Obama, Ban on U.S visit

  13-06-2016 10:53
  Saudi Arabia's powerful deputy crown prince flew to the United States on Monday for meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Saudi media reported. The visit of Mohammed bin Salman, whose powers include his role as defence minister, comes amid a diplomatic row with the United Nations and policy differences with the United States over the war in Syria and relations with Iran. Prince Mohammed, spearheading an ambitious plan to revamp the economy of the world
  
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• Saudi prince in charge of economy, defence to meet Obama on U.S visit - report

  13-06-2016 09:16
  Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince will fly to the United States on Monday for meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and senior officials, Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported. The visit of Mohammed bin Salman, in charge of an ambitious plan to revamp the economy of the world's top oil exporter, comes amid a diplomatic row with the United Nations and policy differences with the United States over the war in Syria and Iran's role in the Middle Eas
  
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• Explorers to explain mission to Andrea Doria shipwreck

  13-06-2016 06:42
  BOSTON (AP) — Undersea explorers who spent several days studying the wreck of the Andrea Doria off Nantucket are planning to share their findings.
  
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• Writing their name in the stars: Citizen scientists discover huge galaxy cluster

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research) Two volunteer participants in an international citizen science project have had a rare galaxy cluster that they found named after them.
  
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• Wellesley research: Life's origins may result from low-energy electron reactions in space

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Wellesley College) At the American Astronomical Society national conference press briefings, Wellesley Professor Chris Arumainayagam presents findings from the first systematic study to demonstrate that early building blocks of life may be produced when low-energy (
  
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• Weird, water-oozing material could help quench thirst

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Nanorods created by PNNL researchers have an unusual property -- spontaneously emitting water. After further development, the nanorods could be used for water harvesting and purification, or sweat-gathering fabric.
  
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• Upward trend in fatalities in organized violence was broken in 2015

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Uppsala University) The alarming upward trend in fatalities in organized violence, witnessed over the last few years, was broken in 2015. This is evident from new data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), Uppsala University. The number of armed conflicts involving states continued to increase, however, going from 41 in 2014 to as many as 50 in 2015.
  
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• Unraveling the food web in your gut

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)) Despite recent progress, the organization and ecological properties of intestinal microbial ecosystem remain under investigated. Using a manually curated metabolic module framework for (meta-)genomic data analysis, Sara Vieira-Silva, Gwen Falony and colleagues from the Jeroen Raes lab (VIB/KU Leuven) studied species-function relationships in gut microbial genomes and microbiomes. The Flemish Gut Flora Project observed that half of the bacteria in
  
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• The EU commits to research into ultra-efficient aero engines

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Chalmers University of Technology) The EU is investing over €3 million in innovative aero-engine technologies in the three-year 'Ultimate' project, short for 'Ultra Low emission Technology Innovations for Mid-century Aircraft Turbine Engines.' The project targets radical concepts for new aero engines, in line with the EU's long-term emissions reduction target for 2050. The project is being presented at a conference in South Korea this week.
  
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• Success in second language learning linked to genetic and brain measures

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (University of Washington) A new study by researchers at the University of Washington shows that the final grades that college students received in a second-language class were predicted by a combination of genetic and brain factors.
  
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• Study: Training helps those with mild cognitive impairment

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Center for BrainHealth ) New research from the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas shows that strategy-based reasoning training can improve the cognitive performance for those with mild cognitive impairment, a preclinical stage of those at risk for Alzheimer's disease.
  
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• Study gives new meaning to the term 'bird brain'

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Vanderbilt University) The first study to systematically measure the number of neurons in the brains of birds has found that they have significantly more neurons packed into their small brains than are stuffed into mammalian and even primate brains of the same mass.
  
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• Storage technologies for renewable energy can pay off

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Storage systems can make economic sense for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, according to new research led by MIT Assistant Professor Jessika Trancik.
  
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• Specific Technologies awarded $2.8 million NIH Commercialization Readiness Program grant

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Specific Technologies) Specific Technologies, which has developed a new paradigm combining detection with ID of microorganisms growing in culture, announces that it is among the first recipients of a grant under the new NIH SBIR Commercial Readiness Program.
  
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• Six in ten adults prescribed opioid painkillers have leftover pills

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) In the midst of an epidemic of prescription painkiller addiction and overdose deaths, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey suggests that more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills -- and many save them to use later.
  
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• Shimmer partners with Harvard's Wyss Institute to advance remote patient monitoring

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard) Shimmer Sensing, a leading provider of medical grade wearable wireless sensors, announced today a partnership with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University in support of ongoing research focused on remote patient monitoring using wearable sensing technology.
  
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• San Francisco State University astronomer helps discover giant planet orbiting 2 suns

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (San Francisco State University) A team of researchers has discovered a new planet that orbits two suns simultaneously. With a mass and radius nearly identical to that of Jupiter, the planet, Kepler-1647b, is the largest circumbinary planet -- a planet that orbits two stars -- ever discovered. The stars it orbits are similar in size to our Sun, and it also has the largest orbit of any circumbinary planet ever found, taking roughly three Earth-years to orbit its host stars.
  
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• Rolling on Molly: US H.S. seniors underreport ecstasy use when not asked about Molly

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (New York University) A new study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence by researchers affiliated with NYU CDUHR, compared self-reported ecstasy/MDMA use with and without 'Molly' in the definition. Researchers found that reported lifetime use (8.0 percent vs. 5.5 percent) was significantly higher with Molly in the definition.
  
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• Rice University's nanosubs gain better fluorescent properties for tracking

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Rice University) Rice University's single-molecule nanosubmersibles get enhanced fluorescence for better tracking. The vehicles are being developed to carry drugs and other cargo through a solution.
  
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• Researchers gear up galaxy-seeking robots for a test run

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) A prototype system that will test a planned array of 5,000 robots for a sky-mapping instrument is taking shape at Berkeley Lab. Dubbed ProtoDESI, the scaled-down, 10-robot system will run through a series of tests on a telescope in Arizona from August-September.
  
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• Researcher pushes for tool to combat drug shortages

  13-06-2016 06:00
  
  (Queen's University) Queen's University researcher Jacalyn Duffin and colleagues are recommending that Canada create a list of essential medicines to help protect against drug shortages.
  
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