Science news

• Zika infection late in pregnancy may be not so risky

  15-06-2016 23:05
  
  An early report out of Colombia finds no microcephaly in babies born to a group of pregnant women infected with Zika virus during the third trimester.
  
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• Why some coral reefs thrive as others die off

  15-06-2016 22:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Coral reefs in more remote places may sometimes be worse off than those near human fishing communities, says a new study that looked at why some coral reefs are thriving as others die off.
  
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• Hints that antibiotics, C-sections may affect baby gut bugs

  15-06-2016 22:10
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Two new studies are offering some of the clearest snapshots yet of how babies build up protective gut bacteria, adding to evidence that antibiotics and birth by C-section may disrupt that development.
  
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• Sorry, Adele: Taking photos at concerts enhances experience, study says

  15-06-2016 22:06 via cbc.ca
  
  Are we taking too many pictures of concerts and vacations, and not enjoying the moment enough? New research actually suggests we enjoy those experiences more when we take time to snap photos.
  
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• Einstein 2.0: gravitational waves detected for a second time

  15-06-2016 21:45
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.,  (Reuters) - The ground-breaking detection of gravitational waves, ripples in space and time postulated by Albert Einstein 100 years ago, that was announced in February was no fluke. Scientists said on Wednesday that they have spotted them for a second time.
  
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• Greece: Wreck survey fails to find more parts of ancient cog

  15-06-2016 21:21
  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — New underwater investigations at a rich ancient shipwreck in Greece have uncovered dozens of artefacts, but no more pieces of the most famous item on the ship's cargo — a 2,000-year-old astronomical instrument.
  
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• Molecular handedness found in space

  15-06-2016 21:00
  
  Propylene oxide in an interstellar cloud sets up a testing ground for understanding why life chooses one type of mirror-image molecule over another.
  
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• Gravitational waves detected from more colliding black holes

  15-06-2016 19:47 via cbc.ca
  
  The ground-breaking detection of gravitational waves, ripples in space and time postulated by Albert Einstein 100 years ago, that was announced in February was no fluke. Scientists said on Wednesday that they have spotted them for a second time.
  
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• Record-Breaking Fire Experiment Blazes on Private Cargo Spaceship

  15-06-2016 19:27
  
  NASA successfully ignited a piece of cotton-fiberglass cloth 1.3 feet wide by 3.3 feet long (0.4 by 1 meter) Tuesday afternoon (June 14) during the first stage of the Spacecraft Fire Experiment, or Saffire-1. Before Saffire-1, the largest fire set intentionally in space had burned a sample just the size of an index card, NASA officials have said. Saffire-1 took place aboard the uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft, a cargo vessel built by Virginia-based company Orbital ATK, which had departed from th
  
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• Gravitational Wave Detector Finds Double Colliding Black Holes — Again (Woot!)

  15-06-2016 19:27
  
  Distortions in the fabric of space-time, which were predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, have been directly detected for the second time. Approximately 1.4 billion light-years from Earth, two black holes spiraled around each other and collided, creating ripples in the fabric of space-time. The LIGO collaboration announced the finding today (June 15) during a news conference at the 228th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in San Diego.
  
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• Six-story, steel-frame building put to earthquake test

  15-06-2016 19:26
  SAN DIEGO (AP) — California researchers plan to rock and rattle a six-story steel-frame building on the world's largest shake table to see if the structure can withstand the force equal to a 6.7-magnitude earthquake.
  
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• A crucial second note heard in soundtrack of chaotic cosmos

  15-06-2016 19:25
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Astronomers say they've heard the echoes of two more crashing black holes — a discovery that hints that the unseen violence of the universe may be pretty common.
  
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• SpaceX rocket crashes in latest attempt at barge landing

  15-06-2016 19:23
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — After three successes, a leftover SpaceX rocket booster crashed Wednesday while trying to land on an ocean barge.
  
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• Beer can and bears save mushroom picker from hungry wolf

  15-06-2016 19:22 via cbc.ca
  
  Joanne Barnaby was stalked by a wolf for 12 hours while she was mushroom picking near Fort Smith, N.W.T. She dealt with dehydration, mosquitoes, and bears — which she used to lead the wolf into a trap.
  
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• Coral 'bright spots' offer clues to protecting threatened reefs

  15-06-2016 19:16
  
  OSLO (Reuters) - Some coral reefs are thriving and scientists say they may guide efforts to curb threats such as over-fishing and climate change which are blamed for widespread global declines.
  
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• Second gravitational wave signal detected

  15-06-2016 19:15
  
  LIGO has spotted a second set of ripples in the fabric of spacetime.
  
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• More gravitational waves detected

  15-06-2016 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists announce the detection at Earth of another burst of gravitational waves coming from a black hole merger.
  
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• Gravitational Wave Observatory Finds More Colliding Black Holes

  15-06-2016 19:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The second confirmation of ripples in spacetime is announced by astronomers at LIGO
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• SpaceX fails in latest attempt to land rocket on ocean barge

  15-06-2016 18:36
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — After three successes, a leftover SpaceX rocket booster crashed Wednesday while trying to land on an ocean barge.
  
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• City living shortens great tits' telomeres

  15-06-2016 18:22
  
  Great tits raised in urban nests have shorter protective caps on their chromosomes than those raised in rural nests.
  
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• 42% of Canadian jobs at high risk of being affected by automation, new study suggests

  15-06-2016 18:13 via cbc.ca
  
  More than 40 per cent of the Canadian workforce is at high risk of being replaced by technology and computers in the next two decades, according to a new report.
  
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• Low Vitamin Levels May Be Linked with Migraines in Kids

  15-06-2016 18:06
  Kids who frequently get migraines may have lower levels of certain vitamins and antioxidants in their blood, a new study suggests. Researchers found that, of the children and teens in the study who visited a headache clinic for migraine pain, relatively high percentages had mild deficiencies of vitamin D, riboflavin (a B vitamin) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) — a vitamin-like substance that is made in the body and is used to produce energy within cells — compared with kids in the general
  
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• Orlando Shooting: Should Curbs on Blood Donations from Gay Men Be Lifted?

  15-06-2016 18:05
  Gay and bisexual men who want to donate blood after the shooting in Orlando, Florida, are largely unable to do so, because of a federal rule that prohibits men who are currently sexually active with other men from donating blood. Now, some are suggesting that it's time for the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider the policy. Unfortunately the Gay blood ban is still in place.
  
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• Do Weight-Loss Drugs Work? 5 Medications Compared

  15-06-2016 18:04
  People who take some of the newest weight-loss prescription medications on the market typically lose about 5 percent of their body weight over one year, a new review of studies suggests. In the study of overweight and obese people who took one of five different prescription weight-loss drugs designed for long-term use, 40 to 70 percent (depending on which medication they took) achieved a loss of at least5 percent of their body weight. In comparison, 23 percent of adults who were given a placebo
  
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• SpaceX Launches Satellites, Narrowly Misses Rocket Landing at Sea

  15-06-2016 17:51
  
  SpaceX successfully launched two satellites to orbit today (June 15) but couldn't quite pull off its fourth consecutive rocket landing at sea in the process. The first stage of the California-based company's Falcon 9 rocket Falcon 9 rocket managed to hit its target — a robotic "droneship" stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the Florida coast — but wasn't able to stick the landing. "Ascent phase & satellites look good, but booster rocket had a RUD on droneship
  
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• Almost half of Canadians used Netflix in past month, new report suggests

  15-06-2016 17:45 via cbc.ca
  
  Almost half of Canadians used Netflix to watch a TV show or movie in the past month, according to a report Wednesday from a Toronto-based digital consultancy.
  
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• Top 12 games at E3 2016 so far

  15-06-2016 16:22 via cbc.ca
  
  Microsoft, Sony and others showed off the most-anticipated games for the coming year at their respective Electronic Entertainment Expo press conferences. Here are 12 games that stood out from the rest at E3.
  
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• SpaceX rocket crashes on droneship during failed landing

  15-06-2016 15:53 via cbc.ca
  
  The first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket had a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" on a floating barge following the successful launch of two satellites Wednesday.
  
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• Calgary's Kenn Borek Air heads out on medical rescue mission at Antarctic station

  15-06-2016 15:52 via cbc.ca
  
  Two Twin Otter planes from Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air are on their way to the South Pole to carry out a medical evacuation.
  
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• Israeli official praises Saudi king for stance on Iran, economy

  15-06-2016 15:39
  By Dan Williams HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israel's top intelligence official offered Saudi Arabia rare public praise on Wednesday for what he deemed its efforts, under King Salman, to lead "pragmatic" Sunni Muslim states confronting Iran and to overhaul Riyadh's oil-dependent economy. The tribute by military intelligence chief Major-General Herzi Halevy at an international security forum followed years of veiled references by Israel to back-channel contacts with Gulf Arab powers - despite the
  
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• Vaccines may offer defense against dengue, Zika and chikungunya

  15-06-2016 14:00
  
  Mosquitoes carry several harmful viruses—dengue, Zika, chikungunya. Vaccines may be the best means of defense.
  
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• From green slime to jet fuel: algae offers airlines a cleaner future

  15-06-2016 13:25
  
  OTTOBRUN, Germany (Reuters) - As airlines struggle to find cleaner ways to power jets and with an industry-wide meeting on CO2 emissions just months away, scientists are busy growing algae in vast open tanks at an Airbus site at Ottobrun, near Munich.
  
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• NATO says Ukraine ceasefire barely holding, scolds Russia

  15-06-2016 13:15
  By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia is violating an internationally-agreed ceasefire in Ukraine "again and again", NATO's chief said on Wednesday, accusing Moscow of continuing to arm separatists in the conflict at the centre of East-West tensions. Some European governments are eager to lift the economic sanctions that the West has levied on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis.
  
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• Airplane-Size Seabird Flew Above Antarctica 50 Million Years Ago

  15-06-2016 13:13
  
  A prehistoric seabird that was the size of a small airplane and had a mouthful of sharp teeth once soared over ancient Antarctica, occasionally stopping to snag fish and squid, a new study finds. Researchers found a broken 3.3-inch-long (8.5 centimeters) piece of the bird's humerus (upper arm bone) on Seymour Island in West Antarctica. They dated the bird's humerus to the Lower Eocene, between 53 million and 49 million years ago, said study lead author Marcos Cenizo, the director of the Provinci
  
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• How a Transgender Woman Could Get Pregnant

  15-06-2016 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The uncharted territory of uterus transplants is sparking patients’ interest, but surgeons and endocrinologists remain wary
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• 'Oh, My': Warp into Zero-G with 'Star Trek' Star George Takei

  15-06-2016 12:39
  
  Now, you have a chance to fly with "Star Trek" star George Takei, who played "Sulu" in the iconic sci-fi series, and experience zero gravity in a special plane. For just $6,500 a ticket (plus tax), 20 lucky fans will get to experience weightlessness along with the "Star Trek" actor for up to 30 seconds at a time. "[H]aving George Takei on board makes it a truly special experience," Terese Brewster, president and chief operating officer of Zero Gravity Corp., which operates the flights, said in a
  
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• SpaceX Goes for 4 Rocket Landings in a Row Today: How to Watch It Live

  15-06-2016 12:34
  
  SpaceX will try to ace its fourth consecutive rocket landing at sea during a satellite launch Wednesday morning (June 15), and you can watch all the spaceflight action live. If all goes according to plan, the first stage of SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket will come back to Earth for a soft touchdown on a robotic ship at sea Wednesday, shortly after launching two commercial communications satellites. You can also watch the webcast, which will begin about 20 minutes before liftoff, directly via
  
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• Space Station's Commercial 3D Printer Makes Its 1st Tool (Photos)

  15-06-2016 12:34
  
  The machine, known as the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), was installed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in late April. The AMF was built by California-based company Made In Space, which also constructed the only other 3D printer ever sent to space. NASA sees a bright future for the technology, which space agency officials have said could help make spaceflight cheaper and voyaging spaceships more self-sufficient.
  
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• Mercury Crosses the Sun in Stunning Ultra-High Resolution

  15-06-2016 12:34
  
  A transit of Mercury occurs when the tiny planet passes between the sun and Earth, such that people on the ground can see a silhouette of Mercury as it moves across the surface of the star. The small planet, with a diameter just over a third of Earth's, can be hard to see with the naked eye, but is easy to spot in the new video recorded on May 9. The movie, which has 4K visual resolution, was created using data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit o
  
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• Tim Peake return: 7 ways the astronaut's body will change after living in space for six months

  15-06-2016 12:11
  
  Earth’s gee forces aren’t kind to those returning from outer space.
  
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• Massive meteor-tracking network launches in France

  15-06-2016 11:55
  
  FRIPON hopes to track space rocks with 100 cameras across different regions by the end of the year.
  
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• Sick and tired of telemarketers calling? Why they may never stop

  15-06-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Most telemarketers polled in a new CRTC survey said they haven't registered with Canada's do-not-call list. Critics say the survey is more proof the list is a dud.
  
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• Fawn saved as tourist performs roadside C-section

  15-06-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  An Alberta tourist who performed an emergency C-section on a doe mortally wounded after being hit on the highway managed to save the fawn's life.
  
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• France ratifies the Paris Agreement on climate change

  15-06-2016 10:10
  PARIS (AP) — France's President Francois Hollande has ratified the Paris Agreement, a deal on curbing global warming reached last year by 195 countries.
  
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• NASA to set fire in space for science, safety

  15-06-2016 09:56
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - An unmanned cargo ship pulled away from the International Space Station on Tuesday to stage the first of three planned NASA experiments on how big fires grow in space, an important test for astronaut safety.
  
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• We could be waiting 1,500 years before aliens make contact

  15-06-2016 09:53
  
  That’s according to astronomers, who say there’s no reason to think we’re alone in the universe…
  
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• 16 unmissable moments from Tim Peake's time in space

  15-06-2016 07:41
  
  Do you remember the British astronaut’s first somersault?
  
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• Why people help distant kin

  15-06-2016 06:00
  
  (University of Utah) It's easy to understand why natural selection favors people who help close kin at their own expense: it can increase the odds the family's genes are passed to future generations. But why assist distant relatives? Mathematical simulations by a University of Utah anthropologist suggest 'socially enforced nepotism' encourages helping far-flung kin.
  
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• VTT releases a painless, quick and reliable method for diagnosing Helicobacter from exhaled air

  15-06-2016 06:00
  
  (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) In the future, several illnesses can be quickly and painlessly diagnosed by the optical analysis of isotopes contained in exhaled air. VTT developed its first prototype for this purpose.
  
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• This week from AGU: Clues to life's origins, Martian dust storms, and more

  15-06-2016 06:00
  
  (American Geophysical Union) This week from AGU are clues to life's origins, Martian dust storms, and two more research spotlights.
  
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