Science news

• Blue Origin's Rocket Factory Breaks Ground

  28-06-2016 23:50
  
  The Amazon.com founder and CEO's private spaceflight company, Blue Origin, has stepped into the spotlight this past year thanks to dramatic videos that show the organization's New Shepard suborbital rocket launching and then making perfect vertical landings. Just this month, Blue Origin presented a webcast of one of those landings, which was the very first live broadcast of the dramatic event. But the company wants to soar beyond suborbital space, and today (June 28) Bezos announced in an email
  
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• Booster rocket fires in key NASA test for Mars missions

  28-06-2016 22:49
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's fireworks came early this year with a successful rocket test in Utah.
  
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• [Research Article] The ER structural protein Rtn4A stabilizes and enhances signaling through the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB3

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  ER remodeling may enhance growth factor signaling to increase cell survival.
  
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• [Research Article] The adaptor protein CIN85 assembles intracellular signaling clusters for B cell activation

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  CIN85 regulates the extent of B cell receptor signaling by controlling clustering of the adaptor protein SLP-65.
  
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• [Research Article] Lipocalin 2 from macrophages stimulated by tumor cell-derived sphingosine-1-phosphate promotes lymphangiogenesis and tumor metastasis

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Dying tumor cells trigger a macrophage response that stimulates lymphangiogenesis.
  
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• [Focus] Tumor microenvironment on the move and the Aselli connection

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The innate immune response mediates signals that remodel the tumor microenvironment and promotes lymphangiogenesis.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Turning on NK cells

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Loss of the suppressor protein CIS unleashes the antitumor activity of natural killer cells.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Primed for inflammation by past meals

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Engulfment of apoptotic corpses during development enables macrophages to mount inflammatory responses to injury or infection.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] One target to quench many

  28-06-2016 22:35 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Inhibiting the GTPase ARF6 chokes the diverse output of mutant Gαq proteins in uveal melanoma.
  
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• This week in Zika: vaccine progress, infection insights

  28-06-2016 22:31
  
  Vaccine candidates for Zika virus take a step forward, birth defects span spectrum of problems and doubts about Zika’s link to microcephaly may be extinguished by new reports from Colombia.
  
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• Google offers new way for users to manage ads, personal data

  28-06-2016 21:30 via cbc.ca
  
  A new privacy tool will enable Google users to block certain ads from appearing on every device that they log into, instead of having to make a special request on each individual machine.
  
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• Nasa tests its most powerful booster yet

  28-06-2016 21:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nasa has conducted a second round of test on a booster which is designed to send human beings deep into space.
  
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• World class science 'will endure' in UK after Brexit

  28-06-2016 20:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK Science Minister, Jo Johnson, says that world class research will "endure" following the Brexit.
  
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• Have a 'Facebocrastination' problem? What makes you susceptible

  28-06-2016 20:19 via cbc.ca
  
  Facebook is an incredibly powerful global communication tool. But it can also be an incredible time-suck when you should be working. And now, there's research to explain why 'Facebocrastination' is such a problem.
  
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• Sick Burn! NASA Fires Off Test of Next-Generation Rocket Engine

  28-06-2016 19:59
  
  Lying horizontally, the engine for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket booster released a massive blast of flame and a wall of black smoke for two solid minutes during today's Qualification Motor-2 (QM-2) test (see photos of the test here). This is the last engine test before NASA's Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2018, in which SLS will send an uncrewed Orion capsule on a flight beyond the orbit of the moon and back to Earth. Eventually, NASA aims to use Orion and SLS to send humans to Mars
  
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• Watch NASA's booster test for their most powerful rocket ever

  28-06-2016 19:52
  
  The boosters will be used on NASA’s Orion Spacecraft in 2018 as part of the Journey to Mars.
  
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• NASA's Juno snaps its 1st picture of Jupiter and its moons

  28-06-2016 19:51 via cbc.ca
  
  NASA’s Juno spacecraft has sent its first photograph of Jupiter back to Earth.
  
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• Supreme Court Abortion Ruling Explained

  28-06-2016 19:46
  The Supreme Court has overturned parts of a Texas law that would have caused many abortion clinics in the state to close down. In a 5-3 decision, the court said that parts of law, which imposed a number of restrictions on abortion clinics, were unconstitutional. What did the Texas law require clinics to do?
  
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• Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk of Fatal Heart Attack

  28-06-2016 19:45
  Eating fish, nuts, seeds and plants with omega-3 fatty acids may significantly lower your risk of dying from a heart attack, according to the most thorough study to date on this contested nutritional topic. Previous research on fish oil supplements and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids has shown mixed results, with some studies revealing heart-healthy benefits and others finding no benefit at all. The latest research, reported today (June 27) in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, was the lar
  
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• Novel Tech Aids in Search for Hidden Tombs & Mysteries of the Eye

  28-06-2016 19:44
  Researchers used the new devices to probe both the tombs and the eye canal, said Dr. L. Jay Katz, the director of glaucoma service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and the author of the commentary. In both cases, the devices sent out signals and then observed how they bounced back, Katz said. In the study of the human eye, a precise technology called optical coherence tomography or OCT, has recently been used to map out very tiny areas that researchers previously couldn't see, Katz told Liv
  
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• Magnets Make People Think of Love, Study Finds

  28-06-2016 19:44
  Animal magnetism may be a more literal concept than it's given credit for, according to a new study that finds that people are more attracted to their romantic partners after playing with magnets. The idea holds that when people are "primed" or prompted to think about a particular concept — such as physical magnetic attraction — it affects their cognition in surprising ways. In this case, the magnets may make the metaphor of love as a physical force more prominent in people's minds,
  
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• Gluten Triggers Strange Delusions in Woman with Celiac Disease

  28-06-2016 19:42
  Gluten has been implicated in a number of symptoms related to celiac disease that go beyond the digestive system, including rashes, anemia and headaches. After making threats against her family, the patient was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and was diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, the doctors wrote. During the woman's stay at the psychiatric hospital and at follow-up appointments after she was released, doctors noticed that she had several vitamin and mineral deficiencies, had lost a lo
  
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• Ancient birds' wings preserved in amber

  28-06-2016 19:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two wings from birds that lived alongside the dinosaurs have been found preserved in amber.
  
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• Falling through the Earth would be a drag

  28-06-2016 19:00
  
  Scientists study how friction affects a hypothetical jump through the center of the Earth.
  
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• Avatar mobile game to arrive ahead of film sequels

  28-06-2016 18:50 via cbc.ca
  
  Before moviegoers return to Pandora, they'll be able visit the exotic alien world from Avatar on their smartphones. Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox have enlisted game studio Kabam to develop an Avatar mobile game for release ahead of the next four film sequels.
  
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• Veils, Headscarves May Improve Observers' Ability to Judge Truthfulness

  28-06-2016 18:36
  Contrary to the opinions of some courts, it is easier to determine the truthfulness of a woman wearing a headscarf or even a veil that leaves only her eyes exposed than a woman wearing no head covering at all, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
  
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• No need for supercomputers

  28-06-2016 18:28
  A group of physicists in Russia has learned to use a personal computer for calculations of complex equations of quantum mechanics, usually solved with help of supercomputers. This PC does the job much faster.
  
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• Lab-tested diagnosis needed when treating patients with persistent diarrhea

  28-06-2016 18:28
  Persistent diarrhea, which is diarrhea that lasts at least 14 days, is an illness typically caused by parasites or bacteria and requires accurate diagnosis in order to determine what treatment to give, according a new report.
  
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• New preclinical study indicates vaccine to prevent Zika infection in humans is feasible

  28-06-2016 18:27
  The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and collaborators at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have completed a promising preclinical study of two Zika vaccine candidates that suggests that an effective human vaccine will be achievable. Findings from the study were published today in the journal Nature.
  
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• Latest research on physical therapy in ICU setting a 'surprising reversal'

  28-06-2016 18:27
  In a surprising about-face, researchers have determined that a protocol providing physical therapy to ICU patients with acute respiratory failure did not shorten hospital length of stay. The study, which is the largest to-date on this topic, reversed the findings from earlier pilot studies.
  
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• Animals 'inherit' their social network from their mothers, study shows

  28-06-2016 18:27
  Two biologists have developed a mathematical model of the way social networks arise in animal populations. Though relatively simple, their model generated networks that faithfully recapitulated important properties of networks observed in field-collected data from four very different animal populations: spotted hyenas, sleep lizards, rock hyrax and bottlenose dolphins.
  
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• Antidepressant does not reduce hospitalization, death for HF patients with depression

  28-06-2016 18:26
  Investigators have examined whether 24 months of treatment with the antidepressant escitalopram would improve mortality, illness, and mood in patients with chronic heart failure and depression.
  
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• Zika may last longer in pregnancy than originally thought: study

  28-06-2016 18:16 via cbc.ca
  
  In one experiment involving a pregnant monkey, the Zika virus was shown to last in her bloodstream for 70 days...far beyond the typical one week in humans.
  
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• Vaccines could counter addictive opioids

  28-06-2016 18:00
  
  Scientists turn to vaccines to curb the growing opioid epidemic.
  
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• Zika virus could become history as scientists uncover vaccines

  28-06-2016 17:50
  
  Scientists come a step closer to preventing Zika spread as they discover two types of vaccine that work on mice.
  
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• Monkey study shows Zika infection prolonged in pregnancy

  28-06-2016 17:48
  Researchers studying monkeys have shown that one infection with Zika virus protects against future infection, though pregnancy may drastically prolong the time the virus stays in the body.
  
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• Shape-changing enzyme suggests how small doses of anti-HIV drug might treat Alzheimer's

  28-06-2016 17:46
  An approved anti-HIV drug latches to the enzyme already responsible for about 80 percent of the cholesterol elimination from the human brain, report scientists. Obtained with a cutting-edge atom-substitution technology called hydrogen-deuterium exchange, the molecular roadmap shows how small amounts of the drug can kick the enzyme, called CYP46A1, into higher gear.
  
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• Insights into neurons that cause symptoms of Rett syndrome could guide new therapy search

  28-06-2016 17:46
  Two studies in mice reveal new insights into neurons that mediate symptoms typical of the postnatal neurological disorder Rett syndrome.
  
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• Researchers find human development's first gear

  28-06-2016 17:43
  Researchers are closer to solving a decade-old mystery after discovering that a set of genes they are studying play a key role in early human development.
  
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• New method to grow and transplant muscle stem cells holds promise for treatment of muscular dystrophy

  28-06-2016 17:43
  Satellite cells are stem cells found in skeletal muscles. While transplantation of such muscle stem cells can be a potent therapy for degenerative muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, these cells tend to lose their transplantation efficiency when cultured in vitro. Researchers treated these stem cells with leukemia inhibitory factor, which effectively maintained the undifferentiated state of the satellite cells and enhanced their transplantation efficiency.
  
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• Liquid biopsy biomarkers identify prostate cancer before surgery

  28-06-2016 17:43
  Prostate cancer researchers have discovered biomarkers using non-invasive liquid biopsies to identify aggressive disease before surgery.
  
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• Fish oil during pregnancy offers no protection for children against obesity

  28-06-2016 17:43
  Across the world, many schoolchildren under 10 are overweight. In the search for the cause of this phenomenon, fetal programming was put under scrutiny in new research. That the mother's diet might have some influence could not be confirmed in a long-term study: administering a special diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids to pregnant women neither resulted in children being slimmer nor fatter than their counterparts from the control group whose mothers ate a normal diet.
  
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• Conservation key to curbing emissions from palm oil agriculture in Africa

  28-06-2016 17:43
  As oil palm production expands from Southeast Asia into Central Africa, a new study finds that converting Africa's forests into monoculture plantations could trigger significant carbon emissions unless governments enact mandatory policies regulating which forests can be cleared and how much remaining forest must be set aside for conservation. Developing only low-carbon forests and requiring that one acre be set aside for every 2.6 acres put into production will be essential for achieving net-zer
  
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• Researchers identify possible link between the environment and puberty

  28-06-2016 17:41
  A possible epigenetic link between the environment and pubertal timing has been discovered by researchers. To a large extent, pubertal timing is heritable, but the underlying genetic causes are still unexplained. Researchers have now studied how chemical modifications of the human genome (so-called epigenetic modifications) change when girls and boys enter puberty. The results indicate that such epigenetic changes are involved in defining the onset of puberty.
  
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• China Launches New Rocket, Prototype Crew Capsule

  28-06-2016 17:41
  
  China successfully launched a new rocket and a prototype next-generation crew capsule Saturday (June 25) in the first-ever liftoff from the nation's new launch center. 8 p.m. local time), Chinese officials said. The uncrewed liftoff aimed to test both the new rocket and the launch facility, which is located on the island of Hainan, off China's southern coast.
  
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• Bird wings from Age of Dinosaurs found trapped in amber

  28-06-2016 17:38 via cbc.ca
  
  Ninety-nine million years ago, two baby birds met an unfortunate end and their severed wings became encased in amber. This is their story.
  
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• Honeybee circadian rhythms are affected more by social interactions

  28-06-2016 17:37
  For the first time, a field study shows that social time cues override influence of light and darkness in regulating the natural body clock of honeybees, highlighting the complexity of clock regulation in natural habitat
  
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• Gene signature in ovarian cancer predicts survival and offers new drug target

  28-06-2016 17:37
  A new study has identified a gene signature that predicts poor survival from ovarian cancer. The study also identified genes which help the cancer develop resistance to chemotherapy -- offering a new route to help tackle the disease.
  
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• Science groups to Congress: Climate change is real threat

  28-06-2016 17:28
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Thirty-one of the country's top science organizations are telling Congress that global warming is a real problem and something needs to be done about it.
  
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• Saving Dory: Animal rights activists ask movie fans to not buy blue tangs

  28-06-2016 17:14 via cbc.ca
  
  Animal rights activists and conservationists are begging parents to not rush out and buy blue tang fish for their kids after seeing Pixar’s latest animated blockbuster Finding Dory.
  
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