Science news

• Dead whale stuck on Los Angeles beach ahead of holiday

  01-07-2016 21:57
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dead humpback whale was stuck on a popular Los Angeles-area beach as the Fourth of July weekend got underway Friday, with visitors urged to steer clear of the huge carcass.
  
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• Pregnant women taking paracetamol might raise the risk of children developing autism, study suggests

  01-07-2016 21:20
  
  Scientists found that children exposed to paracetamol in the womb were 41% more likely to display hyperactivity symptoms.
  
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• Juno Probe Now on Autopilot Ahead of July 4 Jupiter Arrival

  01-07-2016 21:20
  
  NASA's Juno spacecraft is now flying solo ahead of its highly anticipated July 4 entry into Jupiter orbit. On Thursday afternoon (June 30), Juno's handlers sent a command to the spacecraft known as "ji4040," which is designed to transition the probe into autopilot mode, NASA officials said. "Ji4040 contains the command that starts the Jupiter orbit insertion sequence," Juno mission manager Ed Hirst, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement.
  
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• Going Deeper: Syfy's 'Killjoys' Returns Friday for Season 2

  01-07-2016 21:20
  
  Syfy's "Killjoys" is coming back for its second season this Friday (July 1), and its action-packed plot is about to go way deeper. The show follows a trio of space bounty hunters — called "Killjoys" — who track down criminals throughout a four-body planetary system called the Quad. Space.com talked with "Killjoys" showrunner Michelle Lovretta about what it was like to make the show and what's in store for Season 2, in which the team's bounty-hunting world will get a lot bigger.
  
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• Syfy's 'Dark Matter' Is Even Darker for Tonight's Season 2 Premiere

  01-07-2016 21:19
  
  Syfy's complex space mystery "Dark Matter" returns for Season 2 tonight (July 1), and it promises more enemies, bigger fights and shocking deaths. At the beginning of the show's first season, six unnamed characters (and an android) wake up on a ship with no memories of how they got there.
  
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• Meteorite Minerals Reveal Unexpected Collisions in the Early Solar System

  01-07-2016 20:59
  
  In the very early solar system, newly formed massive planets like Jupiter and Saturn stirred up trouble in their cosmic neighborhood, causing smaller bodies to collide with each other, new research shows. In the disk of material surrounding the very newly formed sun — a swirling cloud of dense gas and dust that eventually gave birth to Earth and the other planets — rocky bodies from the inner solar system experienced violent collisions with icy bodies from the outer solar system, acc
  
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• Individual mycobacteria respond differently to antibiotics based on growth and timing

  01-07-2016 20:23
  Scientists have identified factors that linked to why individual mycobacteria of the same genetic background can respond differently to antibiotics. The findings shed light on the complexity of antibiotic tolerance and may improve the future design of drug regimens.
  
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• Dividing T cells: A potential target for improving cancer immunotherapy

  01-07-2016 20:23
  When an immune T cell divides into two daughter cells, the activity of an enzyme called mTORC1, which controls protein production, splits unevenly between the progeny, producing two cells with different properties. Such 'asymmetric division,' uncovered by researchers using lab-grown cells and specially bred mice, could offer new ways to enhance cancer immunotherapy and may have other implications for studying how stem cells differentiate.
  
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• Tesla driver killed in Autopilot crash had praised safety of system

  01-07-2016 20:19 via cbc.ca
  
  A driver with a history of speeding who was so enamoured of his Tesla Model S sedan that he nicknamed the car "Tessy" and praised the safety benefits of its sophisticated Autopilot system has become the first U.S. fatality in a wreck involving a car in self-driving mode.
  
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• Ozone layer is gradually healing, scientists say

  01-07-2016 19:33
  
  The ozone hole is around 4.5 million square kilometres smaller than it was 15 years ago.
  
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• Dog 'Kisses' Give Woman Severe Infection

  01-07-2016 18:39
  A woman in the United Kingdom developed a potentially life-threatening infection that had an unusual cause: "kisses" from her dog.
  
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• For Kids with Eczema, 'Soak and Smear'

  01-07-2016 18:38
  To bathe or not to bathe: that has been the question for parents of children with eczema. Some parents think that frequent bathing ultimately will dry out the skin and make eczema symptoms worse. Now, a new review of studies on bathing and eczema attempts to provide some clarity.
  
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• 'Breast Cancer Gene' BRCA1 Linked to Aggressive Uterine Cancer  

  01-07-2016 18:38
  Mutations in women's BRCA genes, which are linked to both breast cancer and ovarian cancer, may also increase their risk of developing a particularly deadly form of uterine cancer, a new study finds. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are sometimes referred to as the "breast cancer genes" because women who have a mutation in one or both of these genes face a much greater risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer than women without mutations in these genes. But previous studies have also suggested t
  
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• Insurers unknowingly helping illegal fishing businesses stay afloat, UBC study suggests

  01-07-2016 18:35 via cbc.ca
  
  Many boats involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are able to get insurance, suggesting that the insurance industry is inadvertently supporting illegal fishing, researchers at the University of British Columbia have found.
  
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• Insurance industry unknowingly supports illegal fishing, UBC researchers say

  01-07-2016 18:35 via cbc.ca
  
  Many boats involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are able to get insurance, suggesting that the insurance industry is inadvertently supporting illegal fishing, researchers at the University of British Columbia have found.
  
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• Breathing in a Cure: Inhalable Ibuprofen on the Horizon

  01-07-2016 18:13
  Ibuprofen: You can buy it at any drug store, and it will help with that stabbing headache or sprained ankle. One of the ways it does so is by reducing inflammation, and it is this property that may also help patients with cystic fibrosis.
  
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• Frigate birds: In the air for months at a time

  01-07-2016 18:07
  Frigate birds were already known for their ability to fly continuously for weeks without landing. A telemetric study of their trajectory and flight strategy has just revealed that they can remain airborne for over two months during their transoceanic migrations.
  
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• The relentless dynamism of the adult brain

  01-07-2016 18:05
  Scientists were able to make real-time observations over a period of several months that reveal how new adult-born neurons are formed and evolve in the olfactory bulb of mice. They made the surprising discovery that there is constant structural plasticity in the connections established by these new neurons with the circuits into which they are recruited.
  
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• Seaweeds get sick too when they're stressed

  01-07-2016 18:05
  Normally harmless bacteria can cause bleaching disease in seaweeds when the "trees of the ocean" become stressed by high water temperatures, researchers have discovered. Understanding these disease processes is not only important for maintaining a healthy marine environment; it also has economic significance, given that seaweeds are increasingly being cultivated as sources of food and feed-stock for biofuels.
  
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• Key difference in immune cells may explain children's increased susceptibility to illness

  01-07-2016 18:04
  Schools are commonly known as breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria, but this may not necessarily be linked to hygiene. New research in mice shows that because their immune systems do not operate at the same efficiency as adults, children may not only be more likely to contract a viral infection, but they also take to longer clear it.
  
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• Totally new kind of 'mark' discovered in human cell nucleus

  01-07-2016 18:03
  Scientists have verified the presence of a protein modification that is a unique mark in human cell nucleus. This protein modification, Histone H4 lysine 20 acetylation (H4K20ac), was only discovered in plant cells and its existence in mammalian cells has been indirectly proven. Their study suggests that H4K20ac is associated with gene repression. This new discovery of H4K20ac may lead to further clarification of the mechanisms in disease progression.
  
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• Reasons for delays in early autism diagnoses in Australia

  01-07-2016 18:03
  A new study has found many Australian children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may not be diagnosed until long after initial signs appear, prompting calls for improvements to the diagnostic process.
  
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• NASA's Dawn Probe Ends Primary Mission, May Visit 3rd Cosmic Object

  01-07-2016 17:32
  
  NASA's Dawn spacecraft has completed its historic primary mission, during which the probe became the first ever to visit a dwarf planet and the first to orbit two different bodies beyond the Earth-moon system. Dawn is still studying the dwarf planet Ceres from orbit, and the probe may soon head out to visit a third cosmic object, if NASA approves a proposed extended mission. Dawn orbited the 330-mile-wide (530 kilometers) Vesta from July 2011 through September 2012, and the probe has been circli
  
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• We compared summer this year with last year and the results are depressing

  01-07-2016 17:27
  
  Will the rain ever stop?
  
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• Czech Republic says you can call us Czechia

  01-07-2016 17:26
  Czechia has become the official English alternative name for the Czech Republic, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, allowing users to save space on name tags and product labels. A spokeswoman said the ministry had notified the United Nations that Czechia, as well as versions of the name in French, German, Russian, Arabic and Chinese, may be used instead of the full political name. This marks an end to more than two decades of hesitation on finding a single word name for the western part of the
  
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• Antarctic Ozone Hole Shows 1st Signs of Healing

  01-07-2016 16:21
  
  More than 30 years after scientists first spotted a hole in the atmosphere's protective ozone layer over the South Pole, they are seeing the "first fingerprints of healing," researchers reported today (June 30). "But October is also subject to the slings and arrows of other things that vary, like slight changes in meteorology.
  
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• Jupiter's 7 Most Massive Mysteries

  01-07-2016 16:19
  
  NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the giant planet on Monday (July 4), to do more investigations of this giant planet and to try to solve some of the following mysteries. How did Jupiter get enriched in heavy elements, compared with the sun? Jupiter is 317 times more massive than the Earth, making it a real heavyweight in the solar system.
  
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• How Do Planets Form? Juno's Jupiter Mission Aims to Find Out

  01-07-2016 16:19
  
  A NASA spacecraft is about to start unlocking the many secrets of giant, mysterious Jupiter. The Juno probe is scheduled to enter orbit around Jupiter on Monday (July 4), after a nearly five-year trek through deep space. Juno will then study Jupiter intensively over the next year and a half, peering deep inside the gas giant to help researchers better understand how it formed and evolved — information that should shed light on planet-formation processes in general.
  
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• Scientists hope new shark cam gives insight to deep dives

  01-07-2016 16:11
  MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — Researchers are developing a one-of-a-kind camera to mount on great white sharks in an effort to discover why the fish travel each year to a spot in the Pacific Ocean nicknamed the "White Shark Cafe."
  
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• NASA’s Juno and JEDI: Ready to unlock mysteries of Jupiter

  01-07-2016 16:01
  The JEDI is one of several instruments aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft -- set to enter Jupiter orbit on July 4 -- that will help scientists answer fundamental questions about the solar system's largest planet, Earth and the universe.
  
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• Physicists find missing link between glass formation and crystallization

  01-07-2016 15:55
  Glasses are neither fluids nor crystals. They are amorphous solids and one of the big puzzles in condensed matter physics. For decades, the question of how glass forms has been a matter of controversy. Is it because some regions freeze their thermal motion? Or is it because there are particles or clusters which do not fit to form a crystal? At least for the model system of hard spheres, researchers have now taken a major leap in reconciling these two opposing views. Using a clever combination of
  
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• Cravings for high-calorie foods may be switched off in the brain by new supplement

  01-07-2016 15:55
  Eating a type of powdered food supplement, based on a molecule produced by bacteria in the gut, reduces cravings for high-calorie foods such as chocolate, cake and pizza, a new study suggests. Scientists asked 20 volunteers to consume a milkshake that either contained an ingredient called inulin-propionate ester, or a type of fibre called inulin.
  
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• Teenagers on a work experience 'discover' new planet

  01-07-2016 15:54
  A group of teenagers on work experience at Keele University in Staffordshire, UK, may have discovered a new planet.
  
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• Spiderweb galaxy: Watery dew drops surrounding dusty spider’s web

  01-07-2016 15:54
  Astronomers have spotted glowing droplets of condensed water in the distant Spiderweb Galaxy -- but not where they expected to find them. Detections show that the water is located far out in the galaxy and therefore cannot be associated with central, dusty, star-forming regions, as previously thought.
  
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• Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase autism spectrum and hyperactivity symptoms in children

  01-07-2016 15:54
  A new study has found that paracetamol (acetaminophen), which is used extensively during pregnancy, has a strong association with autism spectrum symptoms in boys and for both genders in relation to attention-related and hyperactivity symptoms.
  
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• New method provides better information on gene expression

  01-07-2016 15:54
  Scientists have devised a new high-resolution method for studying which genes are active in a tissue. The method can be used on all types of tissue and is valuable to both preclinical research and cancer diagnostics.
  
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• Learn much you can, from Yoda’s spoken and subtitled discourse

  01-07-2016 15:54
  The structural oddity of the speech pattern of the Star Wars character Master Yoda is probably one of the most instantly recognizable of all TV and film characters, even to those unfamiliar with the Star Wars series of films themselves. But how well does this speech 'oddity' translate into the accompanying sub-titles, and can we learn about how the structure of language can add weight to the perception of a character?
  
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• Newfound Human Species Suggests Africa Was Evolutionary Melting Pot

  01-07-2016 15:50
  
  The most recently discovered extinct human species may have lived less than 1 million years ago, researchers have discovered. This finding suggests that a diverse range of human species might have lived at the same time in Africa, just as they might have in Asia, researchers said. In 2015, scientists reported South African fossils of a hitherto-unknown relative of modern humans that possessed an unusual mix of features, such as feet adapted for a life on the ground but hands suited for a life in
  
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• Humans are not the only ones who produce halogenated organic pollutants

  01-07-2016 15:46
  Organohalogens like perchloroethene and trichloroethene are prominent groundwater pollutants due to their industrial use as dry cleaning and degreasing agents and their widespread release into the environment. Volatile organohalogens like chloromethane strongly influence atmospheric chemistry and thereby Earth's climate by causing ozone depletion when released into the atmosphere. For a long time it was assumed that these compounds are only produced and released by human activity. However, in re
  
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• Ozone hole over Antarctica is starting to heal

  01-07-2016 15:41 via cbc.ca
  
  Antarctica's ozone hole finally is starting to heal, earlier than expected, a new study finds.
  
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• New anti-cancer strategy mobilizes both innate and adaptive immune response

  01-07-2016 15:39
  Scientists have developed a new vaccine that involves injecting cells that have been modified so that they can stimulate both an innate immune response and the more specific adaptive response, which allows the body to keep memories and attack new tumor cells as they form.
  
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• Gelatin instead of the gym to grow stronger muscles

  01-07-2016 15:39
  Scientists have devised a way to develop bigger, stronger muscle fibers. But instead of popping up on the bicep of a bodybuilder, these muscles grow on a tiny scaffold or 'chip' molded from a type of water-logged gel made from gelatin.
  
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• Benign bacteria block mosquitoes from transmitting Zika, chikungunya viruses

  01-07-2016 15:39
  Researchers have confirmed that a benign bacterium called Wolbachia pipientis can completely block transmission of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti. Scientists say the bacteria could present a 'novel biological control mechanism,' aiding efforts to stop the spread of Zika virus.
  
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• Bacteria can multiply disease-inducing genes to rapidly cause infection

  01-07-2016 15:39
  More than 22 years ago, researchers discovered an infection strategy of human pathogenic Yersinia bacteria -- a protein structure in bacterial cell-walls that resembled a syringe. The structure, named "Type III secretion system" or T3SS, makes it possible to transfer bacterial proteins into the host cell and destroy its metabolism. After the discovery, researchers have found T3SS in several other bacteria species and T3SS has proven to be a common infection mechanism that pathogens, i.e. an infe
  
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• A host of common chemicals endanger child brain development

  01-07-2016 15:39
  In a new report, dozens of scientists, health practitioners and children's health advocates are calling for renewed attention to the growing evidence that many common and widely available chemicals endanger neurodevelopment in fetuses and children of all ages.
  
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• Polly Says What?! Should Parrots Testify at Murder Trials?

  01-07-2016 15:33
  
  Bird scientists are skeptical whether Bud, an African grey parrot who allegedly witnessed a murder in 2015 in Michigan, can give reliable testimony or spoken evidence at a court trial. That's not because African grey parrots aren't intelligent — the birds can be trained to do simple math, speak with enormous vocabularies and demonstrate impressive inferential reasoning. Rather, it's unclear whether Bud is repeating a conversation from the murder itself, or whether he heard it on TV, the ra
  
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• Half of Adélie Penguins Could Be Wiped Out by Global Warming

  01-07-2016 15:33
  
  Global warming may cause massive drops in the population of Adélie penguins in Antarctica, new climate data suggests. The tuxedo-clad birds breed on rocky, ice-free ground, and as glaciers receded over millions of years, Adélie penguins have reclaimed once icebound land for breeding. "It is only in recent decades that we know Adélie penguins population declines are associated with warming, which suggests that many regions of Antarctica have warmed too much and that further w
  
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• Ancient Shrine That May Hold Buddha's Skull Bone Found in Crypt

  01-07-2016 15:31
  
  Archaeologists have discovered what may be a skull bone from the revered Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. The bone was hidden inside a model of a stupa, or a Buddhist shrine used for meditation. The research team found the 1,000-year-old model within a stone chest in a crypt beneath a Buddhist temple in Nanjing, China.
  
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• NASA space probe to lift the veil on Jupiter

  01-07-2016 15:08
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA's Juno spacecraft hurtled closer toward Jupiter on Friday headed for a July 4 leap into polar orbit around the solar system's largest planet to analyze how it formed and helped set the stage for life on Earth.
  
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• LEGO-like Smartphones Slowly Snapping into Place

  01-07-2016 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Google, LG and others are experimenting with gadgets that come with swappable cameras and sensors and could hit the market next year
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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