Science news

• 'Bomb Robot' Kills Dallas Shooter: How Police Did It

  08-07-2016 23:35
  A suspect in yesterday's (July 7) Dallas shooting — during which five police officers were killed and seven officers were injured — died after police deployed a remote-controlled bomb-disposal robot carrying an explosive device. Dallas Police Chief David Brown explained during a press conference that police sent the robot in after negotiations with the suspect broke down and he exchanged gunfire with officers.
  
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• Are Robots Still Just "Tools" When They Are Used to Kill?

  08-07-2016 23:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Dallas police using a robot and explosive to kill a suspected shooter is nothing new or sinister, say law enforcement and robotics experts
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• Newly unveiled dinosaur tracks march B.C. back into its prehistoric past

  08-07-2016 22:34 via cbc.ca
  
  Paleontology in British Columbia is taking a step forward, thanks to hundreds of dinosaur footprints discovered in northeastern British Columbia.
  
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• Clashes in South Sudan's capital raise fears for peace process

  08-07-2016 22:32
  By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) - United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said on Friday he was deeply alarmed by fighting in South Sudan's capital Juba between rival troops, describing the violence threatening a fragile peace process as a "new betrayal" of the country's people. President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar, now vice president, called for calm on Friday at the State House, where the rivals had been in talks when the fighting flared on Thursday between groups loyal to each of th
  
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• U.N. chief deeply alarmed by fighting in South Sudan's capital

  08-07-2016 21:42
  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday he is deeply alarmed by fighting in South Sudan's capital Juba between rival troops, describing it as "yet another illustration of the parties lack of serious commitment to the peace process." He called on President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar to put an end to ongoing fighting and discipline the military leaders responsible. Ban said the fighting " represents a new betrayal of the people of South
  
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• Phytoplankton’s response to climate change has its ups and downs

  08-07-2016 21:24
  
  In a four-year experiment, the shell-building activities of a phytoplankton species underwent surprising ups and downs.
  
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• Tiny bacteria-powered 'windfarm' for your phone?

  08-07-2016 20:48
  A team of scientists has shown how the natural movement of bacteria could be harnessed to assemble and power microscopic 'windfarms' -- or other human-made micromachines such as smartphone components.
  
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• Penis-shaped fossils from Canadian Rockies solve century-old mystery

  08-07-2016 20:45 via cbc.ca
  
  Paleontologists have finally figured out two kinds of mysterious fossils misidentified for a century — and traced them both to some phallus-shaped worms that lived 505 million years ago and built themselves some very elaborate homes.
  
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• Mini ‘wind farm’ could capture energy from microbes in motion

  08-07-2016 20:00
  
  Bacteria could spontaneously organize and rotate turbines, computer simulations show.
  
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• Target Mars: Red Planet in World's Crosshairs

  08-07-2016 19:33
  
  A number of different public and private organizations — from NASA, to the European Space Agency (ESA), to Elon Musk's ambitious company SpaceX — plan to launch missions to Mars in the near future. Some of these projects will probe the Red Planet's structure and composition, while others will hunt for signs of life. The international Mars exploration agenda is pretty packed for the next few years.
  
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• Milky Way Meets Meadow in Skywatcher Photo

  08-07-2016 19:32
  
  The Milky Way appears to lead a path to the universe from the serene meadow underneath in a sparkling new night-sky photo. Astrophotographer Alexis Hengen took this image in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia on July 24, 2015. Earth's host galaxy, the Milky Way ,  is a barred spiral galaxy seen as a band of light in the night sky.
  
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• Wakey Wakey! Juno Spacecraft Turns on Science Gear at Jupiter

  08-07-2016 19:27
  
  NASA's Juno spacecraft is opening its eyes to prepare for its first good look at Jupiter. Juno's nine science instruments were off when the probe entered orbit around the solar system's largest planet Monday (July 4), to reduce complications during that night's make-or-break orbit-insertion engine burn. The mission team powered up five of those instruments Wednesday (July 6) and plans to turn on the other four before the end of the month, NASA officials said.
  
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• 'Terrifying sniff and die bug' can reach the brain in just 24 hours

  08-07-2016 18:57
  
  The microbe is scarier than previously thought.
  
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• Where did it all go wrong? Scientists identify 'cell of origin' in skin cancers

  08-07-2016 18:36
  Scientists have identified for the first time the 'cell of origin' -- in other words, the first cell from which the cancer grows -- in basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, and followed the chain of events that lead to the growth of these invasive tumors.
  
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• Study finds no substantial harm from primary care melanoma screening

  08-07-2016 18:36
  Experts concerned that primary care screening for melanomas could lead to widespread misdiagnoses or overtreatment can take comfort in the results of a new study that found no such problems.
  
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• An epigenetic mechanism is involved in development of autoinflammatory diseases

  08-07-2016 18:36
  Scientists have identified an epigenetic mechanism involved in the development of autoinflammatory diseases. The observed epigenetic changes open up possibilities for the development of novel biomarkers with clinical uses.
  
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• Underwater city was built by microbes, not people

  08-07-2016 18:30
  
  Submerged stoneworklike formations near the Greek island of Zakynthos were built by methane-munching microbes, not ancient Greeks.
  
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• Statins could cut the risk of dying from four common cancers, scientists believe

  08-07-2016 18:20
  
  Researchers found “striking” reductions in death rate among cancer patients diagnosed with high cholesterol.
  
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• Facebook Messenger tests encrypted 'secret conversations'

  08-07-2016 17:05 via cbc.ca
  
  Facebook's messaging app is testing a new feature that will allow users to have secure, encrypted conversations, with the option to make them disappear after a short time like Snapchat messages.
  
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• Setting the gold standard: Chemistry professor is first to use light to make gold crystal nanoparticles

  08-07-2016 16:55
  A researchers has figured out how gold can be used in crystals grown by light to create nanoparticles, a discovery that has major implications for industry and cancer treatment and could improve the function of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and solar panels.
  
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• Researchers reveal first sightings of rare whales off New Zealand coast

  08-07-2016 16:55
  For the first time in New Zealand waters, an extremely rare grouping of Shepherd's Beaked Whales has been spotted from a research vessel off the coast of the city of Dunedin in the South Island.
  
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• Mixed response: Floodwaters return to the Colorado River but can release greenhouse gases

  08-07-2016 16:55
  Deliberately flooding riverbeds left parched by dams has great potential to restore wetlands but may also have a significant unintended consequence: the release of greenhouse gases.
  
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• Messaging by flow in the brain

  08-07-2016 16:54
  Researchers visualize cilia-based networks in the brain, which could transport vital messenger substances.
  
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• Station-Bound NASA Astronaut is the 60th Woman to Fly into Space

  08-07-2016 16:40
  
  When Kate Rubins was born in 1978, only one woman had flown in space. Now, 38 years later, Rubins is on the verge of becoming the 60th woman to leave the planet. 0136 GMT July 7), Rubins will spend the next four months conducting science on the International Space Station.
  
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• Astronauts, Aviators Celebrate National Air and Space Museum's 40 Years

  08-07-2016 16:40
  
  Four decades after a signal sent from Mars led to the public opening of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, another transmission from space has led to the debut of a newly renovated exhibit hall on the museum's 40th anniversary. Astronaut Jeff Williams, appearing in a video filmed aboard the International Space Station and projected onto the wall of the Washington, DC museum, launched the hall's public premiere and birthday celebration on Friday night (July 1). "Your magnificent mus
  
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• See Jupiter and the Moon Team Up in Friday's Night Sky

  08-07-2016 15:59
  
  Even though they won't appear particularly close together, the moon and Jupiter will likely attract the attention of even nonstargazers. The duo will appear to descend in the western sky, finally disappearing beyond the western horizon — first the moon, at about 11:15 p.m. local daylight time, followed by Jupiter about 15 minutes later. During July, Jupiter will slip farther down into the glow of evening twilight in the western sky, and by the end of February, it will be setting right arou
  
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• Stewart, Holt team up for science fiction drama 'Equals'

  08-07-2016 15:58
  LOS ANGELES - "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart and "X-Men" actor Nicholas Hoult team up for science-fiction film "Equals", a drama looking to a future where humans are genetically modified so as to not feel emotions and those who begin to do so are persecuted. One of the biggest issues facing both Hoult and Stewart was carrying out a love story in which the actors can only show a minimum of emotion. "It's weird, you don't often stare into people's eyes that long and when you do...you really quick
  
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• Artificial Intelligence Could Help Catch Alzheimer's Early

  08-07-2016 15:47
  
  The devastating neurodegenerative condition Alzheimer's disease is incurable, but with early detection, patients can seek treatments to slow the disease's progression, before some major symptoms appear.  Now, by applying artificial intelligence algorithms to MRI brain scans, researchers have developed a way to automatically distinguish between patients with Alzheimer's and two early forms of dementia that can be precursors to the memory-robbing disease. The researchers, from the VU Universi
  
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• Mudskipper Robot Mimics Ancient Land Animals' First 'Steps'

  08-07-2016 15:45
  
  A robot modeled after the mudskipper fish that "walks" short distances over rocks and mud is helping scientists understand how animals moved millions of years ago, when they first emerged from the water and transitioned to walk on land. A muscular tail in the earliest land animals may have played a more important role in their locomotion than previously thought.
  
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• Should homeopathy be used on animals?

  08-07-2016 15:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Victoria Derbyshire programme discusses the controversial use of homeopathy by vets as more than 2,300 people sign a petition calling for the treatment to be banned.
  
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• Artificial stingray is 'living robot'

  08-07-2016 14:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have designed a robotic stingray powered by light-activated muscle cells.
  
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• Two years and counting: Cannabis legalization efforts are starting to paint a clearer picture

  08-07-2016 14:28
  What is the current landscape at the US federal level regarding cannabis legalization? A new report shows that from a public health perspective, the biggest concern -- the increase in youth consumption -- has apparently remained stable. From a financial perspective, it seems that it has been a success as well.
  
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• Why do we tap our feet to a musical beat?

  08-07-2016 14:20
  Investigators have explored the theory behind the relationship between musical sound and body movement. Research shows that people tend to perceive affinities between sound and body motion when experiencing music. The so-called 'motor theory of perception' claims these similarity relationships are deeply rooted in human cognition.
  
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• Preconceptions predict coping, health outcomes

  08-07-2016 14:20
  A study into chronic kidney disease is currently underway. The work shows that people who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) form pre-conceived beliefs about their illness which can impact their health.
  
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• New work aiming to stop diabetes, a major global health challenge

  08-07-2016 14:20
  A new study estimates the global prevalence of diabetes and anticipates future trends. According to the results, the world's adult population with diabetes increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 millions in 2014 and if measures are not taken on time, this figure will exceed 700 millions in the next years.
  
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• How plants sense electric fields

  08-07-2016 14:20
  An international group of researchers has pinpointed the sensor plants use to sense electric fields. A beneficial side effect: their work could contribute to the understanding of how the Ebola virus enters human cells.
  
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• Transplant drug may provide benefits after spinal cord injury

  08-07-2016 14:19
  New research in mice indicates that a drug commonly used to suppress the immune system in recipients of organ transplants may also reduce tissue damage and neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury. Rapamycin, which is an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, has a variety of cellular functions and is known to possess both immunosuppressant and anti-tumor properties.
  
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• Scientists develop brain-inspired memory material

  08-07-2016 14:19
  Our brain does not work like a typical computer memory storing just ones and zeroes: thanks to a much larger variation in memory states, it can calculate faster consuming less energy. Scientists have now developed a ferro-electric material with a memory function resembling synapses and neurons in the brain, resulting in a multistate memory.
  
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• Referees add more extra time when the big teams are losing

  08-07-2016 14:19
  Football (soccer) enthusiasts suspected it, but now statistics is confirming it. After analyzing all the matches of the Spanish league "La Liga" from the 2014-2015 season, two experts in sports science have found that the greater the difference on the scoreboard, the less stoppage time is added to the end of the game. When the score is tighter, however, referees tend to add more stoppage time when the team in the higher division is losing.
  
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• Promising new methods for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

  08-07-2016 14:19
  New methods to examine the brain and spinal fluid heighten the chance of early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. These findings may have important implications for early detection of the disease, the choice of drug treatment and the inclusion of patients in clinical trials.
  
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• Novel discovery improves profiling of acute myeloid leukemia patients for targeted therapies

  08-07-2016 14:19
  Researchers have identified a set of genes, including DNMT3A, that could potentially be used to predict clinical outcomes of patients who suffer from a type of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) associated with an FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) mutation.
  
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• Exercise training in heart failure: Shaping your proteins

  08-07-2016 14:19
  Aerobic exercise training restored the cardiac protein quality control system in rats, showed a new study. More than 20 million people worldwide are estimated to have heart failure and this situation will get worse since the prevalence of heart failure will rise as the mean age of the population increases. The results of this study suggest that heart failure development is associated with disruption of cardiac protein quality control system and reinforce the importance of aerobic exercise traini
  
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• Bats take dangerous flight into the wind farm

  08-07-2016 14:19
  Wind turbines attract bats. They seem to appear particularly appealing to female noctule bats in early summer. In a pilot study, researchers noticed this when they tracked the flight paths of noctule bats using the latest GPS tracking devices. The bats managed to take even seasoned experts by surprise.  
  
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• Increase in childhood, adult asthma linked to London's 1952 Great Smog

  08-07-2016 14:17
  London's Great Smog of 1952 resulted in thousands of premature deaths and even more people becoming ill. The five December days the smog lasted may have also resulted in thousands more cases of childhood and adult asthma. Researchers studied how London's Great Smog affected early childhood health and the long-term health consequences. The results showed that the Great Smog event of 1952 likely still affects some people's health more than 60 years later.
  
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• Deadly bug strikes in a day

  08-07-2016 14:17
  It's like something out of a horror movie -- a killer bug that goes through your nose and can kill you in 24 hours. What's worse is it could be lurking in your body without you even knowing it.
  
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• Researchers are looking for volunteers to trial party drug ketamine as new treatment for alcoholism

  08-07-2016 14:11
  
  It has already been touted as a potential cure for depression.
  
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• Mutant mice become 'super sniffers'

  08-07-2016 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have mutated mice to turn them into "super sniffers", in research aiming to create a new generation of tracker animals.
  
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• Nightmarish Find: Giant, Venomous Centipede Is a Powerful Swimmer

  08-07-2016 13:34
  
  A giant, toothy centipede with countless legs is also a swimming fiend, making it the first known aquatic centipede on record. George Beccaloni, a curator of orthopteroids at the Natural History Museum in London, discovered the critter while honeymooning in Thailand in 2001, according to National Geographic. As soon as he lifted the rock, a giant centipede skittered out and escaped into the stream, where it hid under a rock.
  
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• Secret to Swordfish's Speedy Swimming Found

  08-07-2016 13:32
  
  Luckily, the study's lead author, John Videler, a biologist and professor at Groningen University in the Netherlands, had scanned a pair of adult swordfish in 1996 and 1997 using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Oil-slick skin would be more water-resistant.
  
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• 500-Million-Year-Old 'Seaweed' Was Actually Home to Tiny Worms

  08-07-2016 13:29
  
  Researchers have known about the ancient worm Oesia (oh-EEZ-yah) since 1911, according to study co-author Simon Conway Morris, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. All rights reserved.
  
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