Science news

• Zika Virus Mystery: New Utah Case Stumps Researchers

  18-07-2016 23:28
  In a puzzling case, a person in Utah became infected with the Zika virus, but health officials can't figure out how the person contracted it. "Zika continues to surprise us," and there's still a lot we don't know about the virus, Dr. Satish Pillai, incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Zika response, said at a news conference today (July 18).
  
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• No one-fits-all healthy diet exists

  18-07-2016 23:01
  
  Mice’s response to diet varies with their genes.
  
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• 2 Newfound Alien Planets May Be Capable of Supporting Life

  18-07-2016 22:57
  
  NASA's Kepler space telescope has spotted four possibly rocky alien planets orbiting the same star, and two of these newfound worlds might be capable of supporting life. However, Kepler team members soon figured out a way to stabilize the telescope using sunlight pressure and the two remaining reaction wheels.
  
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• Mexico president apologises for scandal, vows to fight graft with new law

  18-07-2016 22:53
  By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto apologised on Monday for a damaging conflict-of-interest row in 2014 surrounding his wife's purchase of a luxury home from a government contractor. Pena Nieto made what was an unusually frank apology for a Mexican leader over the scandal as he signed into law a new anti-corruption system that the government hopes will boost its credibility in the run-up to 2018 presidential elections. Addressing political leaders at the
  
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• Genetic drivers of immune response to cancer discovered through 'big data' analysis

  18-07-2016 22:13
  Scientists have identified over 100 new genetic regions that affect the immune response to cancer. The findings could inform the development of future immunotherapies -- treatments that enhance the immune system's ability to kill tumors.
  
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• Hummingbird vision wired to avoid high-speed collisions

  18-07-2016 22:09
  Hummingbirds are among nature's most agile fliers. They can travel faster than 50 kilometers per hour and stop on a dime to navigate through dense vegetation.
  
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• Zika Mystery Case Raises Questions about New Transmission Route 

  18-07-2016 22:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Utah caregiver infection has prompted a federal investigation
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• In medical mystery, caregiver of Zika patient gets virus

  18-07-2016 21:59
  
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A person who cared for a Zika-infected relative in Utah also got the virus, but exactly how it was transmitted is a medical mystery, health officials announced Monday.
  
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• Hummingbirds avoid high-speed crashes 'because they see the world differently'

  18-07-2016 21:01
  
  How they manage to avoid potentially fatal crashes has remained a mystery until now.
  
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• SpaceX Aims to Relaunch Landed Dragon Capsule in Early 2017

  18-07-2016 20:32
  
  SpaceX is pretty serious about this whole spacecraft reusability thing. The California-based company landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket for the fifth time early Monday morning (July 18), during the launch of its robotic Dragon capsule toward the International Space Station (ISS) on a cargo mission for NASA. This fall, SpaceX plans to refly one of its landed Falcon 9 rockets for the first time — and a Dragon capsule should make history by launching on a repeat ISS resupply missio
  
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• Kickstarter Project Aims to 'Back Up Humanity' in Cosmic Cloud

  18-07-2016 20:32
  
  "We sometimes use the phrase, 'We want to back up humanity,' which is not a joke — we want to do this," project co-founder Philip Lubin, a physics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told Space.com. Indeed, Lubin, co-founder Travis Brashears (a physics undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley) and their colleagues are looking to the masses for funding, via a Kickstarter campaign that launched today (July 18). This money will be used to launch
  
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• Armenian officials urge hostage-takers to surrender

  18-07-2016 20:29
  By Hasmik Mkrtchyan YEREVAN (Reuters) - Authorities in Armenia called on gunmen holed up in a police station in the capital Yerevan to lay down their arms on Monday and release four people they were holding hostage. The gunmen seized the police station and hostages on Sunday, killing a police officer and wounding two others in the process before demanding Armenians take to the streets to secure the release of jailed opposition politicians. The hostage-takers' main demand is to free Jirair Sefili
  
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• New link between periodontal and cerebrovascular diseases

  18-07-2016 19:33
  A new study has revealed a relationship between chronic periodontitis and lacunar infarct, two common diseases in the elderly. Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the gums, whereas lacunar infarct is a type of cerebral small vessel disease that can lead to a stroke.
  
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• Malaria: A genetically attenuated parasite induces an immune response

  18-07-2016 19:33
  With nearly 3.2 billion people currently at risk of contracting malaria, scientists have experimentally developed a live, genetically attenuated vaccine for Plasmodium, the parasite responsible for the disease. By identifying and deleting one of the parasite's genes, the scientists enabled it to induce an effective, long-lasting immune response in a mouse model. These findings were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on July 18, 2016.
  
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• The birth of quantum holography: Making holograms of single light particles!

  18-07-2016 19:32
  Until quite recently, creating a hologram of a single photon was believed to be impossible due to fundamental laws of physics. However, scientists have now successfully applied concepts of classical holography to the world of quantum phenomena. A new measurement technique has enabled them to register the first ever hologram of a single light particle, thereby shedding new light on the foundations of quantum mechanics.
  
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• Soft drink, soft price: Soda prices found to be significantly low

  18-07-2016 19:32
  Researchers found a huge disparity between the price of soda, which is linked to the prevalence of health issues like diabetes, and milk -- a difference in price that could be narrowed by taxes like the one on sugary drinks recently approved in Philadelphia.
  
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• Researchers use acoustic voxels to embed sound with data

  18-07-2016 19:32
  Researchers have developed a method to control sound waves, using a computational approach to inversely design acoustic filters that fit within an arbitrary 3-D shape while achieving target sound filtering properties. They designed acoustic voxels, small, hollow, cube-shaped chambers through which sound enters and exits, as a modular system. Like LEGOs, the voxels can be connected to form a complex structure and can modify the structure's acoustic filtering property.
  
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• Modified rye bread helps patients with irritable bowel syndrome

  18-07-2016 19:32
  Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often concerned that certain foods may trigger or worsen their symptoms, which can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation. In a new study, patients who ate rye bread that was low in so-called 'FODMAPs' (fermentable oligo- di- and mono-saccharides and polyols) experienced milder IBS symptoms than patients who ate normal rye bread.
  
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• The pains and strains of a continental breakup

  18-07-2016 19:30
  Scientists have revealed the underlying mechanics enabling supercontinents to separate.
  
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• Smallest hard disk to date writes information atom by atom

  18-07-2016 19:30
  Every day, modern society creates more than a billion gigabytes of new data. To store all this data, it is increasingly important that each single bit occupies as little space as possible. A team of scientists managed to bring this reduction to the ultimate limit: they built a memory of 1 kilobyte (8,000 bits), where each bit is represented by the position of one single chlorine atom.
  
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• Scientists discover how proteins in the brain build-up rapidly in Alzheimer's

  18-07-2016 19:30
  Researchers have identified -- and shown that it may be possible to control -- the mechanism that leads to the rapid build-up of the disease-causing 'plaques' that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.
  
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• Long-awaited breakthrough in the reconstruction of warm climate phases

  18-07-2016 19:30
  Scientists have overcome a seeming weakness of global climate models. They had previously not been able to simulate the extreme warm period of the Eocene.
  
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• Researchers create means to monitor anthropogenic global warming in real time

  18-07-2016 19:29
  A research team simulated in a computer model, for the first time, the realistic evolution of global mean surface temperature since 1900. The researchers also created a new method by which scientists can measure and monitor the pace of anthropogenic global warming, finding that the contribution of human activities to warming in the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean can be distinguished from natural variability.
  
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• Scientists determine structure of enzyme linked with key cell-signaling protein

  18-07-2016 19:26
  Scientists have captured atomic level snapshots showing how one key enzyme modifies a protein involved in turning genes on or off inside cells. Understanding this process helps explain how complex organisms can arise from a finite number of genes. The research also identifies links between defects in this particular enzyme and certain cancers, potentially pointing to new drug targets.
  
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• How the body disposes of red blood cells, recycles iron

  18-07-2016 19:26
  What happens when red blood cells become damaged or reach the end of their normal life span, and how is the iron required for carrying oxygen recycled? A new study contradicts previous thinking about where and how worn-out red blood cells are disposed of and their iron retained for use in new cells.
  
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• Helping doctors transform their practices into patient-centered models of health care

  18-07-2016 19:26
  The article demonstrates the effectiveness of teaching practice facilitators how to use cognitive task analysis to help them guide doctors's office staff in changing to a patient-centered model.
  
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• Exploring superconducting properties of 3-D printed parts

  18-07-2016 19:26
  While many techniques can be used for 3-D printing with metals, most rely on computer-controlled melting or sintering of a metal alloy powder by a laser or electron beam. The mechanical properties of parts produced by this method have been well studied, but not enough attention has focused on their electrical properties. Researchers now report creating a resonant microwave cavity that they 3-D printed via an aluminum-silicon alloy.
  
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• 'Tragic' polar bear kept at Chinese mall 'for selfies,' group says

  18-07-2016 19:18 via cbc.ca
  
  An animal rights group is campaigning to shut down an exhibit in a Chinese mall featuring a lone polar bear in a small indoor enclosure.
  
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• Storage device writes information atom-by-atom

  18-07-2016 19:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The quest for storage devices that pack ever more information into a small space has reached a new limit, with memory that writes information atom-by-atom.
  
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• Twitter lights up with 95th birthday wishes for John Glenn

  18-07-2016 19:03
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Pioneering astronaut John Glenn is being showered with birthday recognition by people on social media, NASA and residents in his home state of Ohio.
  
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• In medical mystery, caregiver gets Zika from man who died

  18-07-2016 18:35
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man who became the first person in the continental U.S. to die after being infected with the Zika virus passed it to a caregiver, creating a medical mystery about how it spread between them, health officials said Monday.
  
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• Could these cyborg beetles save lives?

  18-07-2016 18:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in Singapore have created cyborg beetles that they believe could help save lives.
  
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• Freedom of navigation patrols may end 'in disaster' - Chinese admiral

  18-07-2016 18:06
  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Freedom of navigation patrols carried out by foreign navies in the South China Sea could end "in disaster", a senior Chinese admiral has said, a warning to the United States after last week's ruling against Beijing's claims in the area. China has refused to recognise the ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague that invalidated its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, and did not take part in the proceedings brought by the Philippines. China has
  
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• Suspected Islamist militant kills five in Kazakhstan

  18-07-2016 17:53
  By Mariya Gordeyeva and Olzhas Auyezov ALMATY (Reuters) - A lone gunman with Islamist links killed at least three policemen and two civilians in Kazakhstan's financial capital Almaty on Monday, senior security officials said, the second such attack in less than two months. Police detained the attacker, identified as 26-year-old Ruslan Kulikbayev, in a shootout on a busy central street after he had gone on the rampage, attacking a police station and an office belonging to the KNB security service
  
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• U.N. tombstone listing celebrated as rare joint success in Balkans

  18-07-2016 17:52
  
  SARAJEVO (Reuters) - A World Heritage listing for 70,000 medieval tombstones spread across four countries that emerged from Yugoslavia's bloody break up in the 1990s was praised on Monday as a rare example of successful cooperation between the former foes.
  
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• 'Primitive Machine' Within Great Pyramid of Giza Reconstructed

  18-07-2016 17:46
  
  The ancient Egyptians created a simple yet elaborate system of blocks and grooves within the Great Pyramid of Giza to protect the King's Chamber from tomb robbers. In an upcoming episode of the Science Channel's "Unearthed," that system comes to life via computer animations. In the episode, Egyptologist Mark Lehner describes the system for viewers, calling it a "very primitive machine." Lehner leads Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA), a team that has been excavating at Giza for about
  
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• Ancient Roman Soldier with Ornate Belt Discovered in UK Grave

  18-07-2016 17:46
  
  The 1,600-year-old remains of a middle-age man buried alongside an ornate belt decorated with images of dolphins and dogs have been found in a grave in Leicester, England, archaeologists report. The belt's style suggests that its owner worked as a solider or civil servant during the Late Roman period, during the second half of the fourth century A.D or the early fifth century A.D., the archaeologists, from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), said on July 7. The team made
  
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• Ancient Bug Jumped Out of Its Skin to Escape Gooey Trap

  18-07-2016 17:46
  
  An ancient event preserved in a piece of amber reads from left to right like an enigmatic story told in three mysterious emojis: a strand of hair followed by an insect exoskeleton next to a single mushroom.
  
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• Man's New Best Friend Is a Goat?

  18-07-2016 17:38
  
  New research suggests that these farm animals try to communicate with people in the same way that dogs and horses do. Goats were the first domesticated livestock species, about 10,000 years ago, according to lead author Alan McElligott of Queen Mary, University of London. "From our earlier research, we already know that goats are smarter than their reputation suggests, but these results show how they can communicate and interact with their human handlers even though they were not domesticated as
  
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• Gorgeous Gravity Waves Intersect Near Africa (Photo)

  18-07-2016 17:38
  
  Interlacing waves of clouds decorate the sky above the coast of Angola in a new satellite image. The image, taken June 26 by an instrument on NASA's Terra satellite, highlights the atmospheric patterns off the coast of West Africa. The clouds are called gravity waves, which form as gravity and buoyancy try to balance each other out.
  
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• Cockroaches Use Their Own Internal GPS to Get Around

  18-07-2016 17:38
  
  When navigating your kitchen, cockroaches likely don't need to stop for directions. Turns out, the pesky insects have an internal GPS. To uncover this internal GPS, the researchers put cockroaches (Blaberus discoidalis) through the same experiments that are used to uncover the navigational brain cell activity in rats.
  
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• Upsizing nanostructures into light, flexible 3-D printed metallic materials

  18-07-2016 17:19
  Researchers have devised a new process to create lightweight, strong and super elastic 3-D printed metallic nanostructured materials with unprecedented scalability, opening the door for applications in aerospace, military and automotive industries.
  
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• Infantile memory study points to critical periods in early-life learning for brain development

  18-07-2016 17:19
  A new study on infantile memory formation in rats points to the importance of critical periods in early-life learning on functional development of the brain. The research reveals the significance of learning experiences over the first two to four years of human life.
  
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• Fracking industry wells associated with increased risk of asthma attacks

  18-07-2016 17:19
  People with asthma who live near bigger or larger numbers of active unconventional natural gas wells operated by the fracking industry in Pennsylvania are 1.5 to four times likelier to have asthma attacks than those who live farther away, new research suggests.
  
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• Moving objects and flowing air: How bees position their antennae during flight

  18-07-2016 17:17
  During flight, bees need to position their antennae carefully to get accurate information about the speed of air flowing past their bodies. This is crucial for them to make mid-air decisions in a fraction of a second. Scientists now show that visual cues and airflow work in opposing ways to help bees position their antennae precisely during flight.
  
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• Ancient barley DNA gives insight into crop development

  18-07-2016 17:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An international group of scientists have analysed the DNA of 6,000 year old barley, showing that it is remarkably similar to modern day varieties.
  
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• Japan's Softbank will buy U.K. designer of chips that power most smartphones

  18-07-2016 16:56 via cbc.ca
  
  Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. is buying Britain's ARM Holdings for 24.3 billion pounds ($40.2 billion).
  
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• Farming and forestry can deliver food security, says UN

  18-07-2016 16:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Improving co-operation between nations' farming and forestry sectors will help reduce deforestation and improve food security, a UN report suggests.
  
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• Urban peregrine falcons are faithful to their partners despite opportunities to cheat, study finds

  18-07-2016 15:54
  
  The birds of prey living in cities and urban areas are surprisingly forming long-lasting relationships.
  
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• Suspected Islamist militants kill five in Kazakhstan's biggest city

  18-07-2016 15:32
  By Mariya Gordeyeva and Olzhas Auyezov ALMATY (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants killed at least four policemen and one civilian in Kazakhstan's financial capital Almaty on Monday, security and hospital sources said, the second attack on the security services in less than two months. The attackers targeted a district police station and an office of the KNB state security service. President Nursultan Nazarbayev called the attacks a terrorist act and ordered tighter security in public areas.
  
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