Science news

• Smart cars could nudge aside auto insurers

  20-07-2016 23:45 via cbc.ca
  
  Auto insurers face an existential threat as new technology sends key information about drivers' behaviour directly to carmakers — who may use it to offer their own, better-priced insurance policies.
  
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• Screening for suicide risk among urban children vitally important

  20-07-2016 23:04
  Screening for suicide risk among publicly insured urban children who are experiencing psychological distress is vitally important, finds a new study.
  
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• Putting the Sloth in Sloths: Arboreal Lifestyle Drives Slow Motion Pace

  20-07-2016 23:04
  Scientists set out to measure the energetics of wild two- and three-toed sloths at a field site in in northeastern Costa Rica. The purpose of the study was to help explain why arboreal folivores are indeed so rare and why more animals have not evolved to take advantage of a widespread ecological niche.
  
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• Potential drug candidates could intervene in deadly diseases

  20-07-2016 22:48
  Scientists have identified drug candidates that can boost a cell's ability to catch the 'typos' in protein production that can cause a deadly disease called amyloidosis, revealing a new approach to intervene in human disease.
  
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• Groundwater discharge to upper Colorado River Basin varies in response to drought

  20-07-2016 22:48
  Groundwater discharge that flows into the Upper Colorado River Basin varies in response to drought, which is likely due to aquifer systems that contain relatively young groundwater, according to a new study.
  
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• Windows 10 personal data collection ruled 'excessive'

  20-07-2016 22:22 via cbc.ca
  
  Windows 10 collects "excessive" data on users, violates privacy laws in "numerous" ways and must be fixed within three months, France's data privacy watchdog announced in findings that could herald decisions to come in Canada and elsewhere in Europe.
  
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• Can-opener claws and birdlike bones: New species of 'megaraptor' found

  20-07-2016 22:06 via cbc.ca
  
  Measuring more than eight feet long and brandishing "can-opener" claws, the creature now known as murusraptor barrosaensis was not something to trifle with.
  
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• 5 years after shuttle, NASA awaits commercial crew capsules

  20-07-2016 21:47
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Five years after Atlantis completed the space shuttle program's final voyage, NASA is still at least a year away from launching its astronauts from U.S. soil.
  
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• New technique opens window into how brain cells communicate

  20-07-2016 21:37
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The brain's nerve cells communicate by firing messages to each other through junctions called synapses, and problems with those connections are linked to disorders like Alzheimer's and epilepsy. Now Yale University researchers have developed a way to picture synapses in living brains.
  
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• Nail-biting and thumb-sucking may not be all bad

  20-07-2016 21:00
  
  Nail-biters and thumb-suckers may actually be warding off allergies by introducing germs to their mouths, a new study suggests.
  
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• South Africa's great white sharks 'facing extinction'

  20-07-2016 20:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  South Africa's great white shark population is heading for possible extinction‚ after a rapid decline in numbers, say researchers.
  
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• Underwater terrain may be key factor in little auk foraging

  20-07-2016 20:35
  Little auks forage in the same areas off East Greenland -- the continental shelf and its edge -- regardless of whether sea ice is present or absent, according to a new study.
  
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• Scientists apply new imaging tool to common brain disorders

  20-07-2016 20:35
  A new approach has been developed to scanning the brain for changes in synapses that are associated with common brain disorders. The technique may provide insights into the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of disorders, including epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease, say authors of a new report.
  
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• New dinosaur species may give clues to evolutionary origin of megaraptorid clade

  20-07-2016 20:35
  A new species of megaraptorid dinosaur discovered in Patagonia may help discern the evolutionary origins of the megaraptorid clade.
  
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• 3-D-printing lab instruments one block at a time

  20-07-2016 20:35
  Building lab instruments for chemistry and biology experiments used to be an expensive, time consuming process only done by scientists with specialized training. A 3-D printed, Lego-like system of blocks is changing that. In addition to real research applications, the system can also be used for STEM education, where students gain both an engineering experience by building the instruments and a science experience as they use them.
  
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• Smithsonian Debuts Neil Armstrong Gloves, Reveals Apollo 11 3D Model

  20-07-2016 20:33
  
  The Smithsonian is commemorating the anniversary of the first moon landing with new exhibits and a virtual display of some of the most historic artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission. Forty-seven years after astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969, his lunar-surface-worn gloves and helmet have been put back on display for the first time since 2012. Newly-conserved, they will be on view for one year, beginning on Wednesday (July 20), at the National Air
  
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• Eileen Collins, 1st Female Shuttle Commander, to Speak at GOP Convention Tonight

  20-07-2016 20:33
  
  The first-ever female space shuttle commander will speak at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland tonight (July 20). Collins has criticized the Obama administration's 2010 cancellation of NASA's moon-oriented Constellation program, as Space News noted last week. But Collins said her speech tonight will not be political.
  
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• Viking at 40: How NASA Mission Brought Mars Into the Light

  20-07-2016 20:32
  
  The world got its first up-close look at Mars 40 years ago today (July 20), when NASA's Viking 1 lander touched down on the Red Planet. Viking 1 beamed home two photographs shortly after its historic arrival, then went on to capture the awesome vistas of Mars in many more images — and collect data that reshaped scientists' understanding of the Red Planet. Viking 1 and its sister Viking 2, which touched down on Sept. 3, 1976, allowed scientists to learn a great deal about Martian landforms,
  
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• Parachutes, Sky Cranes and More: 5 Ways to Land On Mars

  20-07-2016 20:32
  
  Landing on Mars — as NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft did 40 years ago, on July 20, 1976 — is a complex affair. For example, the Red Planet is so far away that any landing sequences cannot be controlled in real time from Earth. Touchdowns must therefore occur automatically, requiring spacecraft to have a smart computer on board.
  
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• June 2016 'hottest worldwide in modern history'

  20-07-2016 20:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  June 2016 was the hottest June worldwide in modern history - marking the 14th month in a row that global temperature records have been broken
  
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• Group clones California's huge trees to fight climate change

  20-07-2016 20:07
  
  CAMP NELSON, Calif. (AP) — At the foot of a giant sequoia in California's Sierra Nevada, two arborists stepped into harnesses then inched up ropes more than 20 stories into the dizzying canopy of a tree that survived thousands of years, enduring drought, wildfire and disease.
  
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• Some primates prefer nectar with a bigger alcohol kick

  20-07-2016 20:00
  
  Aye-ayes and slow lorises may be able to discern the alcohol content of boozy nectar and go for more potent drinks.
  
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• Scientists call for replacement of animals in antibody production

  20-07-2016 19:58
  Routine scientific procedures using millions of animals are still being authorized when there is a tried and tested alternative, according to a group of scientists investigating the production of antibodies.
  
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• More for less in pastures

  20-07-2016 19:58
  Research comparing pastures with multiple types of plants to those with less variety shows surprising results in land productivity and soil health.
  
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• Uncovering a new principle in chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer

  20-07-2016 19:56
  A laboratory study has revealed an entirely unexpected process for acquiring drug resistance that bypasses the need to re-establish DNA damage repair in breast cancers that have mutant BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
  
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• RNA: How cells master the art of reading life's recipes

  20-07-2016 19:56
  A research project has closed an important gap in the understanding of a fundamental process of life -- the creation of proteins based on recipes called RNA.
  
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• New device lengthens the life of quantum information

  20-07-2016 19:56
  For the first time, researchers have crossed the 'break even' point in preserving a bit of quantum information for longer than the lifetime of its constituent parts. They have created a novel system to encode, spot errors, decode, and correct errors in a quantum bit, also known as a 'qubit.' The development of such a robust method of Quantum Error Correction has been one of the biggest remaining hurdles in quantum computation.
  
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• Map provides detailed picture of how the brain is organized

  20-07-2016 19:56
  A detailed new map lays out the landscape of the cerebral cortex -- the outermost layer of the brain and the dominant structure involved in distinctly human functions such as language, tool use and abstract thinking. The map will accelerate progress in the study of brain diseases, as well as help to elucidate what makes us unique as a species.
  
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• Anti-tumor antibodies could counter atherosclerosis, study finds

  20-07-2016 19:56
  Investigators have learned the signal that tumor cells display on their surfaces to protect themselves from being devoured by the immune system also plays a role in enabling atherosclerosis, the process underlying heart attacks and strokes.
  
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• A recent pause in Antarctic Peninsula warming

  20-07-2016 19:56
  The rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula, which occurred from the early-1950s to the late 1990s, has paused. Stabilization of the ozone hole along with natural climate variability were significant in bringing about the change. Together these influences have now caused the peninsula to enter a temporary cooling phase. Temperatures remain higher than measured during the middle of the 20th Century and glacial retreat is still taking place.
  
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• Rocky planets discovery shortens odds on Earth-like life being hosted

  20-07-2016 19:38
  
  The planets are both about the size of Earth and are in the system’s “habitable zone” – FYI, that’s where liquid surface water is possible.
  
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• Liquid biopsies offer hope for earlier treatment, better tracking of ovarian cancer

  20-07-2016 19:23
  A promising new way to monitor and treat recurrence of ovarian cancer has been identified by researchers -- a hard-to-detect disease that claims many lives. New research finds liquid biopsies from blood tests and DNA sequencing can detect a return of ovarian cancer long before a tumor reappears.
  
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• Cancer stem cells in 'robbers cave' may explain poor prognosis for obese patients

  20-07-2016 19:23
  A new study offers a compelling hypothesis explaining poor prognosis for obese cancer patients: researchers found that leukemia stem cells "hide" in fatty tissue, even transforming this tissue in ways that support their survival when challenged with chemotherapy.
  
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• First atmospheric study of Earth-sized exoplanets points to possible habitability

  20-07-2016 19:19
  Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have conducted the first search for atmospheres around temperate, Earth-sized planets beyond our solar system and found indications that increase the chances of habitability on two exoplanets.
  
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• WhatsApp blocked in Brazil, then reinstated — for 3rd time

  20-07-2016 19:16 via cbc.ca
  
  A Brazilian judge briefly blocked the WhatsApp messaging service for failing to co-operate in a criminal investigation, before the country's top court overturned the measure in the third such incident since December.
  
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• Vast asteroid created 'Man in Moon's eye' crater

  20-07-2016 19:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the biggest craters on the Moon's surface was created by an asteroid more than 250km across, a study suggests.
  
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• Mind over gray matter: new map lays out brain's cerebral cortex

  20-07-2016 19:04
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Neuroscientists acting as cartographers of the human mind have devised the most comprehensive map ever made of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as abstract thought, language and memory.
  
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• Electrons have potential for mutual attraction

  20-07-2016 19:01
  Electrons usually repel each other, but new research shows pairs of electrons can be attracted due to their repulsion from other electrons.
  
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• New brain map most detailed yet

  20-07-2016 19:00
  
  By combining different types of data, researchers have drawn a new detailed map of the human brain.
  
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• Plant-based Polio booster vaccine

  20-07-2016 18:56
  Scientists have developed an oral vaccine booster for polio by manipulating plants to express a protein found in the polio virus. Tests with sera from immunized mice show that the booster confers immunity against all three serotypes of polio.
  
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• Majority of physicians have favorite patients, study finds

  20-07-2016 18:56
  Physicians like the majority of their patients, but a majority like some more than others, a study indicates. This study is thought to be among the first to explore the positive aspects of physicians' attitudes towards their patients.
  
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• Improving health facility efficiency could markedly expand HIV treatment

  20-07-2016 18:56
  Health facilities in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia could extend life-sustaining antiretroviral therapy to hundreds of thousands of people living with HIV if facilities improved the efficiency of service delivery.
  
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• Urocortin-3: A signaling molecule for making friends

  20-07-2016 18:55
  Meeting new people can be both stressful and rewarding. New research suggests that a molecule involved in regulating stress in the brain may also help determine how willing we are to leave the safety of our social group and strike up new relationships.
  
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• Rationing healthcare: More than half of US doctors say no to clinical services

  20-07-2016 18:55
  More than half of US physicians included in a national survey have withheld certain medical interventions with small benefits from their patients because of the cost-implications these hold. Such rationing behavior is more prevalent among physicians in solo practice, and less so among doctors with liberal leanings.
  
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• New data on bird population trends and the climate conditions they occupy

  20-07-2016 18:55
  A new study of population trends among 46 ecologically diverse bird species in North America overturns a long-held assumption that the climate conditions occupied by a species do not change over time. Instead, birds that have increased in abundance over the last 30 years now occupy a wider range of climate conditions than they did 30 years ago, and declining species occupying a smaller range.
  
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• Neuroscientists' study sheds light on how words are represented in the brain

  20-07-2016 18:55
  Using direct neural recordings from the visual word form area, researchers were able to see words that patients read as the patients read them.
  
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• 'Incredibly dangerous' Pokemon Go stunt draws ire

  20-07-2016 18:52 via cbc.ca
  
  An online video trying to flag the potential perils of Pokemon Go is drawing the ire of the Toronto Transit Commission for its shot featuring a young man walking alongside the tracks at Union Station.
  
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• Rapid, low-temperature process adds weeks to milk's shelf life

  20-07-2016 18:48
  A rapid heating and cooling of milk significantly reduces the amount of harmful bacteria present, extending by several weeks the shelf life of one of the most common refrigerator staples in the world, according to a new study.
  
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• Ocean acidification: The limits of adaptation

  20-07-2016 18:48
  The most abundant single-celled calcifying alga of the world's oceans, Emiliania huxleyi is basically able to adapt to ocean acidification through evolution. However, the longest evolution experiment that has been conducted with this organism so far shows, that the potential for adaptation is not as large as initially expected. The growth rate under elevated carbon dioxide concentrations has not improved significantly after four years. Calcification was even lower than in today's cells from Emil
  
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• Neurons form synapse clusters

  20-07-2016 18:48
  The contact points of cells in the cerebral cortex form functional groups.
  
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