Science news

• Prosthetics give animals new lease on life

  10-08-2016 23:38 via cbc.ca
  
  Prosthetics have helped animals that otherwise may have suffered or died to live full lives. Here are some animals that have already benefited from prosthetics.
  
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• Thirteen premature babies killed in Baghdad hospital fire

  10-08-2016 21:47
  By Maher Nazeh and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thirteen prematurely born babies were killed in a fire that broke out early on Wednesday in a maternity ward in a Baghdad hospital and was probably caused by an electrical fault, Iraqi authorities said. Eleven or 12 other babies and 29 women were rescued from the Yarmuk hospital's maternity ward and transferred to other hospitals, Hani al-Okabi, a member of parliament who previously managed a health directorate in Baghdad, told journalists after
  
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• Canadian evidence reroutes theory on how humans populated North America

  10-08-2016 21:44 via cbc.ca
  
  A popular theory about how the first North Americans moved from Alaska and Yukon into the U.S. and Central and South America can't be right, suggests evidence from lakes in B.C. and Alberta.
  
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• City of graphene hosts forum full of questions

  10-08-2016 21:37
  Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses scientific inquiry and drawing inspiration from a supersmall element.
  
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• General relativity has readers feeling upside down

  10-08-2016 21:36
  Readers respond to the June 25, 2016, issue of Science News with questions on Earth's age, moaning whales, plate tectonics and more.
  
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• Chilling mountaintop find may confirm dark Greek legend

  10-08-2016 21:23
  
  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Archaeologists have made a sinister discovery at the top of a Greek mountain which might corroborate one of the darkest legends of antiquity.
  
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• Outburst of shooting stars up to 200 mph - meteors per hour

  10-08-2016 20:33
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The heavens will be bursting with shooting stars this week.
  
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• Scientists Dive to WWII-Era Japanese Warship: How to Watch Live

  10-08-2016 20:08
  
  A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) will explore the wreckage of the Hayate, a destroyer in the Imperial Japanese Navy's fleet that was sunk by American forces in December 1941. The dive is part of an ongoing expedition aboard the research vessel Okeanos Explorer, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship. Reserachers are currently exploring the largely uncharted deep-sea ecosystems and seafloor near the Wake Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PR
  
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• Scientists get a glimpse of chemical tagging in live brains

  10-08-2016 20:00
  
  For the first time scientists can see where molecular tags known as epigenetic marks are placed in the brain.
  
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• Pokemon Go 'invasion of privacy' spurs class-action lawsuit in Alberta

  10-08-2016 19:48 via cbc.ca
  
  A woman in central Alberta is the main plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday against the company behind the popular mobile game Pokemon Go.
  
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• Humans may have taken different path into Americas than thought

  10-08-2016 19:14
  
  An ice-free corridor through the North American Arctic may have been too barren to support the first human migrations into the New World.
  
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• Study: Pacific coast was route for colonizing the Americas

  10-08-2016 19:06
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers have found new evidence that the first Americans migrated south from Alaska via the Pacific coast, rather than a route hundreds of miles inland along the Rocky Mountains.
  
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• APNewsBreak: Officials skeptical $57M fish project will work

  10-08-2016 19:00
  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A group of Montana and federal wildlife officials has lined up in opposition to a $57 million concrete dam and fish bypass that the U.S. government says would help an ancient and endangered fish species in the Yellowstone River.
  
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• Want Canadians to buy electric cars? Cash rebates may help, say officials

  10-08-2016 18:14 via cbc.ca
  
  Transport Canada officials have concluded that cash rebates and tax incentives are the best way to convince Canadians to buy electric cars as part of an overall government strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
  
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• Cooked Medium Rare? This 'Bloody' Burger Is Actually Vegan

  10-08-2016 18:12
  
  There's a new "bloody" burger in town, but this one is entirely vegan. The juicy patty contains exactly zero animal products, but because of a bright red molecule called heme, it looks like a hamburger served medium rare, said the burger's creators, Impossible Foods. The new delicacy, called the Impossible Burger, contains a number of ingredients, including wheat protein for chewiness, coconut oil for its fatty flavor and potato protein to help the burger cook like meat, Impossible Foods (IF) sa
  
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• Wow! Northern Lights Glow in Breathtaking Image from Space Station

  10-08-2016 18:11
  
  All of these amazing sights were captured in a single nighttime photograph taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. The photo was originally taken in February 2012, and included a glimpse of the space station, but NASA's Earth Observatory recently released a cropped, labeled version of the stunning scene. The striking tableau represents a view from the International Space Station as it flew over Quebec, Canada.
  
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• 'I Contain Multitudes' Is the Story of Microbes: Q&A with Ed Yong

  10-08-2016 18:10
  
  Right this very minute, trillions of microbes — bacteria, fungi and viruses — are jockeying for space on every inch of your skin and in every crevice of your body. All animals, including humans, are teeming with microscopic life on every surface of their bodies, inside and out. Certain microbes are known for causing infection and disease, but the communities of microbial life you live with aren't hostile invaders — nor are they wandering strangers.
  
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• Mama Dolphins Sing Their Name to Babies in the Womb

  10-08-2016 18:08
  New research suggests that dolphin mothers teach their babies a "signature whistle" right before birth and in the two weeks after. Calves eventually develop their own signature whistle, but in the first few weeks of life, mothers seem focused on teaching their offspring their signature sound, the scientists said. "It's been hypothesized that this is part of an imprinting process," Audra Ames, a doctoral student at the University of Southern Mississippi, said here on Friday (Aug. 5) at the annual
  
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• The Science of Olympic Rivalries: Do Adversaries Help or Hurt?

  10-08-2016 18:01
  
  From the decade-long swimming rivalry between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, to figure skating's famous Nancy-Kerrigan-versus-Tonya-Harding contest, some Olympic matchups seem to be as much about contention between two personalities as they are about crowning a champion. At the Olympics, the stakes are higher, the audience is bigger and every contest is scrutinized down to the smallest detail. At first, a rivalry might seem like a good thing, capable of motivating both competitors to try even h
  
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• Zika Infection Linked with Rare Joint Birth Defect

  10-08-2016 18:00
  A small number of babies infected with Zika virus in the womb have developed a rare birth defect involving muscle weakness and stiff joints, according to a new report of the cases. The report suggests that this birth defect, called arthrogryposis, is linked with Zika virus infection in pregnancy, adding to the list of health problems tied to the virus. Infection with Zika virus in pregnancy has already been found to cause the birth defect microcephaly, which means a child has an abnormally small
  
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• Study finds ship noise disrupting humpback whale feeding

  10-08-2016 17:59
  
  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A study has found that noise from shipping in North Atlantic waters is impacting the feeding behavior of humpback whales.
  
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• Shifting Sands Reveal 400-Year-Old Petroglyphs in Hawaii

  10-08-2016 17:57
  Shifting sands on a Hawaiian beach have revealed — and then concealed again — carvings that Hawaii's indigenous people made on the shoreline at least 400 years ago. Two tourists from Texas stumbled across the petroglyphs last month on Oahu's Waianae Coast on the western side of the island. "It was just a stroke of luck," Lonnie Watson, one of the visitors, said in a statement issued by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
  
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• Tethered drone could fly 'forever’

  10-08-2016 17:55
  
  (Reuters) - An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) developed by engineers from the University of Southampton uses a powered tether to provide unlimited flight time for drones. The developers say it could offer a more cost-effective solution for aerial monitoring and surveillance than other options on the market.
  
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• Piltdown hoax: New analysis reveals culprit who faked one of history's biggest archaeological discoveries

  10-08-2016 17:44
  
  The study was exposed as a fake nearly 50 years later but the person responsible for it was still a mystery.
  
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• Space station supply run by Orbital ATK slips to Sept.

  10-08-2016 17:40
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A space station supply run by a Virginia company has slipped to September.
  
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• 'Very little evidence to support it': Why some scientists give cupping a poor score

  10-08-2016 17:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Some scientific judges are giving poor scores for the efficacy of cupping, a pain-relief therapy getting a lot of attention because of its use by some Olympic athletes, including American gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps.
  
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• Mountaintop dig finds chilling echo of dark Greek legend

  10-08-2016 16:50
  
  ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Archaeologists in Greece have made a sinister discovery on a southern mountain top dedicated to the ancient god Zeus, which might corroborate one of the darkest Greek legends.
  
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• Crow who amazed the world by bending wire was simply using natural behaviour, scientists say

  10-08-2016 16:41
  
  Researchers initially thought Betty the New Caledonian crow had come up with the idea on her own, but a study appears to prove otherwise.
  
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• Piltdown breakdown: new details about a famed scientific hoax

  10-08-2016 15:33
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers applying modern forensic techniques to a century-old puzzle have laid bare intriguing new details about one of the most notorious scientific hoaxes on record, the so-called Piltdown Man, and are confident in the culprit's identity.
  
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• Archeologists find what may be world's oldest gold artifact

  10-08-2016 15:25 via cbc.ca
  
  It may be just a tiny gold bead — 4 millimetres (1/8 inch) in diameter — but it is an enormous discovery for Bulgarian archaeologists who say they have found Europe's — and probably the world's — oldest gold artifact.
  
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• The pressure is on to make metallic hydrogen

  10-08-2016 15:00
  
  Scientists are getting close to turning hydrogen into a metal — both in liquid form and maybe even solid form. The rewards, if they pull it off, are worth the effort.
  
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• Piltdown review points decisive finger at forger Dawson

  10-08-2016 14:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  After an eight-year study, researchers conclude that history's most infamous fake fossils were made by one man - the prime suspect, Charles Dawson.
  
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• Saturn Casts Shrinking Shadow Over Rings in NASA Photo

  10-08-2016 13:20
  
  A new photo from the Cassini probe shows the shadow of Saturn blanketing a large section of the planet's ring system. Starting late this year, Cassini will zip through the space between Saturn and its rings, making a total of 22 passes and gathering new data about the system.
  
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• Is Vulcan Real? Its Star Is, But Scientists Can't See Habitable Planets

  10-08-2016 13:20
  
  In the fictional universe of "Star Trek," the alien Spock comes from a world called Vulcan in the triple-star system 40 Eridani. Vulcan was destroyed in a previous movie, forcing Spock's race to immigrate to a planet called New Vulcan. While Vulcan is one of the most well-known worlds in science fiction, the planet is entirely fictional.
  
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• Bacteria Could Aid Search for Creatures On Other Planets

  10-08-2016 13:20
  
  The research into the life-giving potential of these "living fossils" is based on small microbes in Australia, but the results could help us identify fossil evidence of life on other planets, in particular Mars, said Erica Suosaari, a science fellow for Bush Heritage Australia, a non-profit conservation and land management organization. "Looking for evidence of life in the rocks is like finding a needle in the haystack," wrote Suosaari in an e-mail.
  
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• Twelve premature babies killed in Baghdad hospital fire

  10-08-2016 13:19
  By Maher Nazeh BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Twelve prematurely born babies were killed in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday on a maternity ward in a Baghdad hospital and was probably caused by an electrical fault, Iraqi authorities said. Eleven or twelve other babies and 29 women were rescued from the Yarmuk hospital's maternity ward and transferred to other hospitals, Hani al-Okabi, an MP who previouly managed a health directorate in Baghdad, told journalists after visiting the hospi
  
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• Hellish Venus Might Have Been Habitable for Billions of Years

  10-08-2016 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A team of astronomers think the torrid and toxic world was once a cozy home for potential life
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• T. rex look-alike unearthed in Patagonia

  10-08-2016 13:00
  
  A new dinosaur species discovered in Patagonia has the runty forearms of a Tyrannosaurus rex, but is not closely related to the gigantic predator.
  
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• Have We Reached the Athletic Limits of the Human Body?

  10-08-2016 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Record-breaking has slowed, but science could find new ways to make us keep getting stronger and faster
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• NASA Accidentally Sells Moon Landing Bag

  10-08-2016 11:22
  NASA accidentally sold a priceless Apollo 11 artefact and now faces a legal battle to get it back. It was snapped up by Nancy Carlson from Illinois for just $995 (around £700), but NASA says it's a priceless "rare artifact, if not a national treasure". NASA only realised the mistake when Ms Carlson sent back the bag for authentication.
  
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• Eleven premature babies killed in Baghdad hospital fire

  10-08-2016 11:03
  At least 11 prematurely born babies were killed in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday on a maternity ward in a Baghdad hospital and was probably caused by an electrical fault, the health ministry said. Seven other babies and 29 women were rescued from the Yarmuk hospital's maternity ward and transferred to another hospital, the ministry said in a statement. Yarmuk is main hospital on the western side of the capital, with emergency care and teaching facilities among others.
  
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• Persistently rainy west, hot, dry east unusual for Canada, says climatologist

  10-08-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Talking about the weather has been more challenging this summer, because it's been a lot of the same for Canadians — rain and storms in the west, and hot, dry heat in the east, with little variation.
  
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• 'Guardians of the River' make tiny dent in Rio's unrelenting pollution

  10-08-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Small steps toward a cleaner Rio de Janeiro pay off, but are being smothered by the sheer volume of favela garbage clogging rivers and ending up in the city's Guanabara Bay.
  
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• Could the U.S. election be hacked? It's not so unlikely

  10-08-2016 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  With the FBI currently investigating alleged Russian efforts to undermine the Democratic Party through hacking attempts, how concerned should elections officials – and voters — be about the security of electronic voting procedures?
  
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• Saudi Arabia intercepts two missiles fired from Yemen, Al Arabiya says

  10-08-2016 09:56
  Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at the kingdom by Yemen's armed Houthi movement on Wednesday, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported. The attack follows renewed air strikes by a Saudi-led military coalition on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa. In the past, they have boasted of launching around a dozen Scud missiles at the south of the kingdom during more than a year of war.
  
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• Ancient ice reveals vital clues about Earth's past climate

  10-08-2016 08:19
  
  LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Inside a huge walk-in freezer in suburban Denver, a college student in a thick parka shoots a jolt of electricity through a yard-long column of ice extracted from Antarctica.
  
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• UVic project takes on pesky geese with high-tech laser 'scarecrow'

  10-08-2016 07:11 via cbc.ca
  
  Just like Luke Skywalker used lasers to defeat TIE Fighters, a group of UVic students are using them to defeat geese — sort of. They've constructed a prototype of a laser "scarecrow" to drive the birds away from farmers' fields.
  
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• UTA signs agreement with KIER to promote joint development of clean energy technologies

  10-08-2016 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) The University of Texas at Arlington and The Korea Institute of Energy Research have joined forces to develop clean energy technologies that improve the lives of citizens worldwide.
  
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• User-friendly language for programming efficient simulations

  10-08-2016 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) A team of researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Adobe, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Toronto, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas have developed a new programming language that handles that switching automatically. In experiments, simulations written in the language were dozens or even hundreds of times as fast as those written in existing simulation languages.
  
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• UBC research aims to help Canadian flax farmers

  10-08-2016 06:00
  
  (University of British Columbia Okanagan campus) A UBC professor's flax research could one day help Canadian farmers grow a car fender.In a recent study, UBC researcher Michael Deyholos identified the genes responsible for the bane of many Canadian flax farmers' existence; the fibers in the plant's stem.
  
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