Science news

• Evidence piles up for popular pesticides' link to pollinator problems

  17-08-2016 23:32
  
  Neonicotinoid pesticides linked to population declines in California butterflies and wild bee extinctions in Great Britain.
  
  Read more

• Hibernating-Star Explosion Provides 1st Evidence of Nova Cycle

  17-08-2016 23:29
  
  A team of astronomers has found evidence of additional mini outbursts leading up to the so-called classical nova — or final explosion of a white dwarf star, the planet-size remains of a star that has burned up its nuclear fuel. The nova — called V1213 Cen, or Nova Centauri 2009 — erupted in 2009, but astronomers at the University of Warsaw had been monitoring its source star since 2003. Classical novas,such as Nova Centauri 2009, occur in binary star systems, or systems in whic
  
  Read more

• Of mice and muscles: How do athletes endure their grueling runs, swims, and rides?

  17-08-2016 23:18
  As the Rio Olympic Games continue, many armchair spectators of the Games may be wondering: How do those athletes endure their grueling runs, swims, and rides?
  
  Read more

• The battle against aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads Zika

  17-08-2016 23:17
  The UC Mosquito Research Laboratory in Parlier is the epicenter of California research on the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a tiny, black and white mosquito that can spread the Zika virus.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Calcium supplements linked to dementia risk in women with certain health conditions

  17-08-2016 23:15
  Calcium supplements may be associated with an increased risk of dementia in older women who have had a stroke or other signs of cerebrovascular disease, according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• Anemic adults may have a higher risk of death after stroke

  17-08-2016 23:15
  Anemic adults may have a higher risk of death after stroke, research indicates. Hemoglobin levels may also influence stroke deaths. Researchers suggest increased awareness and interventions are needed for stroke patients with anemia.
  
  Read more

• Public Support Urged for Apollo 11 50th-Anniversary Coin Legislation

  17-08-2016 22:43
  
  The 50th anniversary of the first moon landing is still three years away, but the opportunity for the United States Treasury to issue coins commemorating the Apollo 11 mission's half-centennial is now fleeting. A bipartisan group of five members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill in June 2015 to celebrate the moon landing's 50th anniversary in 2019 by having the U.S. Mint strike curved gold, silver and clad coins bearing the iconic image reflected in Buzz Aldrin's helmet viso
  
  Read more

• Yes, NASA's New Megarocket Will Be More Powerful Than the Saturn V

  17-08-2016 22:38
  
  NASA's huge new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will indeed be the most powerful booster ever built, agency officials said. NASA officials have long maintained that the most muscular form of the SLS will be capable of lofting 143 tons (130 metric tons) of payload to low-Earth orbit (LEO).
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Sulfoxaflor found to be less harmful to insect predators than broad-spectrum insecticides

  17-08-2016 22:37
  The selective insecticide sulfoxaflor is just as effective at controlling soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) as broad-spectrum insecticides, without causing significant harm to some beneficial predators of the aphid, say researchers.
  
  Read more

• New mechanism discovered for Alzheimer's risk gene

  17-08-2016 22:37
  Scientists reveal why people with the ApoE4 gene are more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease--the subset of the disorder occurring in people age 65 and over--affects more than 5 million Americans, and is characterized by progressive memory loss and dementia. Scientists have put forth a variety of hypotheses on its causes, including the accumulation of protein clusters called beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain.
  
  Read more

• Bald eagles soar back, but return may be fragile

  17-08-2016 22:03 via cbc.ca
  
  Bald eagles have made a comeback in southern Ontario over the last decade after dying out because of the pesticide DDT, but the magnificent birds are not out of the woods when it comes to long-term survival.
  
  Read more

• 1,600 parasitic wasps released in Ontario, Quebec to fight off emerald ash borers

  17-08-2016 21:52 via cbc.ca
  
  The Canadian Forest Service announced Wednesday it is releasing 1,600 parasitic wasps in Ontario and Quebec this week in an effort to control the population of emerald ash borers.
  
  Read more

• Newfound Galapagos Bird Species Already Went Extinct

  17-08-2016 21:51
  
  A newly discovered species of brilliant red songbird has almost certainly already vanished from its home in the Galápagos Islands, in what is the first known songbird extinction on the island chain in modern times. Using genetic techniques, researchers recently learned that the Galápagos vermilion flycatcher was once at least two species: Pyrocephalus nanus, which is still found across most of the island chain, and Pyrocephalus dubius, which hasn't been seen since 1987 but used to
  
  Read more

• What If We're Wrong? History Suggests Everything Will Be Disproved

  17-08-2016 21:50
  
  Hindsight is 20/20, right? That's the premise of a new book that poses the question:  What if we were wrong?
  
  Read more

• Search for Mythical Nazi Gold Train Resumes

  17-08-2016 21:48
  Treasure hunters broke ground today in Poland, hoping to find a legendary train said to be filled with gold and hidden by Nazis near the end of World War II. "We're entering the sphere of almost urban myth," Tony Pollard, a battlefield archaeologist at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, told Live Science.
  
  Read more

• NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission Emerges from First Planning Stages

  17-08-2016 21:23
  
  NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) has passed a key design milestone, bringing the project one step closer to snagging a boulder off an asteroid and pulling that piece into orbit around the moon. The complex mission is currently targeted to launch in 2021, pegged at a cost of $1.4 billion, NASA said in a statement. After launch, the rocket will travel to a large near-Earth asteroid, collect a large boulder off of the asteroid's surface and pull that piece to the moon.
  
  Read more

• Lopsided Galaxy Captured in New Hubble Telescope View

  17-08-2016 21:23
  
  The galaxy — known as NGC 2337 — is located 25 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Lynx. Galaxies normally contain millions to billions of stars, which can be organized into spiral arms — like the Milky Way — in an elliptical shape, or in a random, undefined shape like NGC 2337.
  
  Read more

• Personalized wearable tech can help adults diagnosed with autism manage anxiety

  17-08-2016 20:30
  Personalized wearable digital technology can help adults diagnosed with autism understand and manage their anxiety, say researchers.
  
  Read more

• Unveiled: Earth's viral diversity

  17-08-2016 20:27
  Plumbing Earth's microbial diversity requires learning more about the poorly-studied relationships between microbes and the viruses that infect them, impacting their abilities to regulate global cycles. Researchers utilized the largest collection of assembled metagenomic datasets to uncover over 125,000 partial and complete viral genomes. This single effort increases the number of known viral genes by a factor of 16, and provides researchers with a unique resource of viral sequence information.
  
  Read more

• Recent connection between North and South America reaffirmed

  17-08-2016 20:27
  Long ago, one great ocean flowed between North and South America. When the Isthmus of Panama joined the continents, it also separated the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. If this took place much earlier than the accepted date of 3 million years ago as recently asserted by some, the implications for both land and sea life would be revolutionary. A new paper firmly set the date at 2.8 million years ago.
  
  Read more

• Flowering meadows benefit humankind

  17-08-2016 20:27
  The more it swarms, crawls, flies the better it is, say scientists. A diverse ecosystem populated by many species from all levels provides higher ecosystem services. Even rather unpopular insects and invisible soil-dwelling organisms are important.
  
  Read more

• Can't stand the heat? Study reveals how we figure out if we're too hot

  17-08-2016 20:27
  With temperatures soaring, our ability to detect and avoid places that are too warm is vital for regulating our body temperature. However, until now, little was known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for detecting warmth in the sensory neurons of our skin.
  
  Read more

• Origin of high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide compound uncovered

  17-08-2016 20:26
  Physicists have an explanation for why certain materials can conduct electricity without resistance at temperatures well above those required by conventional superconductors. Understanding this exotic behavior may pave the way for engineering materials that become superconducting at room temperature -- a capability that could transform the way energy is produced, transmitted, and used.
  
  Read more

• Two Barbados bird species enter the select club of string-pullers

  17-08-2016 20:25
  The Barbados bullfinch and Carib grackle can pass the popular animal cognition test of string-pulling, but this ability may be unrelated to performance on six other cognitive tests, according a study.
  
  Read more

• Steroid treatments with fewer side effects?

  17-08-2016 20:25
  An improved therapy to replace essential steroids in the body is a step closer thanks to new research. The treatment could help people unable to produce a class of steroids called corticosteroids, which are involved in physiological processes including regulating metabolism and blood pressure, and helping the body to cope with physical stress. The therapy for people with adrenal gland disorders is expected to have fewer side effects than existing treatments.
  
  Read more

• Safer opioid painkiller made from scratch

  17-08-2016 20:25
  Researchers have developed a new opioid drug candidate that blocks pain without triggering the dangerous side effects of current prescription painkillers. Their secret? Starting from scratch -- with computational techniques that let them explore more than four trillion different chemical interactions.
  
  Read more

• Pre-Hispanic Mexican civilization may have bred and managed rabbits and hares

  17-08-2016 20:25
  Humans living in the pre-Hispanic Mexican city of Teotihuacan may have bred rabbits and hares for food, fur and bone tools, according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• New techniques boost understanding of how fish fins became fingers

  17-08-2016 20:25
  The cells that make fin rays in fish play a central role in forming the fingers and toes of four-legged creatures, one of the great transformations required for the descendants of fish to become creatures that walk on land.
  
  Read more

• Americas’ hookup not so ancient after all

  17-08-2016 20:14
  
  Debate lingers over when the Isthmus of Panama formed and closed the seaway that separated North and South America millions of years ago.
  
  Read more

• Snakes hunting during the day have natural 'sunglasses' to sharpen their vision

  17-08-2016 19:43
  
  Scientists found that the animals have special lenses that filters UV light.
  
  Read more

• Twitter shows promise in rapid assessment of collective traumas' local impact

  17-08-2016 19:31
  An alternative to using Twitter geotags and hashtags to identify community members who have experienced collective trauma, such as a school shooting, shows promise in helping researchers rapidly assess local effects. The approach was deployed to study the impact of deadly gun violence at UC Santa Barbara, Northern Arizona University and Oregon’s Umpqua Community College.
  
  Read more

• Star snapped before and after nova explosion

  17-08-2016 19:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronomers capture rare images of a white dwarf - before, during and after it exploded as a "classical nova".
  
  Read more

• Small population size? It doesn't have to mean that species can't adapt to environmental change

  17-08-2016 19:31
  Worldwide, there are 16,938 endangered species. From the white rhino to the blue whale, numbers are dwindling in the face of poaching, habitat destruction and climate change. Although the situation may seem dire, new research gives us reason to hope. A new study shows that small populations of species can still adapt and respond to natural selection.
  
  Read more

• Reinterpreting the fossil record on jaws

  17-08-2016 19:31
  Scientists use the fossil record to make judgments on the physiology and behavior of species. But are those interpretations correct? New research puts into question how we interpret the behavior of extinct organisms from their fossil remains, and the greater role of plasticity in determining evolution diversity.
  
  Read more

• The dangers of Pokémon Go similar to texting

  17-08-2016 19:23
  It’s taking over headlines around the world – people being injured playing Pokémon Go, a location-based augmented reality game. A new study says much of the danger in playing the game is similar to the hazards of texting, a subject he has studied in the past.
  
  Read more

• Buying high vs. bargain hunting

  17-08-2016 19:23
  Purchasing and pricing has always been a dance between buyers and sellers. Before deciding to make a purchase, buyers spend varying amounts of time and effort searching for price information. These searches can and do affect the pricing strategies of sellers: Where should they set their prices? Should they offer sales or discounts, or keep their product prices at a high margin?
  
  Read more

• Wildlife preservation: New ranger patrol method shows major improvements in detection of poaching

  17-08-2016 19:21
  A team of scientists have developed a new method of detecting illegal activities in protected areas by as much as 250 percent.
  
  Read more

• Scientists discover possible new weapon in the fight against gum disease

  17-08-2016 19:21
  If you hate going to the dentist, here's some good news. New research shows that melanocortin agonism may effectively control the inflammation that often occurs in gum tissue.
  
  Read more

• Researchers shed light on vascular growth factors in thyroid eye disease

  17-08-2016 19:21
  Researchers have identified new underlying mechanisms of proptosis in patients with acute thyroid eye disease. Researchers describe vascular growth factors causing an abnormal proliferation of blood vessels, as well as the rare formation of lymphatic vessels, that may contribute to the dangerous swelling and inflammation that occurs in the orbits of these patients.
  
  Read more

• Post-transplant anxiety linked to complex instructions, caregiver empathy

  17-08-2016 19:21
  Some anxiety is perfectly normal for kidney transplant patients, but new research suggests that medical staff can help patients feel more at ease when they leave the hospital and that could decrease the chances they'll be readmitted.
  
  Read more

• Life expectancy in some CKD patients could be improved with nephron-sparing treatment

  17-08-2016 19:21
  A nephron-sparing treatment selection for small renal masses based on the nephrometry score may improve life expectancy in patients with mild or moderate chronic kidney disease, a study suggests.
  
  Read more

• Isotope research opens new possibilities for cancer treatment

  17-08-2016 19:21
  A new study greatly improves scientists' understanding of the element actinium. The insights could support innovation in creating new classes of anticancer drugs.
  
  Read more

• Logging can decrease water infiltration into forest soils, study finds

  17-08-2016 19:20
  Logging operations can negatively affect soil density and water infiltration within forests, particularly along makeshift logging roads and landing areas where logs are stored before being trucked to sawmills, researchers have found.
  
  Read more

• Two percent testosterone solution improves sex drive and energy levels in men with hypogonadism

  17-08-2016 19:19
  For men with hypogonadism, a condition in which the body does not produce enough testosterone, low sex drive and fatigue are common symptoms. For these men treatment with a 2 percent testosterone solution (T-sol) can be effective therapy. In a six-month open-label study of patients receiving T-sol, researchers noted improvement of low sex drive and low energy symptoms, and did not identify new safety concerns.
  
  Read more

• Music demonstrated to alleviate cancer patients' symptoms

  17-08-2016 19:19
  A review looking at studies on the effect music interventions have on the treatment of cancer patients found treatment benefits for anxiety, pain, fatigue and overall quality of life.
  
  Read more

• Modeling mood swings: New data science research shows how we manage our long-term happiness

  17-08-2016 19:19
  Scientists have developed a smart phone app to collect large-scale data about human behavior and demonstrate how humans routinely sacrifice their short-term happiness for their long-term welfare.
  
  Read more

• Free sports physicals reveal high rates of obesity in student athletes

  17-08-2016 19:19
  Student-athletes were found to have similar rates of obesity and high blood pressure readings as the general adolescent population.
  
  Read more

• Curbing the life-long effects of traumatic brain injury

  17-08-2016 19:19
  A fall down the stairs, a car crash, a sports injury or an explosive blast can all cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patients often recover. But in the days or weeks following the hit, they can develop other serious, chronic conditions, such as depression and thinking and memory problems. Now scientists report a potential way to reduce these effects with a neuron-targeting nanoparticle, using an animal model of TBI.
  
  Read more

• Study quantifies risk factors for preterm birth

  17-08-2016 19:17
  A significant portion of preterm births might be avoided by reducing or eliminating three major risk factors: abnormalities in the interval between pregnancies, the mother's body mass index prior to pregnancy, and the amount of weight gain in pregnancy.
  
  Read more

• Reducing gas flares, pollution from oil production

  17-08-2016 19:17
  Last year, dozens of major oil companies and oil-producing nations agreed to end the routine flaring of natural gas from wells by 2030. This burning off of uncaptured methane in addition to simply letting it escape into the air -- a process called venting -- releases pollutants and the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Now researchers report a strategy that could help producers work toward this goal.
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!