Science news

• Test for damp ground at Mars' seasonal streaks finds none

  23-08-2016 23:55
  Seasonal dark streaks on Mars that have become one of the hottest topics in interplanetary research don't hold much water, according to the latest findings from a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars.
  
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• NASA establishes contact with STEREO mission

  23-08-2016 23:24
  NASA has reestablished contact with its STEREO-B spacecraft, after communications were lost on Oct. 1, 2014. Over 22 months, the STEREO team has worked to attempt contact with the spacecraft. Most recently, they have attempted a monthly recovery operation using NASA's Deep Space Network, which tracks and communicates with missions throughout space.
  
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• Photographer Captures Rare Blue Aurora Shimmering Over Lake Superior

  23-08-2016 23:12
  
  On St. Patrick's Day 2015, astrophotographer Shawn Malone set out once again to capture the northern lights over Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan. Auroras that display such vibrant hues of blue are a rare sight for skywatchers – even those observing near Earth's North and South poles, where the lights are most visible.
  
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• Hello, STEREO-B! NASA Regains Contact with Long-Lost Sun Probe

  23-08-2016 23:12
  
  NASA has finally re-established contact with a sun-watching probe that was thought to be lost in space after it abruptly went silent in 2014. A signal from the long-lost spacecraft, called STEREO-B, was detected Sunday evening (Aug. 21) by NASA's Deep Space Network, a collection of space tracking stations that follows the agency's space missions across the solar system and beyond. NASA scientists had kept vigil for STEREO-B, making monthly searches for the probe until it phoned home Sunday at 6:
  
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• Distant Moons of Saturn Look Neighborly In New Cassini Image

  23-08-2016 23:12
  
  Two of Saturn's moons, Tethys and Hyperion, appear remarkably close in a new image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, despite their actual distance from one another. 
  
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• Boy with double-hand transplant's next goal: Play football

  23-08-2016 23:05
  
  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — It's been just over a year since 9-year-old Zion Harvey received a double-hand transplant, and he said Tuesday what he really wants to do is play football.
  
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• Train found at bottom of Lake Superior, 106 years after derailment

  23-08-2016 22:59 via cbc.ca
  
  The final resting place of a freight train that derailed near Schreiber, Ont., more than 100 years ago has been located.
  
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• Female triathletes at higher risk for pelvic floor disorders

  23-08-2016 22:57
  Female triathletes are at a higher risk for several health issues, including pelvic floor disorders, new research indicates. Researchers conducted an internet survey of 311 self-identified female triathletes. Results showed a significant prevalence of pelvic floor disorders, with urinary incontinences (37.4 percent) and anal incontinence (28.0 percent) being the most common.
  
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• Scientists unravel genetic ancestry of cultivated strawberry

  23-08-2016 22:56
  Scientists have unlocked a major genetic mystery of one of the ancestors of cultivated strawberry. A genetic analysis, which took four years to complete, aims to improve modern cultivation efforts of strawberry growers.
  
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• Prescriptions more affordable after U.S. policy changes

  23-08-2016 22:56
  Researchers have seen significant increases in the number of Americans who can afford to fill prescriptions following implementation of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act and the 2010 Affordable Care Act (also called Obamacare).
  
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• Mechanism that alters neural excitability offers window into neuropsychiatric disease

  23-08-2016 22:56
  Researchers show, for the first time, that the well-known mechanism of gene expression control -- dynamic changes in DNA methylation -- is also involved in changes to the excitability of neural cells. This suggests that DNA methylation changes that alter excitability may be a mechanism involved in neuropsychiatric disorders, and that the sites of such changes may offer a potential therapeutic target.
  
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• BPA can disrupt painted turtles' brain development could be a population health concern

  23-08-2016 22:56
  Often, aquatic environments such as rivers and streams become reservoirs for BPA, affecting turtle habitats. Last year, a team of researchers determined that BPA can disrupt sexual function in painted turtles. Now, the team has shown that BPA also can induce behavioral changes in turtles, reprogramming male turtle brains to show behavior common in females. Researchers worry this could lead to population declines in painted turtles.
  
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• Standing desks lower BMI, research shows

  23-08-2016 22:55
  Standing desks lower the BMI trajectory in elementary-aged children over a two-year span--by an average of 5.24 percentile points, a landmark study has found.
  
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• Stoned rats make lazier choices, UBC study finds

  23-08-2016 22:41 via cbc.ca
  
  "The rats could still do the task — they just didn't want to," says Mason Silveira, a PhD candidate in UBC's department of psychology.
  
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• Brain damages caused by Zika virus congenital infection go beyond microcephaly

  23-08-2016 21:32
  A recent study published by Brazilian researchers indicates brain malformations induced by Zika virus congenital infection. More than microcephaly, the research indicates other neurological changes such as reduction in brain volume, cortical development abnormalities and ventriculomegaly.
  
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• What Donkey Kong can tell us about how to study the brain

  23-08-2016 21:31
  
  Neuroscience tools failed to reveal much about a simple microprocessor. What can they really tell us about the brain?
  
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• Musicians warned to clean instruments after 'mouldy bagpipes death'

  23-08-2016 21:23
  
  Doctors say the instruments should be cleaned regularly to avoid “bagpipe lung”.
  
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• Boy shows off new hands a year after double-hand transplant

  23-08-2016 20:59
  
  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — It's been just over a year since now-9-year-old Zion Harvey received a double-hand transplant — and now he can throw a ball, zip his clothes and write in his journal.
  
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• NASA spacecraft finally responds after 22 months of the silent treatment

  23-08-2016 20:40 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists are back in touch with a NASA spacecraft that has been silent since October 2014.
  
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• AshleyMadison security protocols violated privacy laws, watchdog says

  23-08-2016 19:03 via cbc.ca
  
  AshleyMadison used inadequate privacy and security technology while marketing itself as a discreet and secure way for consenting adults to have affairs, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada says.
  
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• A new device being developed could trick you into eating less sugar

  23-08-2016 18:59
  
  New research has the potential to help people lose weight.
  
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• Cornea donation may have sex bias

  23-08-2016 18:00
  
  Women receiving a corneal transplant do better when their donors are female, new research finds.
  
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• Nigerian army says arrests militants behind killing of four soldiers

  23-08-2016 17:42
  The Nigerian army has arrested three militants suspected of having been involved in the killing of four soldiers and seized a large weapons cache, it said on Tuesday. Two weeks ago the army said gunmen dressed as priests killed four soldiers in the oil-producing Niger Delta region which has been rocked by violence and militant attacks on oil pipelines. The army said that in a shootout on Monday it killed several militants belonging to the Niger Delta Avengers group, which is accused of being inv
  
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• Scientists: Puffin chicks starving with less food available

  23-08-2016 17:36
  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Scientists say Atlantic puffin chicks on Machias (muh-CHY'-us) Seal Island in the Gulf of Maine have had the worst breeding season ever recorded, with the majority of chicks starving to death in burrows.
  
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• Seal hides on tour boat to escape hungry orcas

  23-08-2016 17:34 via cbc.ca
  
  A quick-thinking seal hitched a ride on a whale-watching boat to escape the pod of hungry orcas trying to hunt him off the B.C. coast.
  
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• Seal hides on boat to escape hungry orcas

  23-08-2016 17:34 via cbc.ca
  
  A quick-thinking seal hitched a ride on a boat to escape the pod of hungry orcas trying to hunt him off the B.C. coast.
  
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• How to shave a mountain

  23-08-2016 17:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tourists gather in Transylvania to help with the traditional mountain hay harvest. BBC Gaelic Journalist Teàrlach Quinnell went with them.
  
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• Here's How Many US Mothers Breastfeed

  23-08-2016 17:06
  The percentage of U.S. mothers who breast-feed their newborns continues to rise, but many stop breast-feeding before their infant is 6 months old, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2013, 81.1 percent of U.S. mothers said they started out breast-feeding their baby. Breast-feeding rates were highest in Utah, where 94.4 percent of mothers said they breast-fed their newborns in 2013.
  
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• Sea Anemone Proteins Could Help Fix Damaged Hearing

  23-08-2016 17:05
  When it comes to creatures with keen hearing ability, sea anemones are not at the top of the list. In mammals, including humans, sound is translated from vibrations in the air into nerve signals that can be sent to the brain by highly specialized cells called hair cells. Damage to these hair cells, which can be caused by exposure to loud noise, can result in hearing loss, and mammals are not able to repair hair cells once they are harmed.
  
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• Deadly Case of 'Bagpipe Lung' Highlights Danger of Fungal Infections

  23-08-2016 17:05
  One man's fatal lung infection highlights a rare danger that musicians may face: getting sick from fungi growing within their instruments, according to a recent report of the case. The 61-year-old man developed what his doctors in England described as "bagpipe lung," and died just a month after he was hospitalized for his infection, according to the case report, published today (Aug. 22) in the journal Thorax. The man had previously been diagnosed with a lung condition called hypersensitivity pn
  
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• Mind-Body Link Traced to Specific Brain Regions

  23-08-2016 17:02
  The mind-body connection has become a buzzword in recent years, and now, new research in monkeys highlights how the link may actually work. In the study, researchers found a number of areas in the brain that are directly linked to the adrenal glands, which control the body's response to stress. Specifically, the researchers found links between the brain's cerebral cortex — where many types of higher-level thinking take place, including decision-making and memory — and the inner part
  
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• Using supermarket mouthwash could stop you contracting gonorrhoea

  23-08-2016 16:31
  
  Turns out that pre-date mouthwash might prevent infection as well as win you a kiss.
  
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• Check out the world's 1st web page, from 25 years ago, on Internaut Day

  23-08-2016 16:21 via cbc.ca
  
  What did web pages look like 25 years ago? Well, there was only one, and why not celebrate Internaut Day today by checking it out?
  
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• Check out the 1st web page, which went public 25 years ago today

  23-08-2016 16:21 via cbc.ca
  
  What did web pages look like 25 years ago? Well, there was only one, and why not celebrate Internaut Day today by checking it out?
  
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• Check out the 1st internet page, which went public 25 years ago today

  23-08-2016 16:21 via cbc.ca
  
  What did web pages look like 25 years ago? Well, there was only one, and why not celebrate Internaut Day today by checking it out?
  
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• How a tomato plant foils a dreaded vampire vine

  23-08-2016 16:00
  
  Tomatoes can foil a dodder plant attack by getting scared and scabbing over.
  
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• Jennifer Lawrence ranked world's highest paid-actress for second year

  23-08-2016 15:43
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence on Tuesday topped a Forbes magazine list of the world's highest-paid actress for the second straight year, earning some $46 million, followed by Melissa McCarthy. Lawrence, 26, took the top spot largely through a slice of the profits from the final movie in the "Hunger Games" franchise, as well as a big upfront fee for her forthcoming space adventure movie "Passengers," Forbes said. Lawrence's 2016 earnings dropped 11.5 percent from her
  
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• The Maya Were Tracking the Planets Long Before Copernicus

  23-08-2016 15:26
  
  An ancient Mayan text captured the moment when a royal astronomer made a scientific discovery about the movement of Venus across the night sky. The text, called the Dresden Codex, contains laborious measurements of the rising and setting of Venus. "We can see the moment when this person puts it all together," said Gerardo Aldana, a science historian in the Department of Chicano Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a co-author of a new study describing the findings.
  
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• Breadwinner Men May Have More Money, But Poorer Health

  23-08-2016 15:18
  
  Men who earn more money than their wives may be rolling in the bucks, but they tend to have poor health and heightened anxiety, new research shows. Researchers analyzed surveys from 9,000 young married men and women in the United States taken annually over a 15-year period, and evaluated each participant's response on income, health and psychological wellness. The findings suggest that men who are primary breadwinners — and who, in essence, fulfill the culturally held expectation that husb
  
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• Regulators Put Limits on Fish No One Wants to Eat

  23-08-2016 15:06 via rss.sciam.com
  
  That’s because the “forage fish” are food for ever-expanding fish farms, and overfishing them could destroy the ocean food web
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• This Tree Started Growing During the Viking Age

  23-08-2016 14:57
  
  Europe's oldest officially dated tree has been uncovered in Greece, and despite living more than a millennium (and counting!), it doesn't look a day over 200. The tree, dubbed "Adonis" by the scientists who discovered it, is a Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) that took root in A.D. 941, high in the Pindus mountains of Greece. "It is quite remarkable that this large, complex and impressive organism has survived so long in such an inhospitable environment, in a land that has been civilized for ove
  
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• Tired parents don’t always follow sleep guidelines for babies

  23-08-2016 14:00
  
  Night videos revealed parents putting their babies to bed in unsafe environments.
  
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• 'Star Trek' Star George Takei and Fans Enjoy Zero-G Frontier (Photos)

  23-08-2016 13:34
  
  Takei, who played the original "Star Trek" crewmember Hikaru Sulu, joined "Star Trek" fans on Aug. 17 to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary. Lucky fans were able to meet and take pictures with Takei before climbing on board for a once-in-a-lifetime flight. Takei also flew with his husband, Brad Altman, and Rod Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment and the son of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry.
  
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• SpaceX Lands Historic Recovered Falcon 9 Rocket Stage on Display

  23-08-2016 13:34
  
  SpaceX's first recovered rocket stage has landed on display outside of the company's California headquarters eight months after it made history. The nine engine booster, which on Dec. 21, 2015, became the world's first rocket stage to help launch a payload into Earth orbit and then fly back and touch down near where it had lifted off, is now a 15-story-tall monument at SpaceX's offices and manufacturing facility in Hawthorne, California. The Falcon 9 stage was erected on Saturday and Sunday (Aug
  
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• Mars, Saturn and Antares to Line Up in Night Sky This Week: How to See It

  23-08-2016 13:34
  
  On Wednesday evening (Aug. 24) as darkness falls, check out the south-southwest sky to see an eye-catching planetary/stellar lineup consisting of three radiant points of light: two bright planets and one of the brightest and most colorful stars in the sky.Tuesday (Aug. 23) a somewhat less straight — but still striking — line-up of the three will be visible. Antares, by comparison, will shine at magnitude 1.0 (lower magnitudes appear brighter), making Mars more than three times bright
  
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• Alien Megastructure? 'Tabby's Star' Continues to Baffle Scientists

  23-08-2016 13:34
  
  Nearly a year after first making headlines around the world, "Tabby's star" is still guarding its secrets. In September 2015, a team led by Yale University astronomer Tabetha Boyajian announced that a star about 1,500 light-years from Earth called KIC 8462852 had dimmed oddly and dramatically several times over the past few years. Boyajian and her colleagues suggested that a cloud of fragmented comets or planetary building blocks might be responsible, but other researchers noted that the signal
  
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• Most nations lack ability to deal with invasive species

  23-08-2016 13:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Most countries in the world have little capacity to deal effectively with invasive species, a study suggests.
  
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• Killing of 9 Revelstoke bears a wakeup call for Banff wildlife officials

  23-08-2016 13:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Officials in Banff National Park say deterring wildlife from becoming conditioned to human food is top of mind, after nine bears had to be euthanized in the Revelstoke area in a one-week period.
  
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• New badger culling trials given go ahead across England

  23-08-2016 12:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Badger culls are to be carried out in five new areas of England in a bid to control bovine TB, the BBC learns.
  
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• Experiment confirms plan for quantum-coded messages

  23-08-2016 12:00
  
  A new way to send secret quantum messages uses shorter keys.
  
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