Science news

• Splashdown! SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth from Space Station

  26-08-2016 23:37
  
  SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft has safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off of Baja California, Mexico. The crewless spacecraft was released from the International Space Station earlier this morning by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi using the station's robotic arm.
  
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• Summer 2016 an 'exceptional' year for biodiversity in St. Lawrence River

  26-08-2016 22:30 via cbc.ca
  
  From North Atlantic right whales to narwhals to sunfish, this summer has proven to be a banner year for biodiversity in the St. Lawrence River.
  
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• Why Do We Send Animals to Space?

  26-08-2016 22:22
  
  "We didn't even know if humans would be able to digest their food [in space]," Julie Robinson, NASA's chief scientist for the International Space Station, said of those early days of human spaceflight. The first living beings ever sent to space were fruit flies, launched in 1947 — and they made it back to Earth alive.
  
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• Venus and Jupiter Imagined: From Galileo to Science Fiction

  26-08-2016 22:22
  
  Venus and Jupiter will appear so close together in the sky this Saturday (Aug. 27) that, from some locations, the two planets will appear to almost touch. Venus and Jupiter were the first two planets to be systematically observed with telescopes. C. Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, told Space.com.
  
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• Saturday's Venus-Jupiter Encounter May Explain Bible's Star of Bethlehem

  26-08-2016 22:22
  
  It might seem odd to talk about the Star of Bethlehem during the month of August, rather than December, when the celebration of Christmas prompts many people to recount the biblical story of three wise men guided to the birthplace of Jesus Christ by a bright object in the sky. There have been numerous possible scientific explanations of what the Star of Bethlehem may have been. Along the East Coast of the U.S., just before sunset, the two planets will be at their very closest and will come withi
  
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• Alaska identifies first case of H5N2 bird flu

  26-08-2016 21:35
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The bird flu strain that wiped out millions of turkeys and chickens in the Midwest last year has been found in Alaska for the first time.
  
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• Obama plans to create world's largest marine protected area

  26-08-2016 21:17
  
  The White House says that President Barack Obama will expand a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the world's largest marine protected area. Obama's proclamation will quadruple in size ...
  
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• Air contamination near fracking sites result of operational inefficiencies

  26-08-2016 21:16
  Chemists have published a new study that indicates that highly variable contamination events registered in and around unconventional oil and gas developments are the result of operational inefficiencies and not inherent to the extraction process itself.
  
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• Mechanism identified through which lead may harm neural cells, children's neurodevelopment

  26-08-2016 21:15
  Researchers have identified a potential molecular mechanism through which lead, a pervasive environmental toxin, may harm neural stem cells and neurodevelopment in children.
  
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• Juno Probe to Get 1st Up-Close Look at Jupiter Saturday

  26-08-2016 20:40
  
  NASA's Juno spacecraft is about to get its first up-close look at the king of planets. At 8:51 a.m. EDT (1251 GMT) on Saturday (Aug. 27), Juno will zoom within 2,600 miles (4,000 kilometers) of Jupiter's cloud tops — closer than the probe is scheduled to come during its entire mission, NASA officials said. And Juno will have all of its science instruments during Saturday's flyby.
  
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• The sound of a healthy reef

  26-08-2016 20:23
  A new study will help researchers understand the ways that marine animal larvae use sound as a cue to settle on coral reefs. The study has determined that sounds created by adult fish and invertebrates may not travel far enough for larvae -- which hatch in open ocean -- to hear them, meaning that the larvae might rely on other means to home in on a reef system.
  
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• Researchers find a new way to identify, target malignant aging in leukemia

  26-08-2016 20:23
  Researchers have identified RNA-based biomarkers that distinguish between normal, aging hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia stem cells associated with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML), a particularly problematic disease that typically afflicts older patients who have often already experienced a bout with cancer.
  
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• Mechanical force triggers gene expression by stretching chromatin

  26-08-2016 20:23
  How genes in our DNA are expressed into traits within a cell is a complicated mystery with many players, the main suspects being chemical. However, a new study has demonstrated that external mechanical force can directly regulate gene expression. The study also identified the pathway that conveys the force from the outside of the cell into the nucleus.
  
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• Research priorities for the field of atmospheric chemistry

  26-08-2016 20:20
  Increasing energy demands and expanding industrial and agricultural activities worldwide are changing the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to major global challenges like climate change and air pollution.
  
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• Chemists develop promising cheap, sustainable battery for grid energy storage

  26-08-2016 20:20
  Chemists have developed a long-lasting zinc-ion battery that costs half the price of current lithium-ion batteries and could help enable communities to shift away from traditional power plants and into renewable solar and wind energy production.
  
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• This Weird Galaxy Is Actually 99.99 Percent Dark Matter

  26-08-2016 20:17
  
  Astronomers have discovered a galaxy as big as the Milky Way that consists almost entirely of dark matter, a mysterious and invisible substance that scientists have been trying to figure out for decades. If true, this means that dark matter might not be perfectly dark at all.
  
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• Governor's order seeks to make Minnesota more bee-friendly

  26-08-2016 20:03
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton sought Friday to extend a little Minnesota nice to the state's declining honeybee population by issuing an executive order limiting certain pesticides that harm them, a step advocates said positions the state as a leader in protecting pollinating insects critical to the nation's food supply.
  
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• Scientists find Earth-like planet circling sun's nearest neighbor

  26-08-2016 18:58
  
  (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered a planet that appears to be similar to Earth circling the star closest to the sun, potentially a major step in the quest to find out if life exists elsewhere in the universe, research published on Wednesday showed.
  
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• Explore Proxima Centauri, Home of Proxima b, in Slooh Webcast Tonight

  26-08-2016 18:31
  
  You can check out the nearby star Proxima Centauri — which hosts a newly discovered, potentially Earth-like planet — during a free webcast by the Slooh Community Observatory tonight (Aug. 26). You can also watch the Proxima Centauri show at Space.com, courtesy of Slooh. On Wednesday (Aug. 24), a team of astronomers announced the discovery of Proxima b, a roughly Earth-mass planet that resides in Proxima Centauri's "habitable zone," the range of distances at which liquid wat
  
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• SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth with station science, gear

  26-08-2016 18:24
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth on Friday with scientific gifts from the International Space Station.
  
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• Whirling disease needs constant vigilance, U.S. experts say after Banff fish in jeopardy

  26-08-2016 18:11 via cbc.ca
  
  Officials must stay on top of dealing with whirling disease in affected fish in Banff, says an American expert who have been dealing with the problem since the 1950s.
  
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• Dig reveals surprising truth about 'super-henge' near Stonehenge

  26-08-2016 18:11 via cbc.ca
  
  A dig where researchers last year said they had detected a "major new prehistoric stone monument" buried near Stonehenge has revealed something quite different than expected.
  
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• Dig reveals surprise about 'super-henge' near Stonehenge

  26-08-2016 18:11 via cbc.ca
  
  A dig where researchers last year said they had detected a "major new prehistoric stone monument" buried near Stonehenge has revealed something quite different than expected.
  
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• Buried Tectonic Plate Reveals Hidden Dinosaur-Era Sea

  26-08-2016 17:53
  
  Using images constructed from earthquake data, geoscientists have developed a method for resurrecting a "slab graveyard" of tectonic plate segments buried deep within the Earth, unfolding the deformed rock into what it may have looked like up to 52 million years ago. This helped the researchers identify the previously unknown East Asian Sea Plate, where an ancient sea once existed in the region shortly after dinosaurs went extinct. The Pacific, Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates frame several s
  
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• Resetting the Body's Thermostat with a Molecular On/Off Switch

  26-08-2016 17:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  By taking control of the thermoregulatory process, researchers are uncovering how mammals maintain body temperature 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Richard Branson hurt while bicycling in British Virgin Islands

  26-08-2016 17:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson was injured when he crashed his bicycle on Virgin Gorda, one of the British Virgin Islands.
  
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• Venus once possibly habitable, study suggests

  26-08-2016 17:25
  
  Venus might have once been habitable and home to a shallow ocean.
  
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• Nasa spacecraft Juno set for record-breaking close approach to Jupiter

  26-08-2016 17:14
  
  The spacecraft will have its instruments activated as approached the planet’s swirling cloud.
  
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• Deaths from Fentanyl, Drug That Killed Prince, Rise Sharply

  26-08-2016 17:10
  Overdose deaths from the opioid painkiller fentanyl — the same drug that killed singer-songwriter Prince in April — have increased sharply in a number of U.S. states, according to a new report. From 2013 to 2014, eight U.S. states — Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina — had large increases in overdose deaths tied to synthetic opioids. During that same time, the number of drug products that tested positive for fentanyl
  
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• Why Areas with More Men Have Higher Marriage Rates

  26-08-2016 17:09
  The research showed that counties in the U.S. with more men than women generally had higher rates of marriage, fewer births outside marriage and fewer single female heads of household — all of which are generally signs of greater family stability, according to the researchers. "There's this numerical expectation that, as men increase in numbers, that means that there are fewer women available, so men are less likely to get married," said Ryan Schacht, the study's lead author and a pos
  
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• Predictive tool vital to sustainable environmental futures

  26-08-2016 17:07
  A new predictive tool, which for the first time combines human perception of the environment with land-use planning and socioeconomic data, could help governments mitigate the impact of climate change in developing countries. 
  
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• Moth takes advantage of defensive compounds in Physalis fruits

  26-08-2016 17:07
  Researchers found that the specialist moth Heliothis subflexa benefits from secondary plant components by turning the original defensive function of these compounds into its own advantage. Withanolides, which are present in Physalis plants, usually act as immune suppressants and feeding deterrents in insects. Surprisingly, Heliothis subflexa uses these plant defenses as immune-system boosters. Moreover, withanolides protect the moth from harmful effects caused by pathogenic bacteria. The new stu
  
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• How Long Will Your Caffeine Buzz Last? Genes May Tell

  26-08-2016 17:07
  If one cup of coffee keeps you perked up all day, you may be able to thank your genes for that long-lasting caffeine kick, a new study finds.  
  
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• Dancing on a different stage: the balletic inspiration behind PS4's Bound

  26-08-2016 17:07 via cbc.ca
  
  Professional dancer Maria Udod helps translate her art into a playable character in Bound, a new game for the PlayStation 4.
  
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• Who's Really Happier: Young People or Older People?

  26-08-2016 17:03
  Older adults may not be as physically healthy or mentally sharp as younger and middle-age adults, but they have higher psychological well-being than these other age groups, according to a new survey of people living in San Diego County, California. In the study, the researchers evaluated three key factors in adults across their life spans: their physical health, cognitive health and mental health. The researchers also found that young adults in their 20s and 30s had the lowest scores on measures
  
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• Science-Proven Way to Reduce Teen Drinking

  26-08-2016 17:02
  "Family rules may be a useful complement to community rules and policies" in the effort to prevent underage drinking, said Mark Wolfson, the study's lead researcher and a professor of social sciences and health policy at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina. The researchers found that the teenagers whose parents had clear rules against underage drinking were 35 percent less likely to have attended a party where there was alcohol in the past 30 days, compared with teens whose pare
  
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• Scientists have created nanobots that can release drugs into the body using mind control

  26-08-2016 16:49
  
  Scientists believe the bots could be used to dispense drugs in people.
  
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• Insecticide ryanodine: Building a chemical from the ground up

  26-08-2016 16:48
  Chemists have significantly improved upon the synthesis of a molecule related to muscle and neuronal function. A research team has been busy trying to crack the puzzle of the insecticide ryanodine, a complex molecule first isolated from a tropical plant in the 1940s. Ryanodine paralyzes insects by binding to a class of calcium-channel receptors called ryanodine receptors. In humans, these receptors play critical roles in muscle and neuronal function.
  
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• Hiding in plain sight: Vast reef found hiding behind Great Barrier Reef

  26-08-2016 16:48
  Scientists working with laser data have discovered a vast reef behind the familiar Great Barrier Reef. High-resolution seafloor data provided by LiDAR-equipped aircraft have revealed great fields of unusual donut-shaped circular mounds, each 200-300 meters across and up to 10 meters deep at the center.
  
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• Egyptian women say doctors don't discourage female genital cutting, study finds

  26-08-2016 16:48
  More Egyptian women are seeking the opinions of physicians on whether their daughters should undergo female genital cutting, which is illegal in the country, but they say doctors don't advise against the procedure.
  
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• Breast milk sugar may protect babies against deadly infection

  26-08-2016 16:48
  A type of sugar found naturally in some women’s breast milk may protect newborn babies from infection with a potentially life threatening bacterium called Group B streptococcus, according to a new study. These bacteria are a common cause of meningitis in newborns and the leading cause of infection in the first three months of life globally.
  
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• South Sudanese opposition leader leaves hospital, to stay in Khartoum

  26-08-2016 16:43
  South Sudan opposition leader, Riek Machar, has left hospital but will remain in Khartoum for some time, Sabt Makkouk, an aide accompanying Machar, said on Friday. Sudan's Information Minister announced on August 23 that Machar, who left South Sudan to escape government forces, was in Khartoum for medical treatment. "Riek Machar left hospital this morning in stable health and has recovered ... He will stay in Khartoum for some time," Makkouk told Reuters.
  
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• Brazilian plant's 'sneeze' caught on video

  26-08-2016 16:22 via cbc.ca
  
  A plant in the Brazilian rainforest and one discovered fossilized in amber in Mexico and the Dominican Republic are similar because it appears the two release pollen in an explosive way, like a sneeze, researchers say.
  
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• Volcanic eruption masked acceleration in sea level rise

  26-08-2016 16:15
  The cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines masked the full impact of greenhouse gases on accelerating sea level rise, according to a new study.
  
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• Next steps in understanding brain function

  26-08-2016 16:15
  As scientists around the globe join efforts to understand brain function, we enter the era of Big Data and stir up debate on how science is done and how it can affect us all.
  
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• Allergy research: Response to house dust mites is age-dependent

  26-08-2016 16:15
  In adults with a house dust mite allergy, a cascade of inflammatory signals on the surface of the airways leads to airway remodeling. This process cannot be influenced by standard cortisone therapy.
  
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• Better batteries: Next-generation smart separator membranes

  26-08-2016 15:27
  A new class of battery seperator has been engineered by a team of researchers, which is expected to bring unprecedented benefits to battery performance.
  
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• Riskiest Hurricane Day Approaches

  26-08-2016 15:15
  
  Hurricane season may have officially started on June 1, but the riskiest part of the season is only just beginning, said scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Tropical cyclones typically spike during an eight-week period that lasts from mid-August through the middle of October, NOAA scientists said in a statement on Aug. 22. This "peak season" includes 78 percent of tropical storm days, 87 percent of days with Category 1 and 2 hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson
  
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• Trousers, Heal Thyself: Squids Make Self-Fixing Clothes Possible

  26-08-2016 15:14
  
  It's generally not a good idea to smear squid parts all over your outfit, but one day, clothes could fix their own rips with the help of coatings made of squid proteins, according to a new study. This research might lead to more than just everyday self-healing clothes. Rips and tears in shirts or jeans are usually no big deal — you can either repair the clothes or simply throw them away — but damage to items such as hazmat suits or biomedical implants can be a matter of life or death
  
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• 'Stranger Things': How Realistic Are Parallel Worlds?

  26-08-2016 15:13
  The hit new series "Stranger Things" is more than just the 1980s throwback we've all been waiting for. In fact, the kids soon realize that the spooky occurrences may actually be stemming from interactions with an alternate world. While a sinister parallel universe like the one on the show "Stranger Things" may not be hovering over our own, the basic idea of an alternate world echoes concepts of multiverses that theoretical physicists have proposed for decades, experts say.
  
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