Science news

• Obama to meet with Iraq, Nigeria, Colombia leaders at UN Assembly

  16-09-2016 23:28
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet with the leaders of Iraq, Nigeria and Colombia on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly gathering next week, the White House said on Friday. Obama will hold separate sessions with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters on a call. Obama is not expected to meet with Philipp
  
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• Toronto to Montreal in less than 30 minutes? How a Canadian company plans to make it happen

  16-09-2016 21:45 via cbc.ca
  
  This week, a Canadian company called TransPod heads to the world's largest rail show to present its plans for Hyperloop, a high-speed transit system that will travel at more than 500 kilometres an hour. Brent asks Sebastien Gendron, founder and CEO of TransPod, how and why it can be realized.
  
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• Deep-sea volcano a hotspot for mysterious life

  16-09-2016 21:36 via cbc.ca
  
  The Pisces V submersible has finished its dive to a previously unexplored underwater volcano off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island.
  
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• Futuristic laser weapon to be developed for use by British forces

  16-09-2016 21:32
  A hi-tech laser weapon that could shoot down enemy missiles mid-flight is to be developed for the British military. The futuristic "energy" cannon is set to be created under a £30m deal being finalised by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It forms the first part of a programme aimed at showing how pioneering technology, once confined to the pages of science fiction, can be exploited by the military in future.
  
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• Increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria hinders treatment of kidney infections

  16-09-2016 20:39
  Researchers use hospital emergency room data from around the country to document emergence of E. coli strain that fights medication. They recommend development of new antibiotics and treatment guidelines.
  
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• Fish lose their unique personality when they go to 'school'

  16-09-2016 19:50
  Despite individual animals having their own personality, this gets suppressed when they make decisions together in a group, new research has found.
  
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• Finding things in complex environments

  16-09-2016 19:50
  Everyday experience shows us that when the background is cluttered, it's harder to find an object. But how should we define "complexity" and can we apply the same concepts to other animals?
  
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• For ants, 'elite' individuals are not always so effective

  16-09-2016 19:49
  We all know that social insects, such as ants, often work together to achieve effective responses to environmental challenges. However, new research has now uncovered that the contributions of different individuals within such groups vary.
  
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• FAA contemplating whether millions of drones will fill skies

  16-09-2016 19:49 via cbc.ca
  
  So many people are registering drones and applying for drone pilot licenses that federal aviation officials said Friday they are contemplating the possibility of millions of unmanned aircraft crowding the nation's skies in the not-too-distant future.
  
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• Attack of the drones? FAA contemplating whether millions of drones will fill skies

  16-09-2016 19:49 via cbc.ca
  
  So many people are registering drones and applying for drone pilot licenses that federal aviation officials said Friday they are contemplating the possibility of millions of unmanned aircraft crowding the nation's skies in the not-too-distant future.
  
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• Rise of the internet has reduced voter turnout

  16-09-2016 19:48
  During the initial phase of the internet, a “crowding-out” of political information occurred, which has affected voter turnout, new research shows.
  
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• Human Brain Map Gets a Bold New Update

  16-09-2016 19:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The new Allen Brain Atlas combines neuroimaging and tissue staining to offer an unprecedented level of resolution.
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• What dinosaurs' color patterns say about their habitat

  16-09-2016 19:42
  After reconstructing the color patterns of a well-preserved dinosaur from China, researchers have found that the long-lost species Psittacosaurus (meaning "parrot lizard," a reference to its parrot-like beak) was light on its underside and darker on top.
  
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• Samsung to resume selling Galaxy Note 7 in South Korea

  16-09-2016 19:42 via cbc.ca
  
  Samsung plans to resume selling new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea on Sept. 28, as the company tries to grapple with the fallout from a recall over faulty batteries.
  
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• Solar-powered tuk-tuk completes India to UK trip

  16-09-2016 19:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Engineer Naveen Rabelli has completed a 6,000 mile journey from India to the UK in a solar-powered tuk-tuk.
  
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• Advancing ‘transposon theory of aging’

  16-09-2016 19:31
  A new study provides substantial new evidence that health becomes endangered when aging cells lose control of rogue elements of DNA called transposons.
  
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• New discoverymay lead to better understanding, treatment for common autoinflammatory disease

  16-09-2016 19:23
  A new mechanism for a bacterial toxin to inhibit inflammation has now been discovered, report scientists. The research shows that a toxin in Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague, targets and inhibits the protein pyrin. The inherited autoinflammatory disease Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is caused by mutations that lead to continuous activation of pyrin.
  
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• High-calcium, low-lactose diet may reduce risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women

  16-09-2016 19:23
  A diet high in calcium and low in lactose may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women, research indicates. The work also found sun exposure in the summer months may reduce the risk of developing the disease in this population.
  
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• Researchers say to conquer cancer you need to stop it before it becomes cancer

  16-09-2016 19:21
  A greater emphasis on immune-based prevention should be central to new efforts like the federal Cancer Moonshot program, headed by Vice President Joe Biden, cancer researchers from across the United States write.
  
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• Mystery of colorful giant plants of the subantarctic solved

  16-09-2016 19:21
  The mystery of why so many plants on New Zealand’s otherwise bleak subantarctic islands have very large deeply colored flowers and giant leaves has been solved by new research.
  
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• Largest-ever study to compare medications to prevent life-threatening clots in orthopaedic trauma patients

  16-09-2016 19:21
  Every year in the United States, thousands of high-risk fracture patients who have been admitted to trauma centers will suffer life-threatening blood clots related to the fracture. To reduce this risk, doctors have prescribed low molecular weight heparin. But some researchers argue that aspirin may be just as effective. A comprehensive new study will try to resolve this question.
  
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• Turning ubiquitous lignin into high-value chemicals

  16-09-2016 19:20
  Abundant, chock full of energy and bound so tightly that the only way to release its energy is through combustion — lignin has frustrated scientists for years. With the help of an unusual soil bacteria, researchers believe they now know how to crack open lignin, a breakthrough that could transform the economics of biofuel production.
  
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• Researchers seek better patient adherence recommendations for diabetic retinopathy

  16-09-2016 19:20
  Complications of diabetes can lead to blindness, yet only 29.9 percent of diabetic patients studied adhered to recommendations to have an eye examination, say researchers.
  
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• Big data gives insight into appeal of services like uber

  16-09-2016 19:20
  In a novel test of the benefit a company can generate for consumers, a new study estimates just how much consumers are gaining from the technology company Uber, helping to explain the service's popularity.
  
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• Associated Press, other media sue FBI for details on iPhone hacking tool

  16-09-2016 19:08 via cbc.ca
  
  The Associated Press and two other news organizations sued the FBI on Friday to learn who the government paid and how much it spent to hack into an iPhone in its investigation into last year's San Bernardino, Calif., massacre.
  
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• New Jersey school renamed for alum Buzz Aldrin

  16-09-2016 18:55
  MONTCLAIR, N.J. (AP) — Students walking in the footsteps of the second man to step on the moon cheered as their New Jersey school was renamed after the famous alumnus.
  
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• Houthis study U.S. truce proposal for Yemen-source

  16-09-2016 18:38
  (The story was refiled to correct the origin of the report as source, not negotiator) DUBAI/SANAA (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat has presented a proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen to the country's dominant Houthis at a meeting in Oman, a source close to the Houthi negotiating team said on Thursday. Negotiators will return to Houthi-controlled Sanaa on Friday carrying the plan offered by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon in talks in Muscat, the sou
  
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• Tesla was warned about hands-free Autopilot use, software maker says

  16-09-2016 18:19 via cbc.ca
  
  The company that made the camera and computer system for Tesla Motors' semi-autonomous Autopilot says the electric car maker ignored its warnings of safety problems.
  
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• Brain benefits of aerobic exercise lost to mercury exposure

  16-09-2016 18:06
  Cognitive function improves with aerobic exercise, but not for people exposed to high levels of mercury before birth, according to new research.
  
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• HHS takes steps to provide more information about clinical trials to the public

  16-09-2016 18:01
  In an effort to make information about clinical trials widely available to the public, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today issued a final rule that specifies requirements for registering certain clinical trials and submitting summary results information to ClinicalTrials.gov.
  
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• NIST releases new 'family' of standardized genomes

  16-09-2016 17:52
  With the addition of four new reference materials (RMs) to a growing collection of 'measuring sticks' for gene sequencing, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can now provide laboratories with even more capability to accurately "map" DNA for genetic testing, medical diagnoses and future customized drug therapies.
  
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• iPhone 7 Plus's matching grilles are for symmetry, not sound

  16-09-2016 17:47 via cbc.ca
  
  The set of holes on the bottom left of the new iPhone 7 Plus, replacing the headphone jack, are only there for cosmetic reasons, according to reviewers and a company that examined the inner workings of the devices, which went on sale today.
  
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• Gut pathogens thrive on body's tissue-repair mechanism

  16-09-2016 17:46
  Why do some foodborne bacteria make us sick? A new study has found that pathogens in the intestinal tract cause harm because they benefit from immune system responses designed to repair the very damage to the intestinal lining caused by the bacteria in the first place.
  
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• A burger by any other name: What do we call lab-grown meat?

  16-09-2016 17:38 via cbc.ca
  
  Meat manufactured in factories, without animals, could soon find its way to your dinner plate. So-called 'lab-grown meat' has been in development for years. CBC food columnist Khalil Akhtar explains why some lobbyists now want lab-grown meat to get a new name.
  
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• Where Creativity Comes From

  16-09-2016 17:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Studies of humans and other animals indicate that inventiveness often stems from factors other than need
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Why Are College Students Getting Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease?

  16-09-2016 17:23
  More than a dozen students at Florida State University (FSU) are sick with hand, foot and mouth disease, an illness that's usually seen in young children. The viral illness can cause fever, painful mouth sores, and a skin rash on the hands and feet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But it's not surprising to see cases of the disease on a college campus, as it can sometimes affect adults, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease specialist and a senior associ
  
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• Medical Marijuana Programs May Help Cut Opioid Use

  16-09-2016 17:22
  Making medical marijuana legal may lead to a reduction of opioid use in adults under the age of 40, a new study suggests. The researchers found that the rates of opioid use decreased in adults ages 21 to 40 in states that had legalized medical marijuana and where residents with prescriptions could obtain cannabis from dispensaries or grow their own, compared to states that had legalized medical marijuana but did not yet have an operational program for people to obtain it. For this group, opioid
  
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• Clinton's and Trump's Health: 5 Common Health Issues for People Their Age

  16-09-2016 17:22
  Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump may not have much in common, but there is at least one thing they share: their age. Both candidates still fall into the "younger older adult" age group of 65 to 74, said Debra Rose, director of the Center for Successful Aging and a professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton. It's unclear what Clinton's and Trump's biological ages are, but there are data showing which health problems are most common among people of t
  
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• Here's What to Do in a Bleeding Emergency

  16-09-2016 17:21
  Teaching people a few basic steps, similar to how people are taught CPR, could help someone who is severely bleeding survive until help arrives, said Dr. Matthew Levy, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. In addition, special bleeding control kits — containing items such as gauze and tourniquets — could be placed in public areas, similar to the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), Levy and his
  
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• How a Hidden TB Infection Caused One Woman's Infertility

  16-09-2016 17:15
  A woman living in New England who had trouble getting pregnant eventually discovered that her infertility was due to a cause not typically seen in this country: tuberculosis. Nine months before the woman went to Massachusetts General Hospital, an exam at another hospital showed that she had blocked fallopian tubes. Infections can result in blocked fallopian tubes, but so can a condition called endometriosis.
  
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• Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro needs 4K, HDR TV to look its vivid best

  16-09-2016 17:06 via cbc.ca
  
  When Sony introduced the PlayStation 4 Pro, the higher-end version of its current video game console, it promised to make gaming action punchier and more vibrant — depending on what kind of screen you're looking at.
  
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• Solar system could have evolved from poorly mixed elemental soup

  16-09-2016 17:06
  Chondrite meteorites contain a puzzling mismatch in isotopic composition with Earth's crust. The mismatch puzzles scientists because they long believed that Earth formed from planetary objects similar to meteorites. A new paper explains how this mismatch could have come about.
  
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• Incisionless robotic surgery offers promising outcomes for oropharyngeal cancer patients

  16-09-2016 17:06
  An incisionless robotic surgery – done alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation – may offer oropharyngeal cancer patients good outcomes and survival, without significant pain and disfigurement, research finds.
  
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• Genes essential to life found in mouse mutants are related to many human disease genes

  16-09-2016 17:06
  Mutant traits have, for the first time, been identified in the mouse for 52 human disease genes. This significantly contributes to the understanding of the genetic bases for some human diseases.
  
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• Mixing Pokémon Go and driving isn’t safe

  16-09-2016 17:00
  
  Pokémon Go alters reality to driver’s detriment, a new study finds.
  
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• Painting claimed to be among Australia’s oldest known rock art

  16-09-2016 16:54
  
  A painting on a cave’s ceiling may be one of Australia’s earliest examples of rock art, according to researchers who used an ancient wasps’ nest to date the art.
  
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• Essential mouse genes could guide human precision medicine

  16-09-2016 16:53
  About one-third of 1751 genes studied in the first comprehensive survey of the mouse genome are essential to life, according to new research. Mutations of these genes cause death at the embryo stage. Many of them have counterparts in the human genome, so understanding why these genes are so vital could help prioritize human genes for study.
  
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• Linking terrorism with mental illness fuels stigma and impedes prevention efforts

  16-09-2016 16:48
  An 'automatic assumption' to link terrorist acts with mental illness unfairly stigmatizes the millions of people with mental health problems and impedes prevention efforts, warn psychiatry experts.
  
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• Tasty letters? Sensory connections spill over in synesthesia

  16-09-2016 16:46
  Neuroscientists have found that people who experience a mixing of the senses, known as synesthesia, are more sensitive to associations everyone has between the sounds of words and visual shapes.
  
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• No clear threshold to diagnose and treat diabetes during pregnancy

  16-09-2016 16:44
  A new study finds a consistent association between higher blood glucose (sugar) levels during pregnancy and increased risk of complications around the time of birth, but there is no clear evidence of a threshold effect.
  
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