Science news

• Ancient Meteorite Impact Rained Debris On US East Coast

  13-10-2016 23:46
  
  A meteorite may have hit the surface of the Earth about 56 million years ago, raining debris for hundreds of miles across the Atlantic Ocean and what is now the East Coast of the U.S. Evidence of the impact appeared in the form of tiny, roughly spherical bits of glass that were found buried in ancient layers of soil in New Jersey and off the coast of Florida. The pellets were found in four separate locations, some of them separated by more than to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), but they
  
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• Cosmic census of galaxies updated to 2 trillion

  13-10-2016 23:05
  
  A new census of the cosmos suggests that there might be 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe, about 10 times as many as previous estimates.
  
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• Verizon says Yahoo data breach had a 'material' impact

  13-10-2016 23:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Verizon's top lawyer says it now has reason to believe Yahoo's recently disclosed data breach has a "material" impact on its pending $4.8 billion US acquisition of Yahoo. That leaves open the possibility that Verizon could seek a change in the price or other terms.
  
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• Blast from the past: comet may have hit Earth 56 million years ago

  13-10-2016 22:41
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Droplets of glass dug up in New Jersey and from the Atlantic seabed indicate a comet or some other extraterrestrial object may have smacked Earth 56 million years ago, roughly 10 million years after the asteroid impact that doomed the dinosaurs.
  
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• The Universe Has 10 Times More Galaxies Than Scientists Thought

  13-10-2016 22:30
  
  More than a trillion galaxies are lurking in the depths of space, a new census of galaxies in the observable universe has found — 10 times more galaxies than were previously thought to exist. An international team of astronomers used deep-space images and other data from the Hubble Space Telescope   to create a 3D map of the known universe, which contains about 100 to 200 billion galaxies. In particular, they relied on Hubble's Deep Field images, which revealed the most dist
  
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• Grr! Honk! Research offers clues about what dinosaurs sounded like

  13-10-2016 22:26 via cbc.ca
  
  New research is bringing us closer to understanding what kind of noises dinosaurs made when they roamed the Earth — and it's nothing like what Hollywood would have you believe.
  
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• [Working Life] Making my own home

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Author: Fatma Kaplan
  
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• [This Week in Science] Two roads diverged in a yellow photolyase

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Jake Yeston
  
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• [This Week in Science] The platypus's sixth sense cost it its teeth

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Shahid Naeem
  
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• [This Week in Science] The negative emissions gamble

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Julia Fahrenkamp-Uppenbrink
  
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• [This Week in Science] Relaxing in response to pressure

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Wei Wong
  
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• [This Week in Science] Phosphorylation and fungal evolution

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Laura M. Zahn
  
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• [This Week in Science] Migration of influenza in wild birds

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Caroline Ash
  
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• [This Week in Science] Microbes make methane from coal

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Nicholas S. Wigginton
  
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• [This Week in Science] Improving the stability of perovskite solar cells

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Phil Szuromi
  
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• [This Week in Science] Hammering out the sickle cell mutation

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Yevgeniya Nusinovich
  
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• [This Week in Science] Global biodiversity and productivity

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Andrew M. Sugden
  
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• [This Week in Science] Antibodies sustain viral control

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Kristen L. Mueller
  
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• [This Week in Science] An impactful event

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, H. Jesse Smith
  
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• [This Week in Science] A layered approach for nanophotonics

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Ian S. Osborne
  
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• [This Week in Science] A function for multisite phosphorylation

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, L. Bryan Ray
  
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• [This Week in Science] A DNA vaccine candidate for Zika

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Kristen L. Mueller
  
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• [This Week in Science] A consensus in Europe about asylum seekers

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Caroline Ash, Gilbert Chin
  
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• [Review] Polaritons in van der Waals materials

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: D. N. Basov, M. M. Fogler, F. J. García de Abajo
  
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• [Retraction] Retraction

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Jennifer Sills, Jeremy M. Berg
  
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• [Research Article] Sustained virologic control in SIV+ macaques after antiretroviral and α4β7 antibody therapy

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) effectively suppresses replication of both the immunodeficiency viruses, human (HIV) and simian (SIV); however, virus rebounds soon after ART is withdrawn. SIV-infected monkeys were treated with a 90-day course of ART initiated at 5 weeks post infection followed at 9 weeks post infection by infusions of a primatized monoclonal antibody against the α4β7 integrin administered every 3 weeks until week 32. These animals subsequently maintained low to undetectable
  
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• [Research Article] Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests

  13-10-2016 22:21
  The biodiversity-productivity relationship (BPR) is foundational to our understanding of the global extinction crisis and its impacts on ecosystem functioning. Understanding BPR is critical for the accurate valuation and effective conservation of biodiversity. Using ground-sourced data from 777,126 permanent plots, spanning 44 countries and most terrestrial biomes, we reveal a globally consistent positive concave-down BPR, showing that continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating
  
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• [Report] Role for migratory wild birds in the global spread of avian influenza H5N8

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Avian influenza viruses affect both poultry production and public health. A subtype H5N8 (clade 2.3.4.4) virus, following an outbreak in poultry in South Korea in January 2014, rapidly spread worldwide in 2014–2015. Our analysis of H5N8 viral sequences, epidemiological investigations, waterfowl migration, and poultry trade showed that long-distance migratory birds can play a major role in the global spread of avian influenza viruses. Further, we found that the hemagglutinin of clade 2.3.4.4 vi
  
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• [Report] Rapid development of a DNA vaccine for Zika virus

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Zika virus (ZIKV) was identified as a cause of congenital disease during the explosive outbreak in the Americas and Caribbean that began in 2015. Because of the ongoing fetal risk from endemic disease and travel-related exposures, a vaccine to prevent viremia in women of childbearing age and their partners is imperative. We found that vaccination with DNA expressing the premembrane and envelope proteins of ZIKV was immunogenic in mice and nonhuman primates, and protection against viremia after Z
  
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• [Report] Opposing effects of Elk-1 multisite phosphorylation shape its response to ERK activation

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Multisite phosphorylation regulates many transcription factors, including the serum response factor partner Elk-1. Phosphorylation of the transcriptional activation domain (TAD) of Elk-1 by the protein kinase ERK at multiple sites potentiates recruitment of the Mediator transcriptional coactivator complex and transcriptional activation, but the roles of individual phosphorylation events had remained unclear. Using time-resolved nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we found that ERK2 phosphor
  
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• [Report] Methane production from coal by a single methanogen

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Coal-bed methane is one of the largest unconventional natural gas resources. Although microbial activity may greatly contribute to coal-bed methane formation, it is unclear whether the complex aromatic organic compounds present in coal can be used for methanogenesis. We show that deep subsurface–derived Methermicoccus methanogens can produce methane from more than 30 types of methoxylated aromatic compounds (MACs) as well as from coals containing MACs. In contrast to known methanogenesis pathw
  
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• [Report] Incorporation of rubidium cations into perovskite solar cells improves photovoltaic performance

  13-10-2016 22:21
  All of the cations currently used in perovskite solar cells abide by the tolerance factor for incorporation into the lattice. We show that the small and oxidation-stable rubidium cation (Rb+) can be embedded into a “cation cascade” to create perovskite materials with excellent material properties. We achieved stabilized efficiencies of up to 21.6% (average value, 20.2%) on small areas (and a stabilized 19.0% on a cell 0.5 square centimeters in area) as well as an electroluminescence of 3.8%.
  
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• [Report] Improving efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells with photocurable fluoropolymers

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Organometal halide perovskite solar cells have demonstrated high conversion efficiency but poor long-term stability against ultraviolet irradiation and water. We show that rapid light–induced free-radical polymerization at ambient temperature produces multifunctional fluorinated photopolymer coatings that confer luminescent and easy-cleaning features on the front side of the devices, while concurrently forming a strongly hydrophobic barrier toward environmental moisture on the back contact sid
  
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• [Report] Impact ejecta at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Extraterrestrial impacts have left a substantial imprint on the climate and evolutionary history of Earth. A rapid carbon cycle perturbation and global warming event about 56 million years ago at the Paleocene-Eocene (P-E) boundary (the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum) was accompanied by rapid expansions of mammals and terrestrial plants and extinctions of deep-sea benthic organisms. Here, we report the discovery of silicate glass spherules in a discrete stratigraphic layer from three marine P-
  
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• [Report] How economic, humanitarian, and religious concerns shape European attitudes toward asylum seekers

  13-10-2016 22:21
  What types of asylum seekers are Europeans willing to accept? We conducted a conjoint experiment asking 18,000 eligible voters in 15 European countries to evaluate 180,000 profiles of asylum seekers that randomly varied on nine attributes. Asylum seekers who have higher employability, have more consistent asylum testimonies and severe vulnerabilities, and are Christian rather than Muslim received the greatest public support. These results suggest that public preferences over asylum seekers are s
  
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• [Report] Evolution of protein phosphorylation across 18 fungal species

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Living organisms have evolved protein phosphorylation, a rapid and versatile mechanism that drives signaling and regulates protein function. We report the phosphoproteomes of 18 fungal species and a phylogenetic-based approach to study phosphosite evolution. We observe rapid divergence, with only a small fraction of phosphosites conserved over hundreds of millions of years. Relative to recently acquired phosphosites, ancient sites are enriched at protein interfaces and are more likely to be func
  
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• [Report] Bifurcating electron-transfer pathways in DNA photolyases determine the repair quantum yield

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Photolyase is a blue-light–activated enzyme that repairs ultraviolet-induced DNA damage that occurs in the form of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproducts. Previous studies on microbial photolyases have revealed an electron-tunneling pathway that is critical for the repair mechanism. In this study, we used femtosecond spectroscopy to deconvolute seven electron-transfer reactions in 10 elementary steps in all classes of CPD photolyases. We report a uni
  
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• [Policy Forum] Science-based management in decline in the Southern Ocean

  13-10-2016 22:21
  With an internationally lauded approach to conserving Southern Ocean ecosystems (1), the healthiest marine ecosystems on Earth, the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), has committed to adopting marine protected areas (MPAs) in the waters around Antarctica (2). But conflict over MPAs has led CCAMLR member states to disregard the best available science, distort the foundational rules of their convention, break trust, and threaten the integrity of one of th
  
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• [Perspective] Young phosphorylation is functionally silent

  13-10-2016 22:21
  In cell biology, important discoveries often relate to mechanisms that are conserved throughout evolution. Yet what makes any species unique are specific molecular changes accumulated during the course of evolution. Thus, it is just as important to identify differences between species as it is to characterize their underlying similarities (1). On page 229 of this issue, Studer et al. present such an evolutionary comparative analysis, revealing similitudes and, remarkably, substantial differences
  
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• [Perspective] The trouble with negative emissions

  13-10-2016 22:21
  In December 2015, member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted the Paris Agreement, which aims to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. The Paris Agreement requires that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission sources and sinks are balanced by the second half of this century. Because some nonzero sources are unavoidable, this leads to the abstract concept of
  
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• [Perspective] Sick birds don't fly…or do they?

  13-10-2016 22:21
  In 2014, a new, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) called H5N8 caused outbreaks in poultry in East and Southeast Asia and spread across the Northern Hemisphere to Europe and North America. In the United States alone, H5N8 outbreaks resulted in the destruction of more than 48 million poultry birds (1). International live-poultry trade and wild-bird migration have both been implicated in the intercontinental movement of H5N8 and other HPAIVs. H5N8 viruses have been found in wild birds
  
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• [Perspective] Shock and kill with caution

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Antiretroviral therapy has made life-long suppression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication a possibility for some patients. But with the 2015 estimate of 36.7 million people infected worldwide, there is a great need to explore other ways to address this epidemic—from preventing new infections by treating uninfected high-risk individuals, to developing a vaccine, to targeting latent HIV that hides in immune cells and persists in patients. The idea of clearing latent infection has p
  
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• [Perspective] Multisite phosphorylation by MAPK

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Reversible protein phosphorylation plays a fundamental role in signal transduction networks. Phosphorylation alters protein function by regulating enzymatic activity, stability, cellular localization, or binding partners. Over three-quarters of human proteins may be phosphorylated, with many targeted at multiple sites. Such multisite phosphorylation substantially increases the scope for modulating protein function—a protein with n phosphorylation sites has the potential to exist in 2n distinct
  
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• [Perspective] Making the most of materials computations

  13-10-2016 22:21
  For more than a century, materials scientists have accumulated experimental data on the structures of chemical compounds and the thermal, electronic, and mechanical properties that they exhibit. These data have been a cornerstone in the development, selection, and design of materials (1). In the past decade, experimental data have been augmented by an explosion of computational data from quantum-mechanical calculations, which can be obtained more quickly and in some cases with comparable accurac
  
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• [Perspective] A microbial route from coal to gas

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Many coal wells produce methane through the microbial decomposition of coal (1). About 7% of methane that reaches the atmosphere is derived from coal beds and contributes considerably to the greenhouse effect (2). But how is coal converted into methane? Which compounds in the coal are degraded, and which microbes are responsible? On page 222 of this issue, Mayumi et al. (3) report the discovery of methanogenic archaea that convert complex organic compounds released from coal directly into methan
  
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• [Letter] Colombia's tax on wildlife studies

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Jennifer Sills, Vivian P. Páez
  
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• [Letter] Colombia: Dealing in conservation

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Authors: Jennifer Sills, Nicola Clerici, James E. Richardson, Francisco J. Escobedo, Juan M. Posada, Mauricio Linares, Adriana Sanchez, Juan Fernando Vargas
  
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• [In Depth] Surprising treatment ‘cures’ monkey HIV infection

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Antibody keeps SIV suppressed, but it's unclear how
  Author: Jon Cohen
  
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• [In Depth] Spy agencies team up with National Academies

  13-10-2016 22:21
  Expanded ties include new board, first-ever survey of social sciences and security
  Author: Jeffrey Mervis
  
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• [In Depth] Joint research push targets fast-melting Antarctic ice

  13-10-2016 22:21
  U.K.-U.S. “Thwaites invasion” aims to refine sea-level rise estimates
  Author: Paul Voosen
  
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