Science news

• Physicists build diagnostic that measures plasma velocity in real time

  08-11-2016 23:30
  Physicists have developed a diagnostic that provides crucial real-time information about the ultrahot plasma swirling within doughnut-shaped fusion machines known as tokamaks.
  
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• Too small to be lean? Implementing lean philosophy in SMEs

  08-11-2016 23:29
  Lean philosophy has long been propagated as a success story of large, automotive companies with Toyota frequently quoted as a shiny example of a success in "becoming lean".
  
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• How to Spot the International Space Station with New NASA Tool

  08-11-2016 22:34
  
  At an average altitude of 248 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, the space station is the third brightest object in the sky. To assist in this skywatching endeavor, NASA has launched a new interactive map at its Spot the Station site. This tool allows users to enter their location and find the best places in a 50-mile radius to view the station as it passes over them, according to a statement from NASA. The service notifies users of passes that are high enough in the sky to be easily
  
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• Early exposure to excess hormone causes genital defects in females

  08-11-2016 21:26
  Researchers have identified cells targeted by a male hormone and found that an excess of that hormone at a specific time can cause genital defects in female mice.
  
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• Prepare for what could be winter's first major snowfall

  08-11-2016 21:11
  
  Hats and gloves at the ready.
  
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• [Research Article] Phosphorylation of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) links energy sensing to anti-inflammatory signaling

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The energy-sensing pathway kinase AMPK inhibits pro-inflammatory JAK1 signaling.
  
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• [Research Article] Hindered cytoplasmic diffusion of inositol trisphosphate restricts its cellular range of action

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Slow diffusion of IP3 in mammalian cells results in a local rather than a global signal.
  
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• [Focus] IP3, still on the move but now in the slow lane

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Studies using mammalian cells challenge the conventional view of rapid diffusion of IP3 (Dickinson et al., in 08 November 2016 issue).
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Stress and alcohol abuse

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Glucocorticoid signaling increases alcohol use by deactivating the K+,Cl- transporter KCC2, which increasesinhibitory input to dopaminergic neurons.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Snail and HDAC1 target p53 for degradation

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A Snail/HDAC complex that represses transcription also posttranslationally targets p53 to promote breast cancer progression.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Phosphoarginine for degradation

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Arginine phosphorylation targets Bacillus subtilis proteins for proteolytic degradation in response to heat shock.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Misbehaving without MeCP2

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The behavioral effects of loss or dysfunction of MeCP2 involve HDAC1 and 2 in the striatum and HDAC3 in the hippocampus.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Coordinating differentiation with bacterial division

  08-11-2016 21:06 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A localized signaling complex couples cell cycle progression to differentiation in bacterial cells.
  
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• Australian Telescope Joins $100 Million Search for Alien Life

  08-11-2016 21:00
  
  Breakthrough Listen has begun using the Parkes radio telescope in Australia to scan the heavens, representatives of the ambitious, decade-long project announced Monday (Nov. 7). The Parkes dish becomes the third telescope to be employed by Breakthrough Listen, joining the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and the Automated Planet Finder at Lick Observatory in Northern California. "The addition of Parkes is an important milestone," billionaire entrepreneur Yuri Milner, founder of the Breakthr
  
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• Greenland fossils reveal global ecosystem recovery after mass extinction

  08-11-2016 20:54
  A new study shows how higher latitude ecosystems recovered after the World's most cataclysmic extinction event 252 million years ago.
  
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• How brain surgery eliminates seizures in epilepsy patients

  08-11-2016 20:53
  Surgery is an option for patients who do not respond to medications and have epileptic scar tissue that can be removed safely. In 60 to 70 percent of surgery patients, seizures are completely eliminated, and the success rate likely will improve as imaging and surgical techniques improve.
  
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• Yes, US astronauts can vote from space. And here's how it works...

  08-11-2016 20:44
  
  Shane Kimbrough’s move is in keeping with Nasa’s “vote while you float” motto.
  
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• UVic prof's DNA test finds invasive species in B.C. lakes, rivers

  08-11-2016 20:35 via cbc.ca
  
  A University of Victoria scientist's improved DNA test allows researchers to identify the presence of invasive and threatened species in water bodies, without obtaining a physical specimen.
  
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• Taking MDMA 'could be more dangerous for women than men'

  08-11-2016 20:24
  
  Global Drugs Survey says there has been a four-fold increase in female clubbers seeking emergency treatment after taking MDMA.
  
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• Old bonobos have bad eyesight — just like us

  08-11-2016 20:22
  
  As bonobos age, they lose their ability to see things close up, a new study suggests.
  
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• Archaeologists study earliest recorded human burial site in Ireland

  08-11-2016 19:19
  Archaeologists have shed new light on the belief systems of early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers after analyzing cremated remains and artifacts given as grave offerings from the earliest recorded human burial site in Ireland.
  
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• Tailored, dense-dose chemotherapy for early breast cancer does not result in significant improvement

  08-11-2016 19:16
  Among women with high-risk early breast cancer, the use of tailored dose-dense chemotherapy compared with standard adjuvant chemotherapy did not result in a statistically significant improvement in breast cancer recurrence-free survival, and nonhematologic toxic effects were more frequent in the tailored dose-dense group, according to a study.
  
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• Supplemental, nutrient-enriched donor milk does not improve neurodevelopment in very low-birth-weight infants

  08-11-2016 19:16
  Among very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, the use of supplemental donor milk compared with formula did not improve neurodevelopment at 18 months, according to a study.
  
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• More frequent vaping among teens linked to higher risk of heavy cigarette smoking

  08-11-2016 19:15
  Scientists examined associations of e-cigarette vaping with subsequent smoking frequency and heavy smoking among adolescents. E-cigarette vaping is reported by 37 percent of U.S. 10th-grade adolescents and is associated with subsequent initiation of combustible cigarette smoking, say investigators.
  
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• Massive 'lake' discovered under volcano could unlock why and how volcanoes erupt

  08-11-2016 19:01
  A huge magmatic lake has been discovered, 15 kilometers below a dormant volcano in Bolivia, South America. The body of water, which is dissolved into partially molten rock at a temperature of almost 1,000 degrees Celsius, is the equivalent to what is found in some of the world's giant freshwater lakes, such as Lake Superior.
  
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• Despite 'one-in-a-million' odds, Jeremy the lonely snail has found a lover

  08-11-2016 19:01 via cbc.ca
  
  A mate, in this case another snail with a left-spiralling shell, has been found for Jeremy. Amateur snail scientist and matchmaker Jade Melton says it's great news because snails like Jeremy are about one-in-a-million.
  
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• The messenger in Huntington's disease

  08-11-2016 18:58
  A research effort reveals new molecular mechanisms of Huntington’s disease. The results question the approaches used up to now for treatment of the disease. They also point to messenger RNA as a key pathogenic component that will make it possible to define new therapeutic strategies.
  
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• Galactic 'Eyelids' Show Space Gas 'Tsunami' (Photo)

  08-11-2016 18:56
  
  Look out! A "tsunami" of gas is crashing through a spiral galaxy, creating an image that bears a striking resemblance to a pair of eyelids. The turbulent zone formed when a galaxy called IC 2163 brushed by another one, named NGC 2207. The collision zone, located some 114 million light-years from Earth, was inspected for a new study with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a large radio observatory in Chile.
  
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• Genetic signaling pathway blocks formation of a cancer in the cerebellum

  08-11-2016 18:41
  A signaling pathway has the potential to block a type of cancer in the cerebellum, suggests new research. The work is focused on brain tumor formation in animal models of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor diagnosed in children.
  
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• Mismatched light and heat levels can disrupt body clock

  08-11-2016 18:40
  Body clock function can break down when light and temperature levels throughout the day are out of sync, finds new research in fruit flies.
  
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• Lab-grown mini lungs successfully transplanted into mice

  08-11-2016 18:40
  Scientists can now grow 3-D models of lungs from stem cells, creating new ways to study respiratory diseases, report scientists.
  
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• First cellular atlas of DNA-binding molecule could advance precision therapies

  08-11-2016 18:40
  Biochemists have created the first atlas that maps where molecular tools that can switch genes on and off will bind to the human genome. It is a development they say could enable these tools to be targeted to specific parts of an individual’s genome for use in precision medicine, developing therapies and treating disease.
  
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• Carbon-hungry plants impede growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide 

  08-11-2016 18:40
  The rate at which carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere has plateaued in recent years because Earth's vegetation is grabbing more carbon from the air than in previous decades, new research indicates.
  
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• Pancreatitis reduced by nearly 50% after gene therapy to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency

  08-11-2016 18:38
  Over a 6-year period, patients with the genetic disease lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD) who received a single gene therapy treatment of alipogene tiparvovec had a marked reduction in the severity and frequency of pancreatitis. No cases of severe pancreatitis and only one admission to the intensive care unit for an LPLD-related abdominal event were reported in the study.
  
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• Lovers or fighters: Species of giant cockroaches employ different strategies in the mating game

  08-11-2016 18:38
  Even in the insect world, males must adopt different strategies to win females, depending on their particular physical prowess, new research shows.
  
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• Behavior of Alzheimer-linked protein revealed

  08-11-2016 18:38
  Enzymes called kinases manage a wide range of cell processes, from metabolism, cell signaling, nutrient transport, and many others. Because they can affect so many different cell activities, kinases are tightly regulated within cells to make sure that the enzymes only act when necessary. Improperly activated kinases are linked to illnesses such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. A group of scientists has uncovered a new mechanism for controlling the activation of a kinase implicated in Alz
  
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• Attosecond physics: A zeptosecond stopwatch for the microcosm

  08-11-2016 18:38
  For the first time ever, laser physicists have recorded an internal atomic event with an accuracy of a trillionth of a billionth of a second.
  
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• Rise in atmospheric CO2 slowed by green vegetation

  08-11-2016 18:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The growth in CO2 in the atmosphere has been slowed by the increased ability of plants to soak up the gas.
  
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• The global climate 2011-2015: Hottest five-year period on record

  08-11-2016 18:27
  The World Meteorological Organization has published a detailed analysis of the global climate 2011-2015 -- the hottest five-year period on record -- and the increasingly visible human footprint on extreme weather and climate events with dangerous and costly impacts.
  
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• Ontario woman part of class action plan to sue over Samsung Note 7 phones

  08-11-2016 18:23 via cbc.ca
  
  A class action lawsuit is being organized by a couple from Burlington, Ont. regarding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones, which were recalled last month following reports of overheating batteries that pose a fire hazard.
  
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• Gene network controls how many flowers and fruits plants will make in critical growth window

  08-11-2016 18:00
  There is staggering diversity in the number of flowers produced by each of the 2,800 or so species of plants in the nightshade family, which includes economically important crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Why the dramatic differences between such closely related species? While the development of individual flowers is well understood, it has been unclear what mechanisms control how many branches a plant will produce and how many flowers will grow from each branch.
  
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• Bushmeat hunting drives biodiversity declines in Central Africa

  08-11-2016 17:57
  Hunting has dramatically reduced the diversity of animal communities in forests near villages in Gabon and may also be driving declines in similar landscapes across 53% of Central Africa, report investigators.
  
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