Science news

• Google data centres to be 100% renewable-powered by 2017

  06-12-2016 23:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google reveals it is on track to offset 100% of data centre and office electricity use with renewable energy.
  
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• Declining muskrats in the delta: Low water levels and otters may be a cause, biologist says

  06-12-2016 22:57 via cbc.ca
  
  A biologist researching muskrats in the Mackenzie Delta says there's been a decline in muskrat populations in the area for over a decade, and locals want answers.
  
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• Little African primate's talents inspire leaping robot

  06-12-2016 22:45
  By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Inspired by the remarkable jumping ability of an African primate called a galago, scientists have fashioned a small robot with unique leaping capabilities they hope can someday be used in tricky search-and-rescue situations. The scientists said on Tuesday they had built a robot, dubbed Salto, with vertical jumping agility like no other machine, able to leap into the air and then spring off a wall, or perform multiple vertical jumps consecutively. To design S
  
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• [Erratum]Erratum for the Research Article: "A computationally identified compound antagonizes excess FGF-23 signaling in renal tubules and a mouse model of hypophosphatemia" by Z. Xiao, D. Riccardi, H. A. Velazquez, A. L. Chin, C. R. Yates, J. D. Carrick,

  06-12-2016 22:39 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The author affiliations now appear in the correct order.
  
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• Drill Glitch Brings Mars Rover Curiosity to a Halt

  06-12-2016 22:23
  
  NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has stopped driving and using its 7-foot-long (2.1 meters) arm while mission controllers investigate a problem with the robot’s sample-collecting drill. "We are in the process of defining a set of diagnostic tests to carefully assess the drill feed mechanism. "To be cautious, until we run the tests on Curiosity, we want to restrict any dynamic changes that could affect the diagnosis," Lee added.
  
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• Arctic sea ice hits record monthly low for 7th time in 2016

  06-12-2016 22:01
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Though this is when the Arctic is supposed to be refreezing, scientists say sea ice there hit record low levels for November. In the crucial Barents Sea, the amount of floating ice decreased when it would be expected to grow.
  
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• Bacterial mechanism converts nitrogen to greenhouse gas

  06-12-2016 21:56
  A biological mechanism has been discovered that helps convert nitrogen-based fertilizer into nitrous oxide, an ozone-depleting greenhouse gas.
  
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• Virtual reality raises real risk of motion sickness

  06-12-2016 21:21
  
  New research confirms anecdotal reports that virtual reality headsets can cause motion sickness, and may affect women more than men.
  
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• [Research Article] Widespread control of calcium signaling by a family of SERCA-inhibiting micropeptides

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A family of micropeptides inhibits calcium reuptake by the endoplasmic reticulum in diverse cell types.
  
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• [Research Article] Late-phase synthesis of IκBα insulates the TLR4-activated canonical NF-κB pathway from noncanonical NF-κB signaling in macrophagesκ

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Macrophage-specific insulation of canonical NF-κB signaling from the noncanonical pathway prevents excessive inflammation.
  
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• [Research Article] A TGFβ–miR-182–BRCA1 axis controls the mammary differentiation hierarchy

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  TGFβ promotes luminal differentiation of mammary stem cells by suppressing a BRCA1-targeting microRNA.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] SUMO versus ubiquitin in Hedgehog signaling

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  SUMOylation of Smoothened promotes deubiquitylation, stabilizing Smoothened at the membrane.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Reducing nerve-damaging reactive metabolites

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Nematode studies reveal the pathway that promotes detoxification of reactive α-dicarbonyls and drugs that can enhance this pathway.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Circadian effects on immunization responses

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Diurnal control of lymphocyte trafficking by adrenergic signaling determines the timing of effective immunization.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Bacteria stop fermentation with lactic acid

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Bacteria release lactic acid, inducing a prion-based metabolic switch in yeast.
  
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• [Editorial Guide] Emerging roles for organelles in cellular regulation

  06-12-2016 21:03 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Organelles not only regulate cell behavior and function but are themselves regulated by internal and external signals.
  
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• Privacy watchdogs urge caution with encryption laws

  06-12-2016 21:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Privacy watchdogs from across Canada warn the government to "proceed cautiously" before passing encryption legislation — a move that would have the potential to undermine the security of everything from financial transactions to online communication.
  
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• Scientists develop robotic hand for people with quadriplegia

  06-12-2016 20:39
  
  BERLIN (AP) — Scientists have developed a mind-controlled robotic hand that allows people with certain types of spinal injuries to perform everyday tasks such as using a fork or drinking from a cup.
  
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• Zippy new jumping bot catches air again and again

  06-12-2016 20:00
  
  Leaping robot can bounce from floor to wall, parkour-style, and, like a bush baby, uses a “super-crouch” to get extra oomph out of jumps.
  
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• Release of CIA torture details unlikely - senior U.S. Democrat

  06-12-2016 19:39
  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is unlikely to release a massive report on the CIA's use of waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" widely considered torture, a top Democrat on the congressional intelligence committee said on Tuesday. Representative Adam Schiff told reporters it was more likely, before President Barack Obama leaves office next month, that the White House might take action so the report could be released someday via a Freed
  
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• Canada's 15-year-old students among best global performers in science, math

  06-12-2016 19:36 via cbc.ca
  
  A new OECD survey finds that Canadian students fare better in science and math than most of their peers around the world, but there's room for improvement.
  
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• Green delight as Trump's Irish wall plans withdrawn

  06-12-2016 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Donald Trump's plan to erect a huge sea wall at his Irish golf course have been withdrawn in the light of stiff opposition.
  
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• Agreement signed in Prestwick spaceport bid

  06-12-2016 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Glasgow Prestwick Airport signs an agreement with Houston Spaceport as it continues its bid to become the UK's first launch site.
  
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• Cosmic dust has been found on rooftops in three cities for the first time

  06-12-2016 18:15
  
  Yes – it literally came from space.
  
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• Seal studies reveal secret life

  06-12-2016 18:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A project is underway to record the underwater behaviour of Britain's grey seals.
  
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• Caesarean births may be shaping evolution by 'helping people get bigger'

  06-12-2016 17:26
  
  The amount of “big” babies surviving is increasing and it equates to a rapid rate in evolutionary terms.
  
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• Holidays to the moon could become a reality within a decade

  06-12-2016 17:25
  
  Moon Express has been given permission to commence travel to the moon.
  
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• U.S. patent agency to weigh rival claims on gene-editing technology

  06-12-2016 17:16
  
  (Corrects company name to Editas Medicine from Editas Pharmaceuticals in paragraph 15)
  
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• Google brings Internet speech battle to the Supreme Court

  06-12-2016 17:08 via cbc.ca
  
  Google is fighting a Canadian ruling it says has worldwide implications for access to information online on Tuesday.
  
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• Google brings internet free-speech battle to Supreme Court

  06-12-2016 17:08 via cbc.ca
  
  Google is fighting a Canadian ruling it says has worldwide implications for access to information online on Tuesday.
  
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• Solar panels are poised to be truly green

  06-12-2016 17:00
  
  Solar panels are about to break even on their energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
  
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• Science Museum, London Acquires British Astronaut's Soyuz for Display

  06-12-2016 16:59
  
  The spacecraft that returned Britain's first professional astronaut to Earth in June will land on display in London next year. Russia's Soyuz TMA-19M descent module, which touched down from the International Space Station with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and Expedition 46/47 flight engineer Tim Peake, will go on exhibit at the Science Museum, London in early 2017.
  
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• The Last Guardian: Why this video game's developer kept fans waiting for nearly a decade

  06-12-2016 16:46 via cbc.ca
  
  Few videogames have suffered a development cycle as long and tortured as the one for The Last Guardian. After nine years or work and multiple delays, was it worth the wait?
  
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• Mystery (Partially) Solved? 'Heat Bombs' Warm Sun's Outer Atmosphere

  06-12-2016 16:28
  
  While the sun's visible surface is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,538 degrees Celsius), its upper atmosphere, known as the corona, has temperatures in the millions of degrees. The satellite recently saw evidence of "heat bombs," which occur when magnetic fields cross in the corona and realign, much like the process that causes solar flares.
  
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• Google hits global renewable energy goal in effort to curb pollution

  06-12-2016 16:02 via cbc.ca
  
  Google is crossing a milestone in its quest to reduce pollution caused by its digital services that devour massive amounts of electricity.
  
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• 2 Million Pounds of Ready-to-Eat Chicken Recalled: Here's Why It's Risky

  06-12-2016 15:40
  
  On Sunday (Dec. 4), the food manufacturing company National Steak and Poultry announced a recall of more than 1.9 million pounds of the products, which were produced from Aug. 20, 2016, through Nov. 30, 2016, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The recalled products may have been undercooked, and so they have the potential to contain bacteria, the USDA said. The bacterial pathogens most commonly linked with raw chicken are Salmonella and Campylobacter, said Benjamin
  
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• Lack of Sun in Teen Years Linked to Nearsightedness Later On

  06-12-2016 15:39
  
  Teens and young adults who spend more time outdoors may be less likely to become nearsighted later in life than those who spend less time outdoors, a new study suggests. People in the study who spent more time exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation — which the researchers calculated based on the participants' exposure to sunlight — between ages 14 and 39 were less likely to be nearsighted at 65 than those who spent less time exposed to UVB radiation, the researchers found. "Increas
  
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• Here Are the States with the Lowest & Highest Diabetes Rates

  06-12-2016 15:38
  
  Diabetes is on the rise in the United States, and a new poll looks at where the disease is most and least common. In the poll, from Gallup-Healthways, researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 176,000 Americans in all 50 states in 2015. The participants were asked whether they had ever been diagnosed with diabetes in their lifetime.
  
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• Why Aspartame May Prevent Weight Loss

  06-12-2016 15:37
  Reaching for a diet soda may actually hinder weight loss efforts, a new study done in mice suggests. In experiments, researchers found that the artificial sweetener aspartame, which is found in some diet drinks, may contribute to the development of a condition called "metabolic syndrome," which involves a cluster of symptoms, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a large waist size. People with metabolic syndrome face an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabe
  
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• Herbal Tea Error Leads to ER Visit

  06-12-2016 15:37
  
  A woman in England was rushed to an emergency room with life-threatening symptoms after she mistakenly used the leaves of a poisonous plant to make an herbal tea, according to a new report of her case. The plant that the woman used to make the tea, called foxglove, contains potentially harmful compounds that act on proteins called ion channels in heart cells, and can cause a person's heart rate to slow down, said the lead author of the report, Dr. Mathew Kurian Vithayathil, a doctor at the King&
  
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• Mammoth Fossils Found at Site of LA Subway Dig

  06-12-2016 15:09
  
  Fossils from giant, ice age-beasts were uncovered while workers were digging an extension to the Los Angeles subway system. The finds include a 3-foot-long (1 meter) section of mammoth tusk, as well as a skull and partial tusks from a much younger animal, which might have been either a mammoth or a mastodon, according to The Source, a transportation blog about the L.A. Metro. Though the ice-age fossils (whose exact age has not yet been determined) are certainly treasures that are rarer to uneart
  
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• Database provides a rare peek at a human embryo’s first weeks

  06-12-2016 15:00
  
  A new 3-D atlas charts the growth of each and every organ in the developing human embryo, from the heart to the gut to the brain.
  
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• UNB to beta test Jeopardy computer champ's cybercrime fighting abilities

  06-12-2016 13:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Just seven months after IBM announced it would begin teaching its Watson computer system to fight cybercrime, the company is graduating Watson to the next level of instruction.
  
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• Humpback Whales 'Mug' Boat in South Pacific (Video)

  06-12-2016 13:04
  
  A new National Geographic video showing humpback whales in a graceful ballet around a passenger boat in the South Pacific is a whale-watcher's dream. Sometimes they stay for mere minutes, said Stephanie Stack, a marine biologist at the Pacific Whale Foundation in Hawaii. Regulations prevent boat captains from running their engines within 100 yards of a whale, Stack told Live Science.
  
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• House of Representatives Approves Bill to Mint Coins for Moon Landing 50th

  06-12-2016 13:00
  
  The United States Mint is now somewhere between a "small step" and a "giant leap" closer to striking coins for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday (Dec. 5) voted unanimously to pass the "Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act," calling for the Mint to produce curved coins in gold, silver and clad to recognize the five decades since astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins launched on the first lunar landing
  
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• Saturn Probe Dives Past Rings for 1st Time

  06-12-2016 12:54
  
  NASA's Cassini spacecraft grazed Saturn's iconic rings Sunday (Dec. 4), performing the first plunge of the long-lived mission's next-to-last phase. Cassini zoomed within 57,000 miles (91,000 kilometers) of Saturn's cloud tops on Sunday morning, diving through the planet's ring plane at about the spot where a faint ring generated by the small moons Janus and Epimetheus lies, NASA officials said. Cassini will perform 19 more such close passes, each one about a week apart, through April 2
  
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• Glowing Clouds Shine in Electric Blue Over Antarctica (Photos)

  06-12-2016 12:52
  
  These magnificent clouds — also known as noctilucent clouds, or NLCs — form in an upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere called the mesosphere, and can be seen in summer night skies from high latitudes. Data collected from AIM on Nov. 17 shows an early start to this year's noctilucent, or night-shining, cloud season in the Southern Hemisphere, according to a statement from NASA. "This year, AIM saw the start of noctilucent cloud season on Nov. 17, 2016 — tying with the earliest
  
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• British teens worse than those in Estonia at maths, science and reading

  06-12-2016 12:15
  Britain's teenagers are still lagging behind other countries in maths, reading and science, an international report has found. Students from Singapore, Japan and European countries such as Estonia, Finland and Norway fare better at those subjects, the study for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found. The study, which assesses how students use their knowledge and skills in real life rather than just learning facts and figures by rote, revealed the UK was abov
  
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• Cell distress chemicals help embryos quickly heal

  06-12-2016 12:00
  
  The chemicals trigger drawstring-like structures that help close wounds.
  
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