Science news

• Former astronaut, US Sen. John Glenn is hospitalized in Ohio

  07-12-2016 23:17
  
  An Ohio State official says former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn has been hospitalized for more than a week. Hank Wilson with Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs said Wednesday ...
  
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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,

  07-12-2016 23:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The author affiliations now appear in the correct order.
  
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• This robot can perform eye surgery using tiny flexible arms

  07-12-2016 23:04
  
  Axsis is one of the smallest robots for surgical use.
  
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• The weather outside is frightful thanks to climate change and the polar vortex

  07-12-2016 23:00 via cbc.ca
  
  With cold, blustering snowstorms battering the West Coast and the Prairies, you might be tempted to say "What global warming?" But climate change may, in fact, be to blame for this very Canadian winter.
  
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• DNA clue to how humans evolved big brains

  07-12-2016 22:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Humans may in part owe their big brains to a DNA "typo" in their genetic code, research suggests.
  
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• Polar bear numbers could drop a third by mid-century, says study

  07-12-2016 22:37 via cbc.ca
  
  Polar bear numbers could drop by more than 30 per cent by mid-century, according to a new study assessing how loss of sea ice owing to climate change will affect polar bears on a global scale.
  
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• Having an extra chromosome has a surprising effect on cancer

  07-12-2016 22:31
  
  Extra chromosome copies may protect against, not cause, cancer.
  
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• Golden Years: Americans Get Happier in Older Age

  07-12-2016 22:10
  
  There is an upside to aging: Older Americans tend to be happier, according to a new poll. In the poll, from Gallup-Healthways, older adults in the United States scored higher on a survey of well-being than did their younger counterparts. On average, adults ages 55 and older scored 63.6 out of 100 on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index in 2015, which is 3 points higher than the average score of adults younger than 55, Gallup-Healthways said.
  
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• Don't Drowse and Drive: Sleepiness as Risky as DUI

  07-12-2016 22:10
  
  Even with holiday travel approaching, it's important to get enough sleep before getting behind the wheel: Missing 1 or 2 hours of sleep nearly doubles a person's risk for a car crash, a new report finds. And missing 2 to 3 hours of sleep more than quadruples the risk for a crash, according to the new report, published today (Dec. 6) from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Our new research shows that a driver who has slept for less than 5 hours has a crash risk comparable to someone driving
  
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• Scientists uncover potential driver of age- and Alzheimer's-related memory loss

  07-12-2016 22:00
  Scientists have made an important discovery toward the development of drugs to treat age-related memory loss in diseases like Alzheimer’s. They found that reduced levels of a protein called Rheb result in spontaneous symptoms of memory loss in animal models and are linked to increased levels of another protein known to be elevated in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.
  
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• New Kind of Antibiotic Resistance Shows Up on a Hog Farm

  07-12-2016 22:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Bacteria that fight drugs called carbapenems show how easily microbes pick up medicine-defying traits
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Cassini beams back first images from new orbit

  07-12-2016 21:57
  NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sent to Earth its first views of Saturn's atmosphere since beginning the latest phase of its mission. The new images show scenes from high above Saturn's northern hemisphere, including the planet's intriguing hexagon-shaped jet stream.
  
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• Pubic Hair Grooming May Raise STI Risk

  07-12-2016 21:25
  People who are sexually active and who regularly groom their pubic hair may be more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections than those who don't groom their pubic hair at all, according to a new study.
  
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• MDMA for PTSD? How Ecstasy Ingredient Works in the Brain

  07-12-2016 21:25
  The active ingredient in the drug ecstasy is set to be studied in large-scale clinical trials as a treatment for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, the New York Times reported on Nov. 29.
  
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• Everything you need to know about how flickering light could halt - or even reverse - Alzheimer's

  07-12-2016 21:20
  The new research could form the basis of a breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatment.
  
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• SpaceX Targets Early January for Return-to-Flight Rocket Launch

  07-12-2016 21:15
  
  SpaceX is now eyeing early January for its next mission, the first one the company will have launched since a Sept. 1 explosion grounded its fleet of Falcon 9 rockets. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk had previously said the company was targeting mid-December for the return-to-flight mission, which will loft 10 spacecraft for the satellite-communications company Iridium. But SpaceX needs a bit more time to get everything ready to go, company representatives wrote in an update today (Dec. 7).
  
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• High-resolution brain scans could improve concussion detection

  07-12-2016 21:13
  High-resolution brain scans, coupled with computational analysis, could play a critical role in helping to detect concussions that conventional scans might miss, report investigators.
  
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• Disruption of the body's internal clock causes disruption of metabolic processes

  07-12-2016 21:12
  Chronobiologists have shown that the body's carbon monoxide metabolism is closely linked to the body's circadian (internal) clock. An article discussing the close reciprocal relationship between these two regulatory mechanisms has just been published.
  
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• Common insecticides are riskier than thought to predatory insects

  07-12-2016 21:12
  Neonicotinoids -- the most widely used class of insecticides -- significantly reduce populations of predatory insects when used as seed coatings, according to researchers. The team's research challenges the previously held belief that neonicotinoid seed coatings have little to no effect on predatory insect populations. In fact, the work suggests that neonicotinoids reduce populations of insect predators as much as broadcast applications of commonly used pyrethroid insecticides.
  
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• Cassini sends back 1st images from new orbit around Saturn

  07-12-2016 21:00 via cbc.ca
  
  From its new orbit, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has returned stunning close-up images of Saturn and a raging storm at its north pole.
  
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• Diabetes drug slows experimental Parkinson's disease progression, human trials to begin next year

  07-12-2016 20:32
  A new investigational drug originally developed for type 2 diabetes is being readied for human clinical trials in search of the world's first treatment to impede the progression of Parkinson's disease following publication of new research.
  
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• Chemical mosquito controls ineffective in Zika fight

  07-12-2016 20:27
  Some existing methods for controlling Zika-carrying mosquitoes are not effective and may even be counter-productive, according to research.
  
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• Despite evolutionary inexperience, northern sockeye manage heat stress

  07-12-2016 20:07
  Sockeye salmon that evolved in the generally colder waters of the far north still know how to cool off if necessary, an important factor in the species' potential for dealing with global climate change.
  
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• 3-D structure of cell's inflammation sensor, its inhibitors revealed

  07-12-2016 20:07
  Researchers have now determined the 3-D structure of CCR2 simultaneously bound to two inhibitors. Understanding how these molecules fit together may better enable pharmaceutical companies to develop anti-inflammatory drugs that bind and inhibit CCR2 in a similar manner.
  
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• Losing tropical forest might raise risks of human skin ulcers, deformed bones

  07-12-2016 20:00
  
  Bacteria that cause Buruli ulcer in people flourish with tropical deforestation.
  
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• This Tiny Electronic Chip Is Just 3 Atoms Thick

  07-12-2016 19:41
  
  These materials could be used to develop electronic displays on windows or windshields, along with powerful microchips in which circuitry spreads not just two-dimensionally but also rises three-dimensionally, the researchers said. For instance, sheets of graphene — a material related to the "lead" in pencils — are each just one carbon atom thick. Graphene is an excellent conductor of electricity, making it ideal for use in wiring.
  
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• Jumping Robots Mimic Adorable Big-Eyed Primates

  07-12-2016 19:41
  
  Despite being just 10 inches (26 centimeters) tall and weighing only 0.2 pounds (100 grams), the one-legged robot, named Salto, can leap up more than 3.2 feet (1 meter) high from a standing position. Salto is not the highest-jumping robot out there — some bots can jump to heights of more than 10 feet (3 meters), but those bots have to wind up for several minutes before they leap, whereas Salto can jump again almost immediately, the researchers said. Salto is also able to climb at a rate of
  
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• Black Death 'Plague Pit' with 48 Skeletons Is 'Extremely Rare' Find

  07-12-2016 19:39
  
  A 14th-century mass burial pit full of victims of the Black Death has been discovered at the site of a medieval monastery hospital, according to archaeologists. Researchers uncovered 48 skeletons — 27 of which were children — at an "extremely rare" Black Death burial site in Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom, they said. The presence of such a large burial site suggests that the community was overwhelmed by the number of victims of the Black Death, said lead archaeologist Hugh Willm
  
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• Conservation effort spreads seeds of destruction across the Midwest

  07-12-2016 19:36
  Weed scientists in at least two Midwestern states have been reporting for years that a conservation program meant to provide habitat for pollinating insects is sowing bad seeds -- including seeds of the potentially devastating agricultural weed Palmer amaranth -- along with the good. Now, researchers have traced the weed seeds to at least one source: pollinator habitat seed sold by a company in the Midwest.
  
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• Most of Greenland ice melted to bedrock in recent geologic past, says study

  07-12-2016 19:34
  Scientists have found evidence in a chunk of bedrock drilled from nearly two miles below the summit of the Greenland ice sheet that the sheet nearly disappeared for an extended time in the last million years or so. The finding casts doubt on assumptions that Greenland has been relatively stable during the recent geological past, and implies that global warming could tip it into decline more precipitously than previously thought.
  
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• Greenland on thin ice?

  07-12-2016 19:34
  First-of-their-kind studies provide new insight into the deep history of the Greenland Ice Sheet, looking back millions of years farther than previous techniques allowed. However, the two studies present some strongly contrasting evidence about how Greenland's ice sheet may have responded to past climate change.
  
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• 'Mythical' Sea Blob Finally Spotted a Century After Its Discovery

  07-12-2016 19:32
  
  The translucent, sea-dwelling invertebrate, called Bathochordaeus charon, was identified recently off the coast of Monterey, California, by scientists using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). B. charon belongs to a group of sea creatures known as larvaceans — normally teensy, millimeter-size creatures whose bodies resemble a tadpole's, with a large "head" (actually a trunk) and a tail, Sherlock said.
  
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• Stem cell-based test predicts leukemia patients' response to therapy to help tailor treatment

  07-12-2016 19:23
  Leukemia researchers have developed a 17-gene signature derived from leukemia stem cells that can predict at diagnosis if patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) will respond to standard treatment.
  
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• Scientists shed new light on how the brain processes, maintains what we don't see

  07-12-2016 19:23
  A team of scientists has mapped out how our brains process visuals we don’t even know we’ve seen, indicating that the neuronal encoding and maintenance of subliminal images is more substantial than previously thought.
  
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• Cancer spread is increased by a high fat diet, ground-breaking evidence shows

  07-12-2016 19:21
  New research shows that the metastatic process (cancer spread) is enhanced by fat intake. Mice given a high fat diet, including palmitic acid (a major component of palm oil which is found in lots of household products) developed the most aggressive cancer spread. The study identifies for the first time a protein called CD36 which has an essential role in cancer spreading.
  
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• Award-winning scientist says compromise needed on climate debate

  07-12-2016 19:21 via cbc.ca
  
  The winner of a major scientific award for his work on Arctic glaciers and climate change says Canadians need to start talking and listening to each other on the problem of global warming.
  
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• Engineering the Body: How Regenerative Medicine is Changing Disease

  07-12-2016 19:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Medical researcher Molly Shoichet will tell three stories of novel ways scientists ar­­­e combatting stroke, blindness and cancer, in a live Webcast tonight at 7 p.m. 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Flickering light in eyes 'could form basis of Alzheimer's treatment'

  07-12-2016 19:09
  
  New research, which is in an early stage, raises the prospect of a drug-free Alzheimer’s treatment.
  
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• How Lasers and a Goggle-Wearing Parrot Could Aid Flying Robot Designs

  07-12-2016 19:08
  
  As the bird flaps its way through the water particles, its wings generate disruptive waves, tracing patterns that help scientists understand how animals fly. In a new study, a team of scientists measured and analyzed the particle trails that were produced by the goggle-wearing parrot's test flights, and showed that previous computer models of wing movement aren't as accurate as they once thought. When animals fly, they create an invisible "footprint" in the air, similar to the wake that a swimme
  
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• Brain waves show promise against Alzheimer’s protein in mice

  07-12-2016 19:00
  
  Flickers of light induce brain waves that wash amyloid-beta out of the brain, mouse study suggests.
  
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• Musk's SpaceX says rockets to remain grounded until January

  07-12-2016 18:43
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – - Elon Musk's SpaceX has been forced to delay the return of its rockets to flight until January as an investigation continues into a launch pad explosion earlier this year, the tech billionaire' s company said on Wednesday.
  
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• Taking a Second Look at Coral Bleaching Culprit

  07-12-2016 18:41
  When it comes to coral health, superoxide -- a natural toxin all oxygen-breathing organisms produce -- gets a bad rap.
  
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• Substance present in ayahuasca brew stimulates generation of human neural cells

  07-12-2016 18:41
  Human neural progenitors exposed to harmine, an alkaloid presented at the psychotropic plant decoction ayahuasca, led to a 70 percent increase in proliferation of these cells. The effect of generating new human neural cells involves the inhibition of DYRK1A, a gene that is over activated in patients with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease. Thus harmine could have a potential neurogenesis role and possibly a therapeutic one over cognitive deficits.
  
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• Partnership at a distance: Deep-frozen helium molecules illuminate quantum-mechanical tunnelling

  07-12-2016 18:41
  As atomic physicists have now been able to confirm, over 75 percent of the time helium atoms are so far apart that their bond can be explained only by the quantum-mechanical tunnel effect.
  
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• New catalyst for capture and conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide

  07-12-2016 18:41
  New research has focused on developing a new catalyst that would lead to large-scale implementation of capture and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2).
  
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• Enzyme that digests vitamin A also may regulate testosterone levels

  07-12-2016 18:40
  Bco1, an enzyme that metabolizes beta carotene, may play a vital role in testosterone metabolism as well, according to a new study.
  
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• Why a mountain goat is a better climber than you

  07-12-2016 18:21
  
  For the first time, scientists have analyzed how a mountain goat climbs a cliff. Big muscles in the shoulder and neck help a lot, they find.
  
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• When neurons are 'born' impacts olfactory behavior in mice

  07-12-2016 18:15
  Neurons generated at different life stages in mice can impact aspects of their olfactory sense and behavior, report scientists.
  
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