Science news

• Warming could disrupt Atlantic Ocean current

  04-01-2017 23:27
  
  The Atlantic current that keeps northwestern Europe warm may be less stable under future climate change than previously thought, revised simulations show.
  
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• Astronomers pinpoint location of fast radio burst from faint galaxy

  04-01-2017 23:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Astronomers have located the source of a fast radio burst — a rare and distant release of cosmic radio waves — in a galaxy more than three billion light-years from Earth.
  
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• Global warming data that riled doubters is confirmed

  04-01-2017 22:31
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A new independent study shows no pause in global warming, confirming a set of temperature readings adjusted by U.S. government scientists that some who reject mainstream climate science have questioned.
  
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• Why everyone's talking to Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa

  04-01-2017 21:55 via cbc.ca
  
  In the fight for a voice-controlled future, Alexa is leading the pack at this year's CES, with everything from dishwashers to robot vacuums now waiting for you to talk to them.
  
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• Increasing rainfall in a warmer world will likely intensify typhoons in western Pacific

  04-01-2017 21:44
  An analysis of the strongest tropical storms over the last half-century reveals that higher global temperatures have intensified the storms via enhanced rainfall. Rain that falls on the ocean reduces salinity and allows typhoons to grow stronger.
  
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• Gotcha: Fast radio burst's home nabbed

  04-01-2017 21:44
  
  For the first time, astronomers pinpoint a precise position on the sky for a fast radio burst, revealing that the outburst originated in a galaxy about 2.5 billion light-years away.
  
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• Potential instability in Atlantic Ocean water circulation system

  04-01-2017 21:43
  One of the world's largest ocean circulation systems may not be as stable as today's weather models predict, according to a new study. In fact, changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation -- the same deep-water ocean current featured in the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow' -- could occur quite abruptly, in geologic terms, the study says.
  
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• New mechanism for Type IV pili retraction in Vibrio cholerae

  04-01-2017 21:43
  Although pathogenic bacteria often rely on a specialized molecular motor to retract their pili, a new study reveals that a minor pilin protein elicits pilus retraction in the cholera bacterium, Vibrio cholerae.
  
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• Liquid nicotine for electronic cigarettes is toxic for kids

  04-01-2017 21:43
  A 6-year-old child who accidentally swallowed liquid nicotine intended for her parents' electronic cigarettes required immediate emergency medical treatment that included intubation and an overnight stay in a pediatric intensive care unit.
  
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• Icy ridges found on Pluto

  04-01-2017 21:43
  Using a model similar to what meteorologists use to forecast weather on Earth and a computer simulation of the physics of evaporating ices, a new study has found evidence that snow and ice features previously only seen on Earth, have been spotted on Pluto.
  
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• Cardiovascular benefits continue five years after weight loss program

  04-01-2017 21:43
  Participants in the Why WAIT (Weight Achievement and Intensive Management) program lost substantial amounts of weight, and even those who maintained relatively little loss of weight after five years demonstrated reduced risks of cardiovascular disease.
  
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• Regulators changing fishing rules to protect endangered tuna

  04-01-2017 21:32
  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is changing some of the rules about how fishermen harvest tuna in an attempt to protect one of the species.
  
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• Scientists: Ash cloud from Alaska volcano has dissipated

  04-01-2017 21:24
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Scientists say an ash cloud from a remote Alaska volcano that might have gone more than 6 miles into the atmosphere has dissipated after it was tracked north over the Bering Sea.
  
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• NASA Unveils 2 New Missions to Study Truly Strange Asteroids

  04-01-2017 21:09
  
  NASA's next low-cost planetary missions will attempt to unravel the mysteries of some seriously bizarre asteroids. The space agency has selected projects called Lucy and Psyche via its Discovery Program, which funds highly focused space missions to destinations throughout the solar system. The Lucy project will investigate the Trojan asteroids, which share an orbit with Jupiter, while Psyche will journey to the asteroid belt to study a huge, metallic asteroid named 16 Psyche that resides there.
  
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• Theory provides roadmap in quest for quark soup 'critical point'

  04-01-2017 20:57
  Thanks to a new development in nuclear physics theory, scientists exploring expanding fireballs that mimic the early universe have new signs to look for as they map out the transition from primordial plasma to matter as we know it. The theoretical work identifies key patterns that would be proof of the existence of a so-called "critical point" in the transition among different phases of nuclear matter.
  
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• Carbon can exceed four-bond limit

  04-01-2017 20:38
  
  Scientists confirm structure of unusual molecule in which carbon bonds to six other carbon atoms.
  
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• Role of supernovae in clocking the universe

  04-01-2017 20:36
  New research by cosmologists confirms the accuracy of Type Ia supernovae in measuring the pace at which the universe expands. The findings support a widely held theory that the expansion of the universe is accelerating and such acceleration is attributable to dark energy. The findings counter recent headlines that Type Ia supernova cannot be relied upon to measure the expansion of the universe.
  
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• Immunotherapy, gene therapy combination shows promise against glioblastoma

  04-01-2017 20:36
  In a new study, gene therapy deployed with immune checkpoint inhibitors demonstrates potential benefit for devastating brain cancer.
  
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• Murky Amazon waters cloud fish vision

  04-01-2017 20:35
  African cichlid fish evolved in calm, clearwater lakes saturated with sunlight, and are known for their incredible visual system, which relies on a diverse array of visual pigment proteins called opsins. A new analysis is the first to examine related cichlids from the murky, silty water of South America's Amazon Basin. The researchers found that, in three select Amazonian species, several opsin genes had been switched off or lost entirely.
  
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• Global warming hiatus disproved -- again

  04-01-2017 20:35
  Scientists calculated average ocean temperatures from 1999 to 2015, separately using ocean buoys and satellite data, and confirmed the uninterrupted warming trend reported by NOAA in 2015, based on that organization's recalibration of sea surface temperature recordings from ships and buoys. The new results show that there was no global warming hiatus between 1998 and 2012.
  
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• As neighborhood status falls, cardiovascular disease risk among black residents spikes

  04-01-2017 20:35
  A new study found that significant increases in cardiovascular disease was linked to black residents of neighborhood with lower socioeconomic status and higher levels of violence and disorder.
  
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• No Pause in Ocean Warming

  04-01-2017 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Scientists, not politicians, resolve a set of controversial measurements
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• No Pause in Global Warming

  04-01-2017 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Scientists, not politicians, resolve a set of controversial measurements
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Quirk may shield US coast during busy hurricane seasons

  04-01-2017 19:49
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A climatic quirk seems to be slightly shielding the U.S. coast during busy hurricane seasons, often weakening major storms just as they approach America's beaches, a new study finds.
  
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• More frequent hurricanes not necessarily stronger on Atlantic U.S. coast

  04-01-2017 19:36
  Active Atlantic hurricane periods, like the one we are in now, are not necessarily a harbinger of more, rapidly intensifying hurricanes along the US coast, according to new research.
  
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• Scientists tissue-engineer functional part of human stomach in laboratory

  04-01-2017 19:35
  Scientists have used pluripotent stem cells to generate human stomach tissues in a Petri dish that produce acid and digestive enzymes. They grew tissues from the stomach's corpus/fundus region. The study comes two years after the same team generated the stomach's hormone-producing region (the antrum). The discovery means investigators now can grow both parts of the human stomach to study disease.
  
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• Most younger adults with high LDL-C levels do not take a statin

  04-01-2017 19:35
  Despite recommendations, less than 45 percent of adults younger than 40 years with an elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level of 190 mg/dL or greater receive a prescription for a statin, according to a new study.
  
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• 280 million-year-old fossil reveals origins of chimaeroid fishes

  04-01-2017 19:35
  High-definition CT scans of the fossilized skull of a 280 million-year-old fish reveal the origin of chimaeras, a group of cartilaginous fish related to sharks. Analysis of the brain case of Dwykaselachus oosthuizeni, a shark-like fossil from South Africa, shows telltale structures of the brain, major cranial nerves, nostrils and inner ear belonging to modern-day chimaeras.
  
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• Surprise! Monster Burst of Radio Waves Arose in Tiny Galaxy

  04-01-2017 19:27
  
  For the first time, scientists have directly traced an incredibly intense, blindingly bright burst of radio waves — known as an FRB — back to its home galaxy. What cosmic event could release such an intense burst of radio waves? The fact that FRB 121102 originated from a dwarf galaxy was a bit unexpected, said Cees Bassa, an astronomer at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) and a co-author of one of the three new studies.
  
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• Sunsets, Clouds Spin Past in Astronaut's Stunning Video of Earth from Space

  04-01-2017 19:27
  
  Wielding the camera was Jeff Williams, a NASA astronaut who has looked down on the planet for 534 days across several space missions, longer than any other American. Williams commanded Expedition 48 on the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to Earth in September 2016, capping the latest of his four missions in space. Williams began his spaceflying career as the lead spacewalker for the STS-101 mission of the space shuttle Atlantis in 2000, which is when he saw the Earth from space fo
  
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• New NASA Mission Will Search for Monster Black Holes and More

  04-01-2017 19:27
  
  Black holes can heat up nearby gases, which, in turn, emit high-energy X-rays. NASA's new Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission will use three space telescopes equipped with cameras to measure the polarization (direction of vibration) of these X-rays. The mission will cost about $188 million, NASA officials said.
  
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• 2016 Edges 1998 as Warmest Year on Record

  04-01-2017 19:02
  Globally, 2016 edged out 1998 by +0.02 C to become the warmest year in the 38-year satellite temperature record, according to scientists. Because the margin of error is about 0.10 C, this would technically be a statistical tie, with a higher probability that 2016 was warmer than 1998. The main difference was the extra warmth in the Northern Hemisphere in 2016 compared to 1998.
  
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• Mystery cosmic radio bursts pinpointed

  04-01-2017 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronomers have pinpointed the source of mysterious radio bursts from space.
  
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• Producer fears BBC's Planet Earth II ignores 'disaster' facing natural world

  04-01-2017 18:42 via cbc.ca
  
  British wildlife TV producer Martin Hughes-Games criticizes the popular new nature documentary Planet Earth II for being too much entertainment — and too little harsh reality.
  
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• Migrant farm workers may stay after Brexit but red tape goes

  04-01-2017 18:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government is "absolutely committed" to ensuring that British farmers have access to migrant workers after Brexit.
  
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• The fire through the smoke: Working for transparency in climate projections

  04-01-2017 17:43
  To help policymakers more confidently prepare for the effects of climate change, a group of preeminent climate scientists evaluated the scientific work and expert judgments behind the most recent projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change regarding the potential ecological, social, economic and meteorological repercussions of climate change.
  
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• New sensor integrates inflammatory bowel disease detection into colonoscopy procedure

  04-01-2017 17:43
  Researchers have developed the first sensor capable of objectively identifying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and distinguishing between its two subtypes.
  
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• High fiber diets may alleviate inflammation caused by gout

  04-01-2017 17:43
  New research shows that a high-fiber diet likely inhibits gout-related inflammation caused by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals.
  
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• Factors responsible for chronic nature of autoimmune disease identified

  04-01-2017 17:43
  Researchers have uncovered two factors responsible for the chronic, lifelong nature of autoimmune disorders, which tend to flare up intermittently in affected patients.
  
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• Moving planned nuclear-waste site would cost billions: Ontario Power Generation

  04-01-2017 17:41 via cbc.ca
  
  Relocating a nuclear-waste bunker from its currently proposed site on Lake Huron would cost billions of dollars, take decades to execute, and increase health and environmental risks, according to a new report by the project's proponent.
  
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• WATCH LIVE @ 2pm: NASA Previews Space Station Spacewalks

  04-01-2017 17:00
  
  Astronauts at the International Space Station will take two spacewalks this month to perform upgrades to the station's power system. NASA TV will air a briefing today at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) to preview the upcoming extravehicular activities. For the first spacewalk on  Friday, Jan. 6, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson will spend about 6.5 hours working outside the orbiting laboratory.
  
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• Record drought in Bolivia drains lakes, threatens capital

  04-01-2017 16:55 via cbc.ca
  
  Crops and livestock in Bolivia have been decimated, and reservoirs that supply the capital of La Paz and other cities have dropped to alarming levels.
  
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• Where’s the center of North America? Geographer’s new method finds a new answer

  04-01-2017 16:42
  Where is the geographic center of a state, country or a continent? It's a question fraught with uncertainty. Do you include water in your calculation? What happens when the shoreline shifts? But to one geologist, the challenge of finding a middle doesn't mean you shouldn't try.
  
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• Domino effect: The loss of plant species triggers the extinction of animals

  04-01-2017 16:39
  When plant species disappear due to climate change, this may lead to the subsequent loss of various animal species. Insects which depend on interactions with specific plant partners are particularly threatened. Plants, in contrast, will be less sensitive to the disappearance of their animal partners, according to a new article.
  
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• Promising new drug stops spread of melanoma by 90 percent

  04-01-2017 16:36
  Researchers have discovered that a chemical compound, and potential new drug, reduces the spread of melanoma cells by up to 90 percent.
  
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• Lack of joy from music linked to brain disconnection

  04-01-2017 16:36
  Have you ever met someone who just wasn't into music? They may have a condition called specific musical anhedonia, which affects three-to-five per cent of the population. Researchers have discovered that people with this condition showed reduced functional connectivity between cortical regions responsible for processing sound and subcortical regions related to reward.
  
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• How we know Zika virus causes Guillain-Barre Syndrome and birth defects

  04-01-2017 16:36
  A structured analysis of the evidence confirms that infection with mosquito-borne Zika virus is a cause of the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), in addition to microcephaly and other congenital brain abnormalities, according to a systematic review.
  
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• First look at new, extremely rare galaxy

  04-01-2017 16:36
  Approximately 359 million light-years from Earth, there is a galaxy with an innocuous name (PGC 1000714) that doesn't look quite like anything astronomers have observed before. New research provides a first description of a well-defined elliptical-like core surrounded by two circular rings -- a galaxy that appears to belong to a class of rarely observed, Hoag-type galaxies.
  
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• Feral cats now cover over 99.8 percent of Australia

  04-01-2017 16:36
  Feral cats cover over 99.8 percent of Australia's land area, including almost 80 percent of the area of our islands. These are just some of the findings of new research which looks at the number of feral cats in Australia. The research was undertaken by over 40 of Australia's top environmental scientists and brings together evidence from nearly 100 separate studies across the country.
  
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• Engine for Likelihood-Free Inference facilitates more effective simulation

  04-01-2017 16:36
  The Engine for Likelihood-Free Inference is open to everyone, and it can help significantly reduce the number of simulator runs.
  
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