Science news

• Moon Meets Jupiter and Bright Star Before Dawn on Thursday

  18-01-2017 23:57
  
  Shining at a dazzling magnitude of -2.1, Jupiter is currently twice as bright as Sirius, the brightest star— in the night sky. Jupiter is currently 488 million miles (785 million km) from Earth. By April 7, Jupiter will arrive at opposition and be visible all night from sunrise to sunset.
  
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• Astronaut's First Spacewalk Photos Are Out of This World!

  18-01-2017 23:34
  
  French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, a first-timer aboard the International Space Station, ventured out into the void of space for his first spacewalk on Friday (Jan. 13). Pesquet may be a spacewalking rookie, but he breezed through this first spacewalk like a veteran. The goal of the spacewalk was to complete the installation of new lithium-ion batteries and accompanying adapter plates.
  
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• Heat Record: How NASA Knows 2016 Was the Hottest Year

  18-01-2017 23:33
  
  The year 2016 was the warmest year in the modern record, NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials said today (Jan. 18). In a news conference today, NASA and NOAA released independent analyses of global temperatures that each came to the same conclusion: 2016 is very likely the hottest year on record, followed by 2015 and then 2014. "You're seeing warmth throughout the world: higher on land than in the ocean, higher in the Northern Hemisphere than the Southern Hem
  
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• CBS Gives 'Go' For 'Mission Control' TV Pilot from Author of 'The Martian'

  18-01-2017 23:33
  
  Andy Weir, who penned the bestselling book that was the basis for the 2015 feature film "The Martian," which starred Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars, has now written the script for a new space adventure headed for television. "For the past several months, I have been working on a TV show pilot and I'm happy to announce that CBS is going to make it!" Weir announced Tuesday (Jan. 17) on Facebook. "It's called 'Mission Control' and it's a drama set at NASA," he described.
  
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• Air Transat to test taxiing system that could cut emissions

  18-01-2017 23:22 via cbc.ca
  
  Air Transat is planning to test and deploy a new system next year that would allow an aircraft to taxi from the runway to the gate without having to use a plane's engine, thereby cutting operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
  
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• Trump's EPA nominee Scott Pruitt grilled on oil company ties

  18-01-2017 23:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Donald Trump's choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, has faced some tough questioning at his confirmation hearing.
  
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• Scientists say 2016 was the hottest year on record - again

  18-01-2017 23:05
  Earth has experienced its third-straight hottest year on record, scientists have said. Man-made global warming has been blamed, along with the impact of last year's El Nino weather phenomenon. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the average temperature across the globe in 2016 was 14.84C (58.69F).
  
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• Cancer studies get mixed grades on redo tests

  18-01-2017 22:42
  
  Replications of cancer studies fail to reproduce some results.
  
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• Monsoon deluges turned ancient Sahara green

  18-01-2017 22:37
  
  The ancient Sahara Desert sprouted trees and lakes for thousands of years thanks to intense rainfall.
  
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• Gorillas, monkeys and lemurs among primates facing extinction, report says

  18-01-2017 22:14 via cbc.ca
  
  Gorillas, monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in danger of becoming extinct, and scientists say it's our fault our closest living relatives are in trouble, a new international study warns.
  
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• Gorillas and monkeys and lemurs, goodbye? Primates facing extinction crisis: report

  18-01-2017 22:14 via cbc.ca
  
  Gorillas, monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in danger of becoming extinct, and scientists say it's our fault our closest living relatives are in trouble, a new international study warns.
  
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• For three years in a row, Earth breaks heat record

  18-01-2017 21:49
  
  Spurred by climate change and heat from a strong El Niño, 2016 was the hottest year on record.
  
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• Will he be extradited? All eyes on Assange after Manning clemency

  18-01-2017 21:36 via cbc.ca
  
  The WikiLeaks founder said he would agree to U.S. extradition if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency. That's happened, so what's next for Julian Assange?
  
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• Ambulance dispatchers say they're getting electrical jolts through their headsets

  18-01-2017 20:42 via cbc.ca
  
  Ambulance dispatchers in Hamilton say they've experienced electrical jolts and "audio bursts" through their headsets while taking 9-1-1 calls. For some, the shocks have been debilitating.
  
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• Primates facing 'extinction crisis'

  18-01-2017 20:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Primates are facing an extinction crisis, according to researchers who have found that 60% of species are under threat.
  
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• World's primates facing extinction crisis, new report says

  18-01-2017 20:14
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Gorillas, monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in danger of becoming extinct, and scientists say it's our fault that our closest living relatives are in trouble, a new international study warns.
  
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• World temperatures hit new high in 2016 for 3rd year in row

  18-01-2017 20:01 via cbc.ca
  
  From unprecedented highs in India to ice melt in the Arctic, the heat is creeping closer to a ceiling set for global warming.
  
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• Heart-hugging robot does the twist (and squeeze)

  18-01-2017 20:00
  
  A robotic sleeve that slips around the heart mimics the heart’s natural movement, squeezing and twisting to pump blood in pigs. If it works in humans, it could buy time for heart failure patients awaiting a transplant.
  
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• Sleeping man wakened by heat and flames from Samsung S5 phone

  18-01-2017 18:58 via cbc.ca
  
  A Toronto man says he woke up to "massive flames shooting out the sides" of his Samsung S5 phone on Tuesday morning.
  
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• Edmonton mechanic creates finger-saving wedding band

  18-01-2017 18:54 via cbc.ca
  
  Ken Rice knows a wedding band can cost you your finger. The Edmonton mechanic has created wedding bands made of medical grade silicone which, unlike traditional rings of gold and titanium, will give way under extreme pressure.
  
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• Galileo satellites experiencing multiple clock failures

  18-01-2017 18:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The onboard atomic clocks that drive the satellite-navigation signals on Europe's Galileo network have been failing at an alarming rate.
  
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• Criminal cases, public and police safety put at risk by IT failures, RCMP documents say

  18-01-2017 18:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Internal reports detailing critical IT failures at the RCMP suggest that in spite of promises to improve tech support for the national police force, gaffes and poor service at Shared Services Canada continue to jeopardize police work as well as officer and public safety.
  
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• Climate change means more 'mild days' ahead for Canada, study suggests

  18-01-2017 18:27 via cbc.ca
  
  Research suggests climate change could increase the number of nice days with mild weather for Canadians.
  
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• Victory for people with disabilities in 'wheelchair v buggy' bus case

  18-01-2017 18:13
  Disability campaigners have welcomed a Supreme Court ruling that bus drivers may have to do more to accommodate wheelchair users. The case was brought by Doug Paulley, who said he was "absolutely delighted" after "a long fight" and that the judgment marked "a significant cultural change". Mr Paulley argued against FirstGroup's policy of "requesting but not requiring" non-disabled passengers, including those with buggies, to vacate a space if it is needed by a wheelchair user.
  
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• Hemp hits new high as building material on Dutch bridge

  18-01-2017 18:05
  
  EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (Reuters) - While plenty of cannabis goes up in smoke in coffee shops around the Netherlands, Dutch researchers have found a new use for it - as an environmentally friendly building material to rival cement or steel.
  
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• For third-straight time, Earth sets hottest year record

  18-01-2017 17:37
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth sizzled to a third-straight record hot year in 2016, government scientists said Wednesday. They mostly blame man-made global warming with help from a natural El Nino, which has since disappeared.
  
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• World temperatures hit new high in 2016 for third year in a row

  18-01-2017 17:34
  By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - World temperatures hit a record high for the third year in a row in 2016, creeping closer to a ceiling set for global warming with extremes including unprecedented heat in India and ice melt in the Arctic, U.S. government agencies said on Wednesday. The data, supported by findings from other organizations, was issued two days before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who questions whether climate change has a human cause. Average surface temp
  
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• SPACE NEWS WEBCASTS: NASA, NOAA Present Global Temperature Data for 2016

  18-01-2017 17:18
  
  Climate experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will hold a press teleconference today (Jan. 18) to unveil a study on the global temperature changes of 2016, as well as climate data from the year, and you can follow the briefing live online. The briefing will begin at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) and will be webcast via NASA's News Audio website here. You can download the graphics from the presentation here, courtesy of NASA.
  
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• LISTEN LIVE NOW: NASA, NOAA Present Global Temperature Data for 2016

  18-01-2017 17:18
  
  Climate experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will hold a press teleconference today (Jan. 18) to unveil a study on the global temperature changes of 2016, as well as climate data from the year, and you can follow the briefing live online. The briefing will begin at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) and will be webcast via NASA's News Audio website here. You can download the graphics from the presentation here, courtesy of NASA.
  
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• Scientists have created a mobile phone microscope that can sequence DNA to diagnose cancer

  18-01-2017 16:56
  
  It looks like a clumpy phone case, but it can detect cancer.
  
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• Climate change: Data shows 2016 likely to be warmest year yet

  18-01-2017 16:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Temperature data for 2016 shows it is likely to have edged ahead of 2015 as the world's warmest year.
  
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• Well, That Sucks: Vampire Bats Found Drinking Human Blood

  18-01-2017 16:23
  
  Unlike mythical vampires, vampire bats do not prey on humans — or do they? Scientists have found the first evidence of vampire bats supping on human blood. Diphylla ecaudata, also known as the hairy-legged vampire bat, inhabits forests in northeastern Brazil and is one of three species of vampire bats that feed only on blood.
  
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• DNA-testing smartphone aims to tackle drugs resistance

  18-01-2017 16:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A smartphone attachment that analyses DNA could help improve cancer and tuberculosis treatments.
  
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• Goodnight, Colo! Oldest Gorilla in the US Dies in Sleep

  18-01-2017 16:21
  
  At her death, Colo, the first gorilla to be born in captivity, had outlived the average gorilla by 20 to 30 years, according to her keepers. In her long time on Earth, Colo became the matriarch of a huge gorilla family, having lived to see the birth of three children, 16 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where she lived. "Colo touched the hearts of generations of people who came to see her and those that cared f
  
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• 2016's Climate: Watch NASA, NOAA Report Live Today

  18-01-2017 15:37
  
  NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hold a joint press conference this morning (Jan. 18) at 11 a.m. EDT (4 p.m. GMT) to unveil their report on the changing climate in 2016. You can watch the conference live on Space.com, courtesy of NASA. The panel will feature Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, and Deke Arndt, chief of the global monitoring branch of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville,
  
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• Giant Mystery Wave Spotted in Atmosphere of Venus

  18-01-2017 15:30
  
  A huge wave has been spotted in the upper atmosphere of Venus, baffling scientists because it's staying so still above the planet's surface. New work suggests that the wave was created in the lower atmosphere when it flowed over a mountain, which would be similar to a phenomenon on Earth called a "gravity wave." The feature, related to atmospheric flow over mountains, has nothing to do with the similarly named "gravitational wave," which refers to space-time ripples in the early universe. "Altho
  
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• Europe's oncologists back biosimilar versions of cancer drugs

  18-01-2017 15:28
  
  (Reuters) - Europe's leading association of oncologists has thrown its weight behind cheaper copycat versions of biotech cancer drugs that have lost patent protection, saying they are effective and affordable.
  
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• Contaminated mine 'an embarrassment to Canada', says Yukon judge

  18-01-2017 15:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Yukon Supreme Court Justice Ron Veale has delivered a strongly-worded 'wake up call' to Canadian taxpayers, who are now on the hook for another expensive mine cleanup in Yukon - the abandoned Mount Nansen site.
  
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• Trump's 5 Most "Anti-Science" Moves

  18-01-2017 14:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The president-elect has taken what is widely seen as a hostile stance toward the scientific community. Here’s why
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• Turtle the Size of 2 Earths: Stunning Sunspot Revealed in New Radio Images

  18-01-2017 14:00
  
  The sprawling ground-based telescope is more usually used to probe radio waves released by some of the universe's most distant galaxies. In this case, though, it picked up waves released by the sun's chromosphere, which is the area just above the surface you see in visible light. Images returned by detecting radio waves at 2.5 and 3 millimeters show conditions at two different chromosphere depths — and the new views could lend more insight into the sun's physics.
  
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• Russia, US Mulling Joint Mission to Venus

  18-01-2017 14:00
  
  Russia's space program and NASA are working together on a mission to Venus that would investigate some of the scorching-hot planet's biggest mysteries, including, perhaps, whether it harbors life. An international team of scientists tasked with fleshing out the main goals of the mission, which is known as Venera-D, is wrapping up its work and will deliver its final report to NASA and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute by the end of the month, said David Senske, of NAS
  
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• Eugene Cernan's Legacy: Apollo 17 Commander's Footprints Still on the Moon

  18-01-2017 14:00
  
  The tracks Cernan — who died Monday (Jan. 16) at age 82 — and Apollo 17 crewmate Harrison Schmitt made on the moon's surface in December 1972 are still visible today, as these images captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft show. The LRO photos reveal both the snaking footprints of Cernan and Schmitt and the tire tracks left in the lunar dirt by the Apollo 17 rover.
  
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• Trump's CDC May Face Serious Hurdles

  18-01-2017 13:55 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The nation’s public health agency is battling on several fronts, including an Obamacare repeal
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Three 'strong' earthquakes felt in Rome and central Italy region

  18-01-2017 13:31
  
  Three strong earthquakes have been felt in central Italy in the space of an hour, with people in Rome saying they experienced the tremors. The first quake at around 10.30am local time on Wednesday measured a magnitude of 5.4 and hit the region north of Amatrice, around 62 miles north of Rome, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. A second quake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit the same area about 50 minutes later, and 10 minutes later a third was measured at a magnitude of 5.3.
  
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• When It Comes to Safety, Autonomous Cars Are Still "Teen Drivers"

  18-01-2017 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Automakers ask drivers to trust and share the nation’s roadways with autonomous vehicles, but there is no easy answer as to when they will be considered ”safe”
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Iran's Zarif wants cooperation with Saudi over Syria and Yemen

  18-01-2017 13:11
  Iran and Saudi Arabia should be able to work together to help end conflicts in Syria and Yemen, after successfully cooperating over Lebanon last year, Iran's foreign minister said. "I do not see any reason why Iran and Saudi Arabia should have hostile policies towards each other.
  
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• A message to rock climbers: Be kind to nature

  18-01-2017 13:00
  
  Scientists are only just starting to figure out the impacts that the sport of rock climbing is having on cliff ecosystems.
  
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• Moth with 'golden flake hairstyle' named after Donald Trump

  18-01-2017 12:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The moth, which has a wingspan of just over a centimetre, was discovered in California.
  
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• Ukraine's power outage was a cyber attack - Ukrenergo

  18-01-2017 12:23
  By Pavel Polityuk, Oleg Vukmanovic and Stephen Jewkes KIEV/MILAN (Reuters) - A power blackout in Ukraine's capital Kiev last month was caused by a cyber attack and investigators are trying to trace other potentially infected computers and establish the source of the breach, utility Ukrenergo told Reuters on Wednesday.     When the lights went out in northern Kiev on Dec. 17-18, power supplier Ukrenergo suspected a cyber attack and hired investigators to help it determine the
  
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• France says Mali army camp explosion is major 'symbolic attack'

  18-01-2017 12:18
  PARIS (Reuters) - France's interior minister described Wednesday's deadly car bomb explosion at an army camp in Gao, northern Mali, as a "major and highly symbolic attack" in an area visited days ago by French President Francois Hollande. The comment came from Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux, who spoke to reporters shortly after news of the explosion with a provisional death toll of 25. France sent troops to Mali at the request of the government there in early 2013 to prevent an advance by Islam
  
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