Science news

• Trump backs Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines

  24-01-2017 23:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  President's support for Keystone XL and Dakota Access proves he is a climate threat, critics say.
  
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• Teen Bot on Mars! NASA's Opportunity Rover Celebrates 13th Birthday

  24-01-2017 23:42
  
  NASA's Mars rover Opportunity has entered its teenage years on the Red Planet. The golf-cart-size Opportunity rover landed on Mars on the night of Jan. 24, 2004, a few weeks after its twin, Spirit, touched down on the other side of the planet. Both Spirit and Opportunity soon found plenty of such evidence, showing that Mars was warmer and wetter in the ancient past than it is today.
  
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• London pollution: 'Very high' air pollution warning alert

  24-01-2017 23:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A "very high" air pollution warning has been issued for London for the first time under a new alert system.
  
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• Ancient otter of unusual size unearthed in China

  24-01-2017 23:13
  
  Fossils unearthed in China reveal a newly discovered, now-extinct species of otter that lived some 6.2 million years ago.
  
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• Baby vital sign monitors 'not the solution' to new parents' anxiety, pediatrician says

  24-01-2017 22:31 via cbc.ca
  
  'We are not there yet,' on technology reducing the risk of SIDS
  
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• Alberta research shows fracking fluids cause 'significant' harm to fish

  24-01-2017 22:29 via cbc.ca
  
  Research has found that liquids released from fracked oil and gas wells can harm fish even at low concentrations
  
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• Trump Administration Restricts News from Federal Scientists at USDA, EPA

  24-01-2017 22:20 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The curbs echo what happened in Canada six years ago
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Tech companies note need for diversity, but there's been little progress

  24-01-2017 22:05 via cbc.ca
  
  The tech industry brought us self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and 3-D printers. But when it comes to racial and gender diversity, its leading companies are no trailblazers.
  
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• [Research Article] Ser1928 phosphorylation by PKA stimulates the L-type Ca2+ channel CaV1.2 and vasoconstriction during acute hyperglycemia and diabetes

  24-01-2017 21:18 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Targeting a protein complex that phosphorylates the calcium channel CaV1.2 in arteries may prevent vascular pathologies associated with diabetes.
  
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• [Research Article] Phosphorylation of Ser1928 mediates the enhanced activity of the L-type Ca2+ channel Cav1.2 by the β2-adrenergic receptor in neurons

  24-01-2017 21:18 via stke.sciencemag.org
  β-Adrenergic regulation of the L-type calcium channel Cav1.2 exhibits surprising differences in the heart and brain.
  
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• [Research Article] ERK signaling pathway regulates sleep duration through activity-induced gene expression during wakefulness

  24-01-2017 21:18 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Activity-induced activation of the kinase ERK in cortical neurons increases the duration of sleep.
  
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• [Podcast] Science Signaling Podcast for 24 January 2017: Tissue-specific regulation of L-type calcium channels

  24-01-2017 21:18 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Phosphorylation at Ser1928 affects the activity of the L-type calcium channel CaV1.2 in the brain and vasculature, but not in the heart (Qian et al. and Nystoriak et al. in 24 January 2017 issue).
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Lysosomes get into the action

  24-01-2017 21:18 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Activity-dependent lysosomal fusion with the plasma membrane stimulates dendrite remodeling.
  
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• [Editors' Choice] Harnessing innate immunity to fight neurodegeneration

  24-01-2017 21:18 via stke.sciencemag.org
  TRIM21 prevents antibody-bound tau proteins from aggregating in cells.
  
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• Learn math in just 10 minutes a day? New app can help with that

  24-01-2017 21:07 via cbc.ca
  
  A new app called Minute School provides students with micro courses to help them learn subjects like math and science. It has been developed by a Waterloo-based startup.
  
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• Is the pen mightier than the mouse?

  24-01-2017 20:40 via cbc.ca
  
  Are laptops in the classroom a helpful tool, or a digital distraction? A new research study suggests that using (or not using) a laptop or tablet in class has measurable results on students' test scores.
  
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• Space Camp Documentary 'The Mars Generation' Debuts at Sundance Film Fest

  24-01-2017 20:28
  
  Directed by Michael Barnett, the movie "delves into space exploration's history and current state while looking beyond technology to what we will really need to get to the Red Planet: the power of youthful dreams," according to the movie's program description at Sundance. The film also features interviews with science communicators Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams.
  
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• There's no place like home: NASA releases beautiful satellite photos of Earth

  24-01-2017 19:11 via cbc.ca
  
  NASA and and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released incredible photos of home taken from a satellite orbiting Earth.
  
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• Kuwait to deliver message to Iran on dialogue with Gulf Arab states

  24-01-2017 19:03
  DOHA (Reuters) - Kuwait's foreign minister will make a rare visit to Tehran on Wednesday to deliver a message to President Hassan Rouhani on a "basis of dialogue" between Gulf Arab states and arch-rival Iran, Kuwait's state news agency reported. The visit comes days after Rouhani said countries including Kuwait had offered to mediate in the escalating feud between Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Sunni power Saudi Arabia. ...
  
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• Humans’ stuff vastly outweighs humans

  24-01-2017 19:00
  
  The human-made technosphere weighs 30 trillion tons and surpasses the natural biosphere in mass and diversity, researchers estimate.
  
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• Extra letters added to life's genetic code

  24-01-2017 18:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have created bacteria that thrive using an expanded "genetic alphabet".
  
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• Dying from cancer: Could your location determine your fate?

  24-01-2017 18:26
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Americans in certain struggling parts of the country are dying from cancer at rising rates, even as the cancer death rate nationwide continues to fall, an exhaustive new analysis has found.
  
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• Bus-Size Asteroid Buzzing Earth Tonight Stars in Slooh Webcast

  24-01-2017 18:25
  
  A bus-size asteroid will safely pass between Earth and the moon today (Jan. 24), and the online Slooh observatory will provide live views of the space rock just hours before its closest approach. The asteroid, called 2017 BX, is about the size of a bus, according to NASA's Asteroid Watch tracker. NASA estimates that the object is about 28 feet (8.5 meters) wide.
  
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• Cruise ship passengers to visit HMS Erebus wreck this summer

  24-01-2017 18:18 via cbc.ca
  
  Cruise ship travellers may be snorkelling over the wreck of the Franklin Expedition's HMS Erebus this summer as Parks Canada teams up with a tour company to welcome visitors to the recently-discovered National Historic Site.
  
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• PM Abadi says Iraq's oil is for Iraqis, in reaction to Trump

  24-01-2017 18:11
  Iraq's oil is the property of Iraqis, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday, in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump who argued that the United States should have taken possession of the nation's crude reserves. In a speech to CIA officials on Saturday, Trump suggested the United States should have taken Iraq's oil in reimbursement for the 2003 invasion that put an end to Saddam Hussein's rule. Trump also suggested that taking Iraq's oil would have prevented Islamic State from rising
  
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• Five in final stretch of Moon race

  24-01-2017 17:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Google-sponsored race to put a privately funded spacecraft on the Moon has just five teams left in the competition.
  
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• Chunks of Failed Planets Might Have Scarred Early Earth

  24-01-2017 17:13
  
  The rocky worlds of the solar system may bear scars from the debris that didn't quite make the cut as planets, a new research suggests. For years, studies have suggested that a group of rocks that now surround the modern-day asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter were responsible for that early hammering of the inner solar system. Instead, bits and pieces of the same material that formed the planets also might have peppered the young inner solar system bodies.
  
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• France, Saudi hope Syria talks lead to Geneva resumption

  24-01-2017 17:12
  By Katie Paul RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and France, both backers of Syrian rebels, said on Tuesday they hoped Syrian truce talks in Astana would lead to a resumption of U.N.-led peace efforts in Geneva and more aid to civilians suffering from five years of war. In a joint news conference, foreign ministers Jean-Marc Ayrault of France and Adel al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia also suggested that cooperation with new U.S. President Donald Trump would be important on a range of Middle East issues.
  
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• Asteroid barrage, ancient marine life boom not linked

  24-01-2017 17:00
  
  Impacts from asteroid debris probably didn’t trigger the boom in marine animal diversity around 471 million years ago during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.
  
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• 'Hidden Figures,' 'Arrival' Garner Oscar Nominations

  24-01-2017 16:57
  
  This year's Academy Awards may have an otherworldly bent: The sci-fi spectacle "Arrival" and the space history flick "Hidden Figures" were nominated for Best Picture, and space media made the list in other places as well. "Arrival" is a thoughtful story of alien contact based on a short story by Ted Chiang that was released in November of last year. In addition to receiving the nomination for Best Picture, the  film was nominated for Best Directing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best C
  
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• Five teams vying for Google prize to land spacecraft on the moon

  24-01-2017 16:55
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Five teams have qualified to compete in a $30 million Google-backed competition to land and operate robotic spacecraft on the surface of the moon, the XPrize Foundation said on Tuesday.
  
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• Evolution, Climate and Vaccines: Why Americans Deny Science

  24-01-2017 16:24
  
  Those numbers, all gleaned from recent Pew and Gallup research polls, might suggest that Americans are an anti-science bunch. "The whole discussion around scientific denial has become very, very simplified," said Troy Campbell, a psychologist at the University of Oregon. The presentations are occurring today (Jan. 21) at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) in San Antonio.
  
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• Armyworm outbreak spreads across Malawi, threatens maize crop

  24-01-2017 15:42
  An infestation of armyworms, a pest that has hit maize fields in southern Africa, has spread across Malawi, a senior government official said on Tuesday. "The armyworms have now spread affecting all the 28 districts (and) threatening the crop for this year ...we are prepared and we will put it under control," Erica Maganga, principal secretary in the ministry of agriculture, told Reuters. The outbreak of fall armyworms - an invasive Latin American species which is harder to detect and eradicate
  
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• This newly identified crab species has been named after Harry Potter and Severus Snape

  24-01-2017 15:28
  
  Meet Harryplax severus.
  
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• Meet the students trying to brew craft beer on the moon

  24-01-2017 15:19
  
  This is just what the moon needs if it’s ever going to host life.
  
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• 5 Teams Left in $30 Million Private Moon Race

  24-01-2017 15:01
  
  Five privately funded teams have secured verified launch contracts to blast their robotic spacecraft toward the moon, keeping them eligible for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP), contest organizers announced today (Jan. 24). The remaining teams are Florida-based Moon Express, Israel's SpaceIL, India's Team Indus, Hakuto of Japan and the international outfit Synergy Moon. "It's a diverse group with different approaches, and the fact that it's five — we couldn't be happier," GLXP s
  
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• Japan's military launches first communications satellite

  24-01-2017 14:24
  
  TOKYO (AP) — Japan successfully launched its first military communications satellite Tuesday that is designed to upgrade its network in the face of China's increasingly assertive maritime activity and North Korea's missile threat.
  
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• Sensors from aircraft wings are being used to detect arthritis

  24-01-2017 14:20
  
  Building the sensors into a ‘smart patch’ worn on the skin could help detect early signs of joint wear.
  
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• 'Warrior of high status' was buried at Scottish Viking site

  24-01-2017 13:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The excavation of a rare, intact Viking boat burial in western Scotland has been set out in detail for the first time.
  
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• Nasa's time-lapse video shows how global temperatures have risen over the last 130 years

  24-01-2017 13:17
  
  The agency confirmed 2016 was the hottest year on record.
  
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• NASA to Webcast Funeral for Eugene Cernan, Last Man on the Moon

  24-01-2017 13:00
  
  Eugene Cernan, who died Jan. 16 at age 82, is known for being the last man to set foot on the moon as part of NASA's Apollo missions. Today (Jan. 24), NASA TV will provide live coverage of his funeral service beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) from St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston. You can watch the service here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.
  
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• France says hopes Syria Astana talks pave way to Geneva resumption

  24-01-2017 12:53
  French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Tuesday he hoped Syrian truce negotiations in Kazakhstan would be successful and lead to a resumption of peace efforts in Geneva. Speaking at news conference on a visit to Saudi Arabia, he added that the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump would not be able to defend the interests of the American people unless it cooperated with other powers. At the same news conference Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh supported any
  
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• Scientists create a new organism using synthetic DNA, paving the way for artificial life forms

  24-01-2017 12:12
  
  “It suggests all of life’s processes can be subject to manipulation.”
  
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• The internet has fostered a new kind of tribalism, and it's destroying the way we interact

  24-01-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  The hope with the internet was that we would do away with borders. That hasn't happened
  
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• Memories from space: Roberta Bondar marks 25th anniversary of Discovery shuttle mission

  24-01-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, reflects on how the Discovery space shuttle mission 25 years ago changed her life.
  
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• How the internet is turning us all into 'mean girls'

  24-01-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  The hope with the internet was that we would do away with borders. That hasn't happened
  
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• Scientists have filmed a 'sonic boom' made out of light for the first time ever

  24-01-2017 10:59
  
  This is the first time a light Mach cone has been caught on video.
  
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• Giant, wolf-sized otters used to roam Earth, scientists reveal

  24-01-2017 10:39
  
  Yes you read that right.
  
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• Fire brigade help Yorkshire Wildlife Park give polar bear dental check-up

  24-01-2017 09:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  South Yorkshire Fire Brigade were called in to assist in giving a polar bear a dental check-up.
  
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• Rare bat born by C-section in San Diego Zoo

  24-01-2017 07:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Rodrigues fruit bat has been born by C-section at San Diego Zoo.
  
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