Science news

• Long-running Texas evolution debate has big classroom impact

  01-02-2017 23:31
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Board of Education on Wednesday voted preliminarily to ease — but not completely eliminate — state high school science curriculum requirements that experts argue cast doubt on the theory of evolution.
  
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• Buzz Aldrin, Bill Nye Take 'Giant Leap' Down NY Fashion Week Runway

  01-02-2017 23:30
  
  NEW YORK — Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, just took one giant leap for all astronaut-kind when he became the first astronaut to walk down the New York Fashion Week runway.
  
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• E-cigarette smoking linked to heart disease risk

  01-02-2017 23:18
  
  Two indicators of heart disease risk were elevated for users of e-cigarettes in small-scale study.
  
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• New bat-like drone can manoeuvre better than traditional drones

  01-02-2017 22:39 via cbc.ca
  
  Holy drone, Batman! Mechanical masterminds have spawned the Bat Bot, a soaring, sweeping and diving robot that may eventually fly circles around other drones.
  
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• Red Planet Eruptions: Volcanoes Rocked Mars for at Least 2 Billion Years

  01-02-2017 22:19
  
  The finding indicates that Mars hosts some of the longest-lived volcanoes in the solar system, study team members said. The researchers, led by University of Houston geology professor Tom Lapen, analyzed 0.07 ounces (2 grams) of material from the interior of NWA 7635, which was discovered in Algeria in 2012. The scientists identified NWA 7635 as a type of volcanic rock called a shergottite, and they dated its solidification to 2.4 billion years ago, give or take 140 million years.
  
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• Saturn's Rings Just Got the Ultimate Close-Up from Cassini (Photos)

  01-02-2017 22:18
  
  Saturn's rings appear as bright waves against a black sky in detailed new pictures from the Cassini spacecraft, which made its closest pass by the icy debris in years. It's the best view scientists have gotten since discovering those features in 2004 and 2005, respectively, shortly after Cassini's arrival at Saturn, NASA said in a statement. Cassini is in its last year of operations as the spacecraft positions itself to make a suicidal plunge into Saturn in September.
  
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• Infant Planets Form from Dust in 1st Photos from New Imaging Tool

  01-02-2017 22:18
  
  "Stars outshine planets by a factor of [a] few thousand to a few billion, making the dim light of planets very difficult to see, especially for planets that lie close to their stars," NASA officials said in the statement. To overcome this challenge, the vortex coronagraph redirects light away from the camera's detectors "using a technique in which light waves are combined and canceled out," NASA officials said.
  
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• Five gamma-ray blazars set new distance record

  01-02-2017 21:30
  
  Intensely bright galaxies are the farthest blazars ever detected in gamma rays.
  
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• New UK science body appoints chief

  01-02-2017 21:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prof Sir Mark Walport has been appointed to head Britain's newly created science funding organisation.
  
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• Quantum computer 'construction plan' drawn up

  01-02-2017 21:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Physicists have drawn up construction plans for a large-scale quantum computer.
  
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• Cassini spacecraft captures stunning images of Saturn's rings

  01-02-2017 20:37 via cbc.ca
  
  New images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have provided an unprecedented view of the planet's intricate ring system.
  
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• Dragonfish opens wide with flex neck joint

  01-02-2017 20:34
  
  New study reveals anatomical secrets of mysterious deep ocean fish.
  
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• Whoosh! Swish! Meet Bat Bot, the new flying batlike drone

  01-02-2017 20:24
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Holy drone, Batman! Mechanical masterminds have spawned the Bat Bot, a soaring, sweeping and diving robot that may eventually fly circles around other drones.
  
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• Drilling into heart of Iceland volcano complete

  01-02-2017 20:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Geologists in Iceland have drilled deeper into a volcano than ever before, reaching a depth of 4,659m.
  
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• Bat robot takes wing

  01-02-2017 20:13
  
  Unlike other aerial robots that use whirling rotor blades to fly, the Bat Bot relies on soft, silicone-based wings to glide, swoop and turn.
  
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• Red Planet’s interior may not churn much

  01-02-2017 20:00
  
  The magma fueling a Martian volcanic system remained largely unchanged for billions of years, analysis of a newfound meteorite suggests.
  
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• How birds of a feather evolved together

  01-02-2017 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Research shows how birds acquired beaks of all shapes and sizes over millions of years of evolution.
  
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• Space Farming: Satellite's Greenhouses to Simulate Moon, Mars Gravity

  01-02-2017 18:48
  
  The satellite will initially produce the gravitational force of the moon on its inside for six months, and will then replicate Martian gravity for another six months. In addition, microorganisms that are contained in a trickle filter will use synthetic urine to produce fertilizer for the tomatoes. LED light will be used to provide the day/night rhythm that the Euglena microbes and tomato seeds require.
  
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• Prepping for Re-Launch: SpaceX Test-Fires Used Falcon 9 Rocket (Photo)

  01-02-2017 18:48
  
  SpaceX is gearing up for its first-ever launch of a used rocket. Last week, SpaceX test-fired the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket that launched the CRS-8 International Space Station resupply mission last April, company representatives said Tuesday (Jan. 31). The same rocket stage is scheduled to loft the SES 10 communications satellite sometime next month, though no firm launch date has been announced.
  
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• How 1-Year Space Mission Affected Astronaut Twin Scott Kelly: Early Results

  01-02-2017 18:48
  
  Spending a year in space affected former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly's body in subtle but potentially significant ways, new research suggests. Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko flew the first-ever yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), wrapping up the flight with a touchdown on the steppes of Kazakhstan last March. Part of this work involves Scott Kelly's identical twin brother Mark — a former NASA astronaut who flew on four space shuttle missions.
  
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• Dutch to hand-count ballots due to hacking fears - RLT

  01-02-2017 18:24
  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - All ballots in the Netherlands' March 15 national elections will be counted by hand in order to guard against the possibility of automated tallying systems being hacked, RTL News reported on Wednesday, citing a potential threat from Russia. The broadcaster quoted interior minister Ronald Plasterk as saying that there was a chance the elections could be hacked and that there were indications that some parties, "for example the Russians", could be interested in the Dutch elec
  
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• 'The Expanse' Season 2 Launches on Syfy Tonight!

  01-02-2017 18:20
  
  After a nail-biting first season full of rapidly shifting alliances, "The Expanse" returns to Syfy tonight (Feb. 1), so buckle up for a 13-episode space ride. Writer Hawk Ostby, one of the series' showrunners, told Space.com that he can't wait to get further into the story, now that the team has finished the show's fundamental "world-building" aspects.
  
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• Indian children died after 'eating lychees on empty stomach'

  01-02-2017 17:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hundreds of children died due to eating the fruit on an empty stomach, research says.
  
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• Earth sends oxygen to the moon and may have for billions of years: study

  01-02-2017 17:41 via cbc.ca
  
  A team of Japanese scientists have found that every 5 days, oxygen from Earth travels to the moon.
  
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• Massive Stream of Lava Plunges into Sea in Stunning New Video

  01-02-2017 17:17
  
  A stunning new video has captured a huge fire hose of lava streaming into the ocean at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The stream of lava is currently pouring into the ocean from a sea cliff near Kamokuna on the Big Island of Hawaii, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The ensuing steam explosions, which occurred Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, have tossed molten lava high up into the air, with some bits of molten rock catapulted to twice the height of the sea cliff.
  
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• Dakota pipeline: US Army to allow work on final section

  01-02-2017 17:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Native Americans vow legal action as the go-ahead is given to complete the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
  
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• Cosmic Cat Greets Space Lobster in Amazing Nebula Views

  01-02-2017 17:00
  
  In a new deep-space photo of two starry nebulas, a cat's paw reaches out to high-five a glowing, red lobster.
  
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• Sea Unworthy: A Personal Journey into the Pacific Garbage Patch [Slide Show]

  01-02-2017 16:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  More plastic in the oceans, found at greater depths than thought, would mean a bigger threat to environmental—and possibly human—health
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• Sea Unworthy: A Personal Journey into the Pacific Garbage Patch

  01-02-2017 16:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  More plastic in the oceans, found at greater depths than thought, would mean a bigger threat to environmental—and possibly human—health
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Physicists seek neutron lifetime’s secret

  01-02-2017 15:34
  
  Updated experiments hope to resolve neutron lifetime discrepancy.
  
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• Trump Immigration Ban Can Worsen U.S. Doctor Shortage, Hurt Hospitals

  01-02-2017 15:03 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Thousands of U.S. physicians and medical students from banned countries may leave hospitals without staff
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• £1m Queen Elizabeth Prize: Digital camera tech lauded

  01-02-2017 14:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The inventors of digital camera technology win the highest international prize for engineering.
  
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• Nasa is studying a retired astronaut and his twin brother to look at the effects of space travel

  01-02-2017 14:05
  
  Nasa is looking for differences in the twins which could help them with future Mars missions.
  
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• Season 2 of Syfy's 'The Expanse' Will Dive Deeper Into Characters

  01-02-2017 12:35
  
  Fans of Syfy's space thriller series "The Expanse" can look forward to deeper characters, moral dilemmas and changing dynamics in the upcoming season, cast and crew said at a screening and Q&A last night (Jan. 30) at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn. The Q&A started off with Mark Fergus, one of the series' showrunners, describing his first meeting with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the two authors who write the "Expanse" book series under the penname James S.A. Corey.
  
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• Good Vibrations! NASA Launch Simulation Tests Megarocket Experience

  01-02-2017 12:35
  
  Launch conditions are never easy so engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston have already begun simulations of the first crewed launch of the Orion spacecraft on the agency's new megarocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). Inside a JSC lab this month, NASA's human factor engineers combined the many aspects of an Orion-SLS launch for the first time. "This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut's abil
  
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• Don't Ask Why Cats Populate this 'Expanse' Recap Video — Just Enjoy

  01-02-2017 12:35
  
  Why does this recap of "The Expanse" Season 1 star a variety of costumed, floating, ship-flying cats on elaborate, tiny sets? Space.com has no idea, but is certainly not complaining.
  
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• Cosmic Neutrino Detector Reveals Clues About Ghostly Particle Masses

  01-02-2017 12:35
  
  Buried under the Antarctic ice, the IceCube experiment was designed primarily to capture particles called neutrinos that are produced by powerful cosmic events, but it is also helping scientists learn about the fundamental nature of these ghostly particles. At a meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) in Washington, D.C., this week, scientists with the IceCube collaboration presented new results that contribute to an ongoing mystery about the nature of neutrinos. In particle physics, symm
  
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• Orangutans at a Dutch zoo are getting their own version of Tinder

  01-02-2017 12:08
  
  The orangutan will be able to indicate her mate preference by prodding a picture on a touch screen.
  
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• New 'super yield' GM wheat trial gets go-ahead

  01-02-2017 11:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new experimental crop of genetically modified (GM) wheat will be planted this spring after the UK government gave the final go-ahead.
  
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• UK bases official: No let-up on bird poaching crackdown

  01-02-2017 11:18
  
  NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A spokesman for Britain's two military bases on Cyprus says that there will be no letup in an ongoing crackdown against illegal bird trapping on the facilities.
  
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• Azeri security forces kill four men suspected of terror plot

  01-02-2017 11:07
  Azerbaijan's security forces killed four members of a group that had been planning to carry out terror acts in the country, the state security service said on Wednesday. Ex-Soviet Azerbaijan, a majority Muslim country with a population of about 10 million, is a major energy producer in the Caspian Sea region. The group, which was eliminated during a special operation, was "loyal to a number of terrorist organisations operating in foreign countries and had been planning to carry out terrorist act
  
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• Are we living in a holographic universe? New study suggests that it's possible

  01-02-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A team of international scientists believe that new data supports the idea that our universe could be a hologram.
  
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• Are we living in a holographic universe? New study suggests it's possible

  01-02-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A team of international scientists believe that new data supports the idea that our universe could be a hologram.
  
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• Rare 'lava firehose' from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano

  01-02-2017 09:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dramatic footage shows the unusual phenomenon as lava flows through a crack in a sea cliff.
  
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• Russian oil tsar took part in sting to detain minister - sources

  01-02-2017 08:03
  Igor Sechin, head of Russia's biggest oil company Rosneft, set up a personal meeting with a government minister for what was in fact a law enforcement sting, after which state investigators charged the minister with receiving a $2 million bribe, two sources familiar with the case told Reuters.  Alexei Ulyukayev, who at the time was minister for economic development, was detained in the late night operation on Nov. 14 at Rosneft's Moscow headquarters. The Investigative Committee, the state b
  
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• When sex development goes awry: Is it a girl or a boy?

  01-02-2017 06:00
  
  (Case Western Reserve University) Standards of care are ever evolving, but now front-line pediatricians from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have assembled the latest data about the varied causes of DSD, complete with clinical vignettes and appropriate management plans.
  
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• Vitamin D discovery could prove key to new treatments

  01-02-2017 06:00
  
  (Kyoto University) Kyoto University researchers have identified a new way vitamin D helps control the balance of lipids in the body. This key finding could advance development of new treatments for metabolic disorders and certain cancers.
  
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• Virginia Tech team reduces structural vibrations with simple, groundbreaking device

  01-02-2017 06:00
  
  (Virginia Tech) A revolutionary portable device invented by a Virginia Tech professor with help from students promises to make structural vibration-reducing technology universally accessible.
  
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• University of Montana research shows importance of remote cameras as biodiversity tools

  01-02-2017 06:00
  
  (The University of Montana) University of Montana doctoral candidate Robin Steenweg shows how remote cameras can transform monitoring wildlife and habitat biodiversity worldwide in a paper published Feb. 1 in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
  
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• UK's new EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub for advanced powder processes launches

  01-02-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Sheffield) MAPP, the EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub in Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes launched on Tuesday 31st January in Sheffield. MAPP is a £20m research hub led by the University of Sheffield and brings together expertise from the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, and Imperial College London, together with 17 industry partners and the UK's High Value Manufacturing Catapult.
  
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