Science news

• Is the video game Resident Evil 7 the state of the art in horror?

  06-02-2017 22:49 via cbc.ca
  
  The interactive nature of a video game makes it the perfect medium for the horror genre, writes Jonathan Ore.
  
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• Black hole taking more than a decade to gobble up star

  06-02-2017 22:22 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists have detected a black hole that's taken a record-breaking decade to devour a star — and it's still chewing away.
  
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• Bison return to Banff national park in Canada

  06-02-2017 22:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The staged reintroduction since the end of last month is going smoothly, officials say.
  
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• Wild bison roam Banff National Park for 1st time in more than century

  06-02-2017 22:16 via cbc.ca
  
  The first wild bison to roam Banff National Park in more than a century have been airlifted into a remote valley in a "historic homecoming" aimed at re-establishing a thriving herd.
  
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• Mars Mystery: How Was Ancient Red Planet Warm Enough for Liquid Water?

  06-02-2017 22:13
  
  The mystery of how Mars could have once had water flowing on its surface is now deepening, as a new study reveals that the Red Planet's early atmosphere likely possessed up to hundreds of times less carbon dioxide than needed to keep it warm enough for liquid water to last. Although Mars is now cold and dry, there are decades of evidence suggesting that the Red Planet's surface was once covered with rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and perhaps seas and oceans. "The watery environments that once occ
  
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• Size matters for marine protected areas designed to aid coral

  06-02-2017 21:59
  For marine protected areas established to help coral reefs recover from overfishing, size really does seem to make a difference, say experts.
  
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• Severe newborn jaundice could be preventable, mouse study shows

  06-02-2017 21:59
  A protein that inhibits the enzyme that breaks down bilirubin in newborns has now been identified by researchers. Methods that block this inhibitor, and thus restore the enzyme’s activity, could provide a new therapeutic approach for preventing or treating severe newborn jaundice.
  
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• How does the brain make perceptual predictions over time? There's a theory for that

  06-02-2017 21:59
  A neuroscientist offers a new framework to explain how the brain makes predictions. He outlines how “prediction” may be a general principle of cortical function—along with the already-established role of inference.
  
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• Genomes in flux: New study reveals hidden dynamics of bird and mammal DNA evolution

  06-02-2017 21:59
  Evolution is often thought of as a gradual remodeling of the genome, the genetic blueprints for building an organism. But in some instance it might be more appropriate to call it an overhaul. Over the past 100 million years, the human lineage has lost one-fifth of its DNA, while an even greater amount was added, report scientists. Until now, the extent to which our genome has expanded and contracted had been underappreciated.
  
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• Black hole feeding frenzy breaks records

  06-02-2017 21:59
  A giant black hole ripped apart a nearby star and then continued to feed off its remains for close to a decade, according to research. This black hole meal is more than 10 times longer than any other previous episode of a star's death.
  
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• Scientists find clue to why Zika, but not its close relatives, causes birth defects

  06-02-2017 21:57
  The most frightening aspect of Zika virus has been its ability to produce severe fetal birth defects during pregnancy, especially microcephaly—a small head. Now, scientists have uncovered the details behind the virus’s unique ability to cross the placental barrier and expose the fetus to a range of birth defects that often go beyond microcephaly to include eye and joint injury, and even other types of brain damage.
  
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• Mimicking nature's cellular architectures via 3D printing

  06-02-2017 21:57
  Nature does amazing things with limited design materials. Grass, for example, can support its own weight, resist strong wind loads, and recover after being compressed. The plant’s hardiness comes from a combination of its hollow, tubular macrostructure and porous, or cellular, microstructure. These architectural features work together to give grass its robust mechanical properties. Inspired by na
  
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• Oxygen flooded Earth’s atmosphere earlier than thought

  06-02-2017 21:45
  
  The Great Oxidation Event that enabled the eventual evolution of complex life began 100 million years earlier than once thought, new dating of South African rock suggests.
  
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• Brilliant Fireball Streaks Over Milwaukee, Wows Skywatchers (Videos)

  06-02-2017 21:42
  
  More than 220 people have filed reports with the AMS claiming to have seen the fireball at about 1:25 a.m. CST (2:25 a.m. EST/0725 GMT), according to the NASA Meteor Watch Facebook page. Most of the eye-witness reports came from people in and around Chicago and Milwaukee, but reports have also come in from witnesses in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, New York, Kentucky, Minnesota and Ontario, according to the AMS website.
  
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• Uterine glands vital for embryo growth, successful pregnancies

  06-02-2017 21:06
  Scientists and doctors have known for several years that glands within the uterus produce Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF), which is vital for embryo implantation and successful pregnancies. Now, researchers have found that uterine glands have additional roles in promoting pregnancy beyond LIF.
  
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• Scientists confirm dorado catfish as all-time distance champion of freshwater migrations

  06-02-2017 21:06
  An international team of scientists has confirmed that the dorado catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii) of the Amazon River basin holds the record for the world's longest exclusively freshwater fish migration, an epic life-cycle journey stretching nearly the entire width of the South America continent.
  
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• Myopia cell discovered in retina: Dysfunction of cell may be linked to amount of time a child spends indoors

  06-02-2017 21:06
  Scientists have discovered a cell in the retina that may cause myopia when it dysfunctions. The dysfunction may be linked to the amount of time a child spends indoors and away from natural light. This discovery could lead to a new therapeutic target to control myopia. More than a billion people in the world have myopia, whose incidence is rising and is linked to how much time people spend indoors as children.
  
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• Looking for life's (lower) limits

  06-02-2017 21:06
  Just how little energy life needs to survive is the subject of a new study. By analyzing maintenance budgets and cellular processes across species and sizes of bacteria, researchers found distinct trends along the spectrum and one surprising constant. Their investigation into the lower bound of energy required for life helps us understand ecological constraints on other planetary bodies in our solar system as well as our own.
  
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• Ion channel necessary for hormone and anti-obesity drug to suppress eating identified

  06-02-2017 21:06
  Researchers have identified an ion channel required for brain cells to suppress eating behavior in response to the hormone leptin or to the anti-obesity drug lorcaserin.
  
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• Stewards of Federal Lands Feel Threatened, Survey Shows

  06-02-2017 20:13
  
  Many of the people who take care of U.S. federal lands and wildlife refuges say their jobs have become more dangerous, according to a new survey. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a nonprofit that represents government staff, released the results of the survey on Feb. 2. The group gathered responses from 104 out of 302 managers of the Fish and Wildlife Service's federal refuge and 364 employees of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), including scientists, archaeologi
  
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• Binge Eater: Black hole taking over decade to devour star

  06-02-2017 20:12
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have detected a black hole that's taken a record-breaking decade to devour a star — and it's still chewing away.
  
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• For calmer chickens, bathe eggs in light

  06-02-2017 20:00
  
  Shining light on incubating eggs leads to calmer adult chickens, a study suggests.
  
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• Albanian rescuers working to reach trapped Chinese miners

  06-02-2017 20:00
  Albanian rescue teams were still working on Monday to reach three Chinese mining engineers trapped since Saturday afternoon in a chrome mine at Bulqize after an explosion. The gas explosion on Saturday has destroyed the ventilation system as well as one side of the well at the chrome mine, run by Albanian Chrome, owned by Albania's Balfin Group. There has been no contact of any kind with the three since Saturday afternoon.
  
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• Immune therapy scientists discover distinct cells that block cancer-fighting immune cells

  06-02-2017 19:16
  Scientists have discovered a distinct cell population in tumors that inhibits the body’s immune response to fight cancer.
  
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• Concussion may affect your driving even after symptoms disappear, says study

  06-02-2017 19:16
  The effects a concussion has on driving a vehicle may continue to linger even after the symptoms disappear, according to a new study.
  
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• Study paints clearer picture of 'NASTy' side effects from well-known heart drug

  06-02-2017 19:15
  The uncomfortable and embarrassing facial side effects many patients experience from the drug niacin, which is prescribed to prevent heart disease, typically lead to a high number of patients abandoning the therapy. For decades, researchers looking to alleviate the effects surmised that the greater the redness or warmth, the worse the experience for the patient. However, surprising new research results tell a different story: it is how fast the side effects appear immediately after taking the dr
  
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• New potential route to treat asthma discovered

  06-02-2017 19:15
  Researchers believe they have isolated a protein that, when missing or depleted, can cause airway constriction, production of mucus, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing for the 334 million people worldwide who suffer from asthma.
  
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• Scientists discover why some cancers may not respond to immunotherapy

  06-02-2017 19:14
  Scientists have discovered that people with cancers containing genetic mutations JAK1 or JAK2, which are known to prevent tumors from recognizing or receiving signals from T cells to stop growing, will have little or no benefit from the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab. This early-stage research has allowed them to determine for the first time why some people with advanced melanoma or advanced colon cancer will not respond to pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 treatment.
  
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• Brilliant fireball captured breaking up over several U.S. states

  06-02-2017 19:14 via cbc.ca
  
  People from across 12 states witnessed an incredible fireball streaking across the sky early Monday morning.
  
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• Winning the war: How to persuade children to eat more veggies

  06-02-2017 19:13
  An associate professor of food, nutrition, dietetics and health offers parents research-based advice for appealing to children's emotional and behavioral appetites to help them eat the vegetables they need.
  
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• Scientists catalogue 'parts list' of brain cell types in a major appetite center

  06-02-2017 19:13
  Using new technology, scientists have catalogued more than 20,000 brain cells in one region of the mouse hypothalamus. The study revealed some 50 distinct cell types, including a previously undescribed neuron type that may underlie some of the genetic risk of human obesity. This catalog of cell types marks the first time neuroscientists have established a comprehensive "parts list" for this area of the brain. The new information will allow researchers to establish which cells play what role in t
  
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• One in four teen e-cigarette users have tried 'dripping'

  06-02-2017 19:13
  One in four high schoolers who use electronic cigarettes are inhaling vapors produced by dripping e-liquids directly onto heating coils, instead of inhaling from the e-cigarette mouthpiece, possibly increasing exposure to toxins and nicotine, a new study has found.
  
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• Diet quality improves fitness among the fittest

  06-02-2017 19:13
  In two recent peer-reviewed papers exercise scientists report proven benefits of consuming moderate amounts of protein regularly throughout the day (protein-pacing) combined with a multi-dimensional exercise regimen that includes resistance exercise, interval sprint exercise, stretching and endurance exercise.
  
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• Towards new IT devices with stable, transformable solitons

  06-02-2017 19:06
  Unavoidably, each digital information we send around the globe is prone to be lost. Travelling long ways in wires, the initial signal decays and scatters by colliding with impurities and neighboring electromagnetic fields. Therefore, beyond each bit of your desired message, it is necessary to send other hidden bits of information that check for mistakes and take action in case of losses; while devices become smaller and smaller, this issue becomes more significant. Scientists are aiming to find
  
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• Study rehabilitates climate models

  06-02-2017 19:06
  With new methods of reconstruction, climate researchers have been able to demonstrate that some 9,000 to 5,000 years ago, the Mediterranean climate was considerably warmer than previous studies had suggested. Among other things, previous concerns regarding the reliability of climate models could thus be dispelled.
  
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• Removal of ovaries during hysterectomy linked to increase in heart disease, cancer and premature death

  06-02-2017 19:06
  A link has been found between removal of both ovaries at the time of hysterectomy and premature death. Increase in incidence of heart disease and cancer, and of deaths from heart disease and cancer when ovaries were removed. More than 113,000 hysterectomy cases were studied and the ovaries were removed in about a third of these.
  
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• Fiscal incentives may help in fight to reduce gas emissions in developing countries

  06-02-2017 19:06
  Fiscal policies introduced by governments in developing countries can have a significant effect on lowering harmful carbon emissions and help counties with fulfilling their commitments under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, suggests a new report.
  
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• Who is appropriately qualified to perform cosmetic surgery? 'Confusing jargon' contributes to misperceptions

  06-02-2017 19:04
  Do you know what makes a 'plastic surgeon' different from a 'cosmetic surgeon'? If you're considering surgery to improve your appearance, the answer has important implications for choosing an appropriately qualified physician, according to a report.
  
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• Pharmaceuticals from a coal mine?

  06-02-2017 19:04
  Digging around in the dark can sometimes lead to interesting results: in the acidic waters of an abandoned coal mine in Kentucky (USA), researchers discovered ten previously unknown microbial natural products from a strain of Streptomyces. Four of the molecules contain a cyclopentenone ring, which is rare in this class of substances.
  
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• Is the pain coming from your hip, spine or both?

  06-02-2017 19:04
  Many patients live with low back pain that radiates to the buttock, groin, thigh, and even knees. The challenge for patients, and often their doctors, is determining the origin of the pain -- the hip, the spine or both. A new article outlines the identical symptoms associated with hip and spine pain and discusses the diagnostic steps and tests required to treat them appropriately.
  
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• Decision-making process of viruses could lead to new antibiotic treatments

  06-02-2017 19:04
  Humans face hundreds of decisions every day. But we're not alone. Even the tiniest viruses also make decisions, and scientists are researching how they do so, to help lead to better treatments for some diseases. A team of scientists has discovered how the lambda phage decides what actions to take in its host, the E. coli bacterium.
  
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• Little jet-setters get jet lag too

  06-02-2017 19:00
  
  Help young children fight jet lag with a few simple steps.
  
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• Scientists are fitting dragonflies with tiny mind-controlling backpacks

  06-02-2017 18:01
  
  No, seriously.
  
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• Frontline town in Ukraine gets breathing space after worst shelling in months

  06-02-2017 17:43
  By Sergei Takhmazov and Natalia Zinets AVDIYIVKA, Ukraine (Reuters) - A week-long surge in violence in and around the government-held town of Avdiyivka in eastern Ukraine appeared to be winding down on Monday, as schools reopened and power and water supplies resumed following the worst clashes in months. A decrease in fighting around Avdiyivka on Sunday allowed emergency repairs to downed power lines and its around 20,000 residents were able to turn their lights on for the first time in a week.
  
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• Yes, those were drones in Lady Gaga's Super Bowl halftime show

  06-02-2017 17:38 via cbc.ca
  
  If you happened to catch Lady Gaga's halftime show at the Super Bowl last night, you were treated to a pretty amazing light show.
  
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• Super Bowl 2017: Is a Turf or Grass Field Riskier for Players?

  06-02-2017 17:25
  Does the field's surface type — grass or turf — affect players' injury rates? One of the benefits of artificial turf is that the surface is more uniform — free of things like potholes, said Brian Dorfman, a kinesiologist who owns an injury rehabilitation practice in California and works with both professional and Olympic athletes. "Generally, the issues with grass surfaces are that they are not a perfect surface," Dorfman told Live Science.
  
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• How Do Tom Brady's Pricy Pajamas Work?

  06-02-2017 17:24
  
  New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady could be resting up for the big game in some special sleepwear: He wears "bioceramic pajamas," which are claimed to have health benefits such as reduced inflammation. Brady called the pajamas "game-changing" in a statement sent to Live Science from Under Armour. Certain materials, such as ceramics, can give off far-infrared radiation, said Rick Sachleben, a member of the American Chemical Society.
  
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• 'Mud Monsters' Galore! Mariana Trench Dive Yields Bizarre Deep-Sea Life

  06-02-2017 17:06
  
  A recent underwater expedition to the Mariana Trench, the deepest known ocean spot in the world, filmed many forms of bizarre marine life close to the seafloor, and captured the first-ever footage of a shrimp feeding at record-breaking depths. Sponges on stalks, ghost-pale lizard fish and a hermit crab carrying an anemone hitchhiker were among the so-called "mud monsters" that paraded in front of the cameras of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), offering a rare glimpse of deep-sea animals' hab
  
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• Cheerleaders of the Deep: How Pom-Pom Crabs Got Their Name

  06-02-2017 17:06
  The mystery of a bizarre crab that is always found clutching two sea anemones in its claws may have been solved: The crabs clone their poufy accessories, new research suggests. Lybia leptochelis, also known as a boxer crab or a pom-pom crab, will fight over the sea anemones and then split the remaining ones in two. The split sea anemones will regenerate over the course of a few days.
  
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• 'With film, you can feel the photography': P.E.I. Photo Lab still developing film

  06-02-2017 17:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Call it the little camera shop that could: after Alhan and Keyvan Ashenai emigrated from Kuwait and took over P.E.I. Photo Lab, they've continued to develop film — a medium they say is having a renaissance.
  
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