Science news

• The late Hans Rosling tells the modern world's story

  07-02-2017 23:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hans Rosling, who has died in Sweden aged 68, tells 200 years of world history in four minutes.
  
  Read more

• Gulf-backed Yemeni forces capture Red Sea coast city - agency

  07-02-2017 23:43
  Yemeni government forces backed by Gulf Arab troops have secured the Red Sea coast city of al-Mokha, United Arab Emirates news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, in a push that paves the way for an advance on the country's main port city of Hodeidah. Supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have been fighting for weeks to capture the small town, which once served as a main port for exporting coffee, from the Iran-aligned Houthi that has held it since early 2015. The advance comes amid rising
  
  Read more

• Hans Rosling: Data visionary and educator dies aged 68

  07-02-2017 23:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Mr Rosling was known for lively, data-driven presentations debunking myths about global development.
  
  Read more

• MIT researchers one step closer to device that interprets tone of conversations

  07-02-2017 22:36 via cbc.ca
  
  This week, researchers from MIT will present their research into a wearable computer that can predict the emotional tone of a conversation, using artificial intelligence. The prospective device could help people with social anxiety and Asperger syndrome.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Endangered antelope 'may be wiped out'

  07-02-2017 22:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Disease has killed up to a quarter of Critically Endangered Saiga antelope in Mongolia, scientists say.
  
  Read more

• Canadian scientist working to improve autonomous vehicle tech wins fellowship

  07-02-2017 21:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Artificial intelligence will, in the not-too-distant future, be a major part of our lives. And Raquel Urtasun is working to make sure the technology behind it works seamlessly and safely.
  
  Read more

• [Research Article] Prostaglandin E2-EP2-NF-κB signaling in macrophages as a potential therapeutic target for intracranial aneurysms

  07-02-2017 21:47 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Inhibition of prostaglandin E2 signaling in macrophages may be a pharmacological option for treating intracranial aneurysms.
  
  Read more

• [Research Article] A cytoplasmic role of Wnt/ β-catenin transcriptional cofactors Bcl9, Bcl9l, and Pygopus in tooth enamel formation

  07-02-2017 21:47 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Transcriptional cofactors that participate in Wnt/ β-catenin signaling act in the cytoplasm to promote proper development of tooth enamel.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• [Editors' Choice] Tumors direct vessels to feed growth

  07-02-2017 21:47 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Blood vessels go from blocking growth factor signaling with IGFBP7 to sending the growth factor IGF1 in response to tumor-released FGF4.
  
  Read more

• [Editors' Choice] Recovering rRNA processing after heat shock

  07-02-2017 21:47 via stke.sciencemag.org
  NF-κB repressing factor controls localization and activation of an rRNA processing protein in heat stress response.
  
  Read more

• [Editors' Choice] New connections: Protein trafficking for strong bones and teeth

  07-02-2017 21:47 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Distinct mechanisms of dysregulated protein secretion result in weak bones or teeth.
  
  Read more

• [Editors' Choice] Calcineurin for T cell adhesion

  07-02-2017 21:47 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The phosphatase calcineurin not only activates transcription factors but also promotes T cell adhesion upon T cell activation.
  
  Read more

• Weekend warriors put up a fight against death

  07-02-2017 21:36
  
  Weekend warriors shove all their weekly activity into just one or two days, and it’s still enough to reduce mortality risk.
  
  Read more

• British exhibition chronicles 500 years of robots

  07-02-2017 21:30 via cbc.ca
  
  Ben Russell set about charting the evolution of automatons for an exhibition he hopes will force people to think about how androids and other robotic forms can enhance their lives.
  
  Read more

• Major global warming study again questioned, again defended

  07-02-2017 21:05
  Another round of bickering is boiling over about temperature readings used in a 2015 study to show how the planet is warming. The issue is about how readings gathered decades ago were adjusted to try to ...
  
  Read more

• New way to discover structures of membrane proteins

  07-02-2017 20:26
  Scientists have discovered a better way to extract proteins from the membranes that encase them, making it easier to study how cells communicate with each other to create human health and disease.
  
  Read more

• Genetic defects in tooth enamel conducive to development of cavities

  07-02-2017 20:26
  Bacteria are not the sole cause of cavities; tooth resistance also plays an instrumental role. Researchers demonstrate that mutated genes lead to defects in the tooth enamel and can therefore encourage the development of cavities.
  
  Read more

• Broader updrafts in severe storms may increase chance of damaging hail

  07-02-2017 20:26
  Strong updrafts -- currents of rising air -- in severe thunderstorms are a prerequisite for hail formation. The width of these updrafts may be an indicator of an increased hail threat, according to meteorologists.
  
  Read more

• Air pollution linked to heightened risk of type 2 diabetes in obese Latino children

  07-02-2017 20:26
  Latino children who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution have a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Scientists tracked children's health and respective levels of residential air pollution for about 3.5 years before associating chronic unhealthy air exposure to a breakdown in beta cells, special pancreatic cells that secrete insulin and maintain the appropriate sugar level in the bloodstream.
  
  Read more

• Why are men overlooking the benefits of marriage?

  07-02-2017 19:59
  The marriage rate in the U.S. continues to decline and the view that marriage entails a “lack of freedom” is becoming more entrenched, particularly among younger men, according to researchers.
  
  Read more

• Vizio TVs secretly tracked viewership in U.S. without consent

  07-02-2017 19:07 via cbc.ca
  
  Smart-television maker Vizio has agreed to pay $2.2 million US to authorities to settle allegations that its televisions collected information on what 11 million viewers were watching, without their consent.
  
  Read more

• Long-lasting mental health isn’t normal

  07-02-2017 18:58
  
  Those who stay mentally healthy from childhood to middle age are exceptions to the rule.
  
  Read more

• Monster Black Hole Gorges on Record-Setting Meal

  07-02-2017 17:57
  
  A supermassive black hole has been gobbling up a star for more than a decade — about 10 times longer than any previously known such meal, a new study finds. The extreme duration of this meal suggests that the star is incredibly large, or that it's being consumed more completely than any other known star that has fallen prey to a black hole, study team members said. The astronomers in the study used three space telescopes — NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Swift satellite, and the
  
  Read more

• Hubble Space Telescope captures death of star in Rotten Egg Nebula

  07-02-2017 17:54 via cbc.ca
  
  When our sun comes to the end of its roughly 10 billion-year life span, it will swell outward, swallowing Mercury, Venus and perhaps even Earth. A newly released image of a star undergoing a similar process illustrates just what this might look like.
  
  Read more

• Twitter announces more steps to combat abuse and hate

  07-02-2017 17:20 via cbc.ca
  
  ​Twitter is broadening its campaign to clamp down on hate speech and abuse.
  
  Read more

• This neuroscientist has a theory on how our brain makes predictions

  07-02-2017 17:09
  
  NYU researcher David Heeger is offering a new framework to explain how the process might work.
  
  Read more

• You can learn all about 500 years of robot history at this Science Museum exhibition

  07-02-2017 17:06
  
  The display includes a 16th-century automaton monk and a disconcertingly realistic human baby.
  
  Read more

• Here's how to win an Oscar, according to science

  07-02-2017 17:00
  
  Psychology explains what it takes to get your hands on the coveted acting award.
  
  Read more

• Sixteen aplastic anemia patients free of disease after bone marrow transplant and chemo

  07-02-2017 16:53
  Physicians report they have successfully treated 16 patients with a rare and lethal form of bone marrow failure called severe aplastic anemia using partially matched bone marrow transplants followed by two high doses of a common chemotherapy drug.
  
  Read more

• DNA 'barcoding' allows rapid testing of nanoparticles for therapeutic delivery

  07-02-2017 16:53
  Using tiny snippets of DNA as 'barcodes,' researchers have developed a new technique for rapidly screening the ability of nanoparticles to selectively deliver therapeutic genes to specific organs of the body. The technique could accelerate the development and use of gene therapies for such killers as heart disease, cancer and Parkinson's disease.
  
  Read more

• Concerns over wasting doctor's time may affect decision to see GP

  07-02-2017 16:53
  Worries over wasting their doctor's time, particularly at a time when NHS resources are stretched, may influence when and whether patients choose to see their GP, according to a study.
  
  Read more

• Deadly Fruit: Cause of Mysterious Brain Illness in India is Found

  07-02-2017 16:52
  
  The mystery of why hundreds of children in an Indian city become sick every summer with a deadly brain illness has been solved, researchers say. According to a new report, the cause of the illness appears to be the lychee fruit, which is grown widely in orchards in the city of Muzaffarpur, where the illnesses occur. Critically, the children who get sick often eat the fruit on an empty stomach, which contributes to the development of the illness, the researchers said.
  
  Read more

• How do you reintroduce a herd of bison into the wild?

  07-02-2017 16:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A herd of plains bison have been successfully reintroduced to Canada's oldest national park, more than 100 years after they were nearly hunted out of existence.
  
  Read more

• Assad says family do not own Syria, ready to be voted out

  07-02-2017 16:43
  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his family did not "own" the country they have run for 46 years, saying he would step aside if the Syrian people choose another leader in an election. Assad also told a group of Belgian reporters that he saw promise in U.S. President Donald Trump's determination to fight Islamic State, although it was too early to expect any practical steps, state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday. With backing from Russia and Iran, Assad now seems militarily unassailable
  
  Read more

• Algae survive heat, cold and cosmic radiation

  07-02-2017 16:42
  In a long-term experiment on the International Space Station, researchers studied how the extreme conditions in space affect algae. These research findings could benefit industrial applications and perhaps a mission to Mars.
  
  Read more

• RoboDragonfly: Tiny Backpack Turns Insect into a Cyborg

  07-02-2017 16:24
  
  To that end, engineers have fitted dragonflies with tiny, backpack-mounted controllers that issue commands directly to the neurons controlling the insects' flight. This project, known as DragonflEye, uses optogenetics, a technique that employs light to transmit signals to neurons. Dragonflies have large heads, long bodies and two pairs of wings that don't always flap in sync, according to a 2007 study published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
  
  Read more

• Dutch Zoo Tests 'Tinder for Orangutans' Mating Program

  07-02-2017 16:24
  
  Think of it like online dating, but for primates: A Dutch zoo is using a series of photographs on a screen to help one orangutan kick off the mating process. Breeding programs often involve international partnerships and long-distance travel of potential mates, so the Apenheul primate park in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, recently launched a four-year experiment dubbed "Tinder for orangutans." Rather than hope for the best once a male arrives at the zoo, researchers are first presenting pictures of th
  
  Read more

• Are Solar Storms Causing Mysterious Sea Animal Beachings?

  07-02-2017 16:23
  
  Why do otherwise healthy sea creatures end up stranded along coastal areas around the world? NASA scientists are searching for the answer. Whales, dolphins and porpoises — known collectively as cetaceans — partially use magnetic-field sensing to navigate.
  
  Read more

• Most Americans Say Kids Should Get Vaccinated, Poll Finds

  07-02-2017 16:22
  
  In addition, nearly three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) rated the health benefits of the MMR vaccine as "high" or "very high," while just 7 percent rated the benefits as "low." Overall, 88 percent of Americans said the benefits of the MMR vaccine outweigh the risks, the poll found. Still, parents with young children were slightly more concerned about the safety of the MMR vaccine. The poll found that about 43 percent of parents with children ages 0 to 4 years rated the risks of the MMR va
  
  Read more

• How Good Posture May Help with Depression Symptoms

  07-02-2017 16:22
  
  People with symptoms of depression may see temporary improvements to their mood by following the age-old advice to sit up straight, a new study from New Zealand suggests. About half of the participants received instructions on how to adopt a good posture (sitting up straight), and the researchers also applied sports tape to the participants' backs in a manner that's been shown to improve posture.
  
  Read more

• Here's Why Synthetic Marijuana Isn't Safe

  07-02-2017 16:21
  
  Synthetic marijuana compounds, sometimes called K2 or Spice, are actually chemically different from marijuana, and are more dangerous than pot, according to a new review of studies. Synthetic marijuana compounds are linked to a number of serious side effects, including seizures, psychosis and even death, the review's authors said. These compounds "produce a variety of dangerous acute and chronic adverse effects … with a greater severity and frequency than observed following marijuana use,
  
  Read more

• Here's How Camping Helps You Fall Asleep

  07-02-2017 16:20
  
  For people who have trouble falling asleep, a weekend camping trip could help, a new study finds. A person's biological clock is set in part by exposure to light, the researchers wrote in the study. The findings show "that a weekend camping trip can reset our [biological] clock rapidly," senior study author Kenneth Wright, an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and applied physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, said in a statement.
  
  Read more

• 478-Million-Year-Old Spiky Slug Solves Long-Held Mollusk Mystery

  07-02-2017 16:20
  
  The specimens — seven in all — were discovered in the late 2000s by Mohamed 'Ou Said' Ben Moula, a self-taught fossil collector who has uncovered hundreds, if not thousands, of specimens with fossilized soft tissues in Morocco's Fezouata Biota. Ben Moula has a working relationship with paleontologists at Yale University, and shipped the fossils to Yale, in Connecticut, so they could be studied. "I describe them as an armored, spiny slug with one single shell at the head end," said th
  
  Read more

• Harvesting Sharks Could Be Key to Saving Them

  07-02-2017 16:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Sustainable fishing of some species for products including fins is feasible, and can avoid cruel practices, study finds
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Gecko eludes foes with tearaway skin

  07-02-2017 15:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A newly discovered species of gecko has tearaway skin that leaves predators with nothing but a mouthful of scales when attacked.
  
  Read more

• Researchers use tiny 3D spheres to combat tuberculosis

  07-02-2017 15:33
  A new 3D system has been used to study human infection in the laboratory. The team, which includes infection researchers, engineers and bioinformaticians have used an electrostatic encapsulation technique to make tiny 3D spheres within which human cells are infected with tuberculosis (TB) bacteria to generate conditions that more closely reflect events in patients.
  
  Read more

• Bohr's quantum theory revised

  07-02-2017 15:33
  Bohr’s atomic model was utterly revolutionary when it was presented in 1913 but, although it is still taught in schools, it became obsolete decades ago. However, its creator also developed a much wider-ranging and less known quantum theory, the principles of which changed over time. Researchers have now analyzed the development in the Danish physicist’s thought – a real example of how scientific theories are shaped.
  
  Read more

• Scientists develop 'lab on a chip' that costs 1 cent to make

  07-02-2017 15:27
  Microfluidics, electronics and inkjet technology underlie a newly developed all-in-one biochip that can analyze cells for research and clinical applications.
  
  Read more

• New species of gecko has massive scales and tear-away skin

  07-02-2017 15:27
  Many lizards can drop their tails when grabbed, but one group of geckos has gone to particularly extreme lengths to escape predation. Fish-scale geckos in the genus Geckolepis have large scales that tear away with ease, leaving them free to escape whilst the predator is left with a mouth full of scales. Scientists have now described a new species (Geckolepis megalepis) that is the master of this art, possessing the largest scales of any gecko.
  
  Read more

• Medicare could overpay medicare advantage plans by $200 billion over ten years

  07-02-2017 15:27
  Current trends in diagnostic coding for patient risk scores will lead to Medicare overpaying Medicare Advantage (MA) plans substantially through 2026-likely to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, suggests a new report.
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!