Science news

• Autism Starts Months before Symptoms Appear, Study Shows

  15-02-2017 23:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Flagging children early offers the possibility of more effective treatment
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• Gastric bypass controls diabetes long term better than other methods

  15-02-2017 23:06
  
  Bariatric surgery outperforms other weight-loss measures in the longest-term study yet of diabetes outcomes.
  
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• Fossils show quick rebound of life after ancient mass extinction

  15-02-2017 22:32
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossils including sharks, sea reptiles and squid-like creatures dug up in Idaho reveal a marine ecosystem thriving relatively soon after Earth's worst mass extinction, contradicting the long-held notion life was slow to recover from the calamity.
  
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• Fossil gives 1st evidence of live birth in ancient reptile thought to lay only eggs

  15-02-2017 22:18 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists have found a 250-million-year-old fossil with an embryo inside the mother, evidence of live birth by a group of animals that were thought to reproduce only by laying eggs.
  
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• Father's diet impacts on son's ability to reproduce, study in flies suggests

  15-02-2017 21:00
  The view that males just pass on genetic material and not much else to their offspring has now been debunked. Instead, new research found a father's diet can affect their son's ability to out-compete a rival's sperm after mating.
  
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• Increased levels of active vitamin D can help to optimize muscle strength

  15-02-2017 20:59
  Researchers have shown that increasing the levels of active vitamin D can help to optimize muscle strength in humans.
  
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• 3-D reconstruction of skull suggests a small crocodile is a new species

  15-02-2017 20:59
  A small crocodyliform dinosaur may be a new species.
  
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• Genome analysis helps keep deadly brain cancer at bay for five years

  15-02-2017 20:20
  An analysis of a patient’s deadly brain tumor helped doctors identify new emerging mutations and keep a 55-year old woman alive for more than five years, researchers report.
  
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• New malaria vaccine effective in clinical trial

  15-02-2017 19:16
  Researchers have demonstrated in a clinical trial that a new vaccine for malaria called Sanaria® PfSPZ-CVac has been up to 100 percent effective when assessed at 10 weeks after last dose of vaccine. For the trial, scientists used malaria parasites provided by Sanaria.
  
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• Scientists discover how epithelial cells maintain constant cell numbers

  15-02-2017 19:15
  New research shows how epithelial cells naturally turn over, maintaining constant numbers between cell division and cell death.
  
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• How to roll a nanotube: Demystifying carbon nanotubes' structure control

  15-02-2017 19:15
  A key advancement in the design of high performance carbon-based electronics has been made by scientists, outlines a new report.
  
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• Global ocean de-oxygenation quantified

  15-02-2017 19:15
  The ongoing global change causes rising ocean temperatures and changes the ocean circulation. Therefore less oxygen is dissolved in surface waters and less oxygen is transported into the deep sea. This reduction of oceanic oxygen supply has major consequences for the organisms in the ocean. Scientists have now published the most comprehensive analysis on oxygen loss in the world's oceans and their cause so far.
  
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• Unearthed essay on alien life reveals Churchill the scientist

  15-02-2017 19:10
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - A newly unearthed essay by Winston Churchill shows Britain's wartime leader was uncannily prescient about the possibility of alien life on planets orbiting stars other than the Sun.
  
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• MRIs predict which high-risk babies will develop autism as toddlers

  15-02-2017 19:07
  Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in infants with older siblings with autism, researchers from around the country were able to correctly predict 80 percent of those infants who would later meet criteria for autism at two years of age.
  
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• A cultural catch: Evolution of wooden halibut hooks carved by native people of the northwest coast

  15-02-2017 19:05
  A scholar has examined the evolution of wooden halibut hooks carved by native people of the Northwest Coast.
  
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• Scientists take aim at obesity-linked protein

  15-02-2017 19:04
  Scientists have shown that deleting the gene for this protein, known as IP6K1, protects animal models from both obesity and diabetes.
  
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• How temperature guides where species live, where they'll go

  15-02-2017 19:04
  A new study could prove significant in answering among the most enduring questions for ecologists: Why do species live where they do, and what are the factors that keep them there? The ranges of animals in the world's temperate mountain areas -- often presumed to be determined by competition -- may actually be determined more by temperature and habitat. The findings indicate that species living in temperate mountain habitats could face even greater repercussions from climate change than previous
  
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• Autism detectable in brain long before symptoms appear

  15-02-2017 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The discovery could lead to better tests and therapies for children with autism.
  
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• Winston Churchill's views on aliens revealed in lost essay

  15-02-2017 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A newly unearthed essay by Winston Churchill reveals he was open to the possibility of life on other planets.
  
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• Using 'Scotch tape' and laser beams, researchers craft new material that could improve LED screens

  15-02-2017 18:15
  Researchers report a new bilayer material, with each layer measuring less than one nanometer in thickness, that someday could lead to more efficient and versatile light emission.
  
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• The flu gets cold

  15-02-2017 18:14
  In an effort to one day eliminate the need for an annual flu shot, a group of researchers is exploring the surface of influenza viruses, which are covered by a protein called “hemagglutinin” (HA). This particular protein is used like a key by viruses to open cells and infect them, making it an ideal target for efforts to help the body's immune system fight off a wide range of influenza strains.
  
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• Swishing with mouth rinse may improve athletic performance

  15-02-2017 18:14
  Endurance athletes looking to improve their times might consider swishing with a mouth rinse that contains a little sugar during their next performance.
  
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• Is it a butt or a bug? Newly discovered beetle masquerades as ant's backside

  15-02-2017 18:14 via cbc.ca
  
  A newly discovered species of beetle gets around by sinking its teeth into the waist of a predatory army ant and disguising itself as the bigger bug's backside.
  
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• Is it a butt or a bug? Newly discovered beetle disguises itself as ant's backside

  15-02-2017 18:14 via cbc.ca
  
  A newly discovered species of beetle gets around by sinking its teeth into the waist of a predatory army ant and disguising itself as the bigger bug's backside.
  
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• DNA patterns can unlock how glucose metabolism drives cancer, study finds

  15-02-2017 18:14
  Less aggressive cancers are known to have an intact genome--the complete set of genes in a cell--while the genome of more aggressive cancers tends to have a great deal of abnormalities. Now, a new multi-year study of DNA patterns in tumor cells suggests that these aberrant genetic signatures are not random but reflect selective forces in tumor evolution.
  
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• Birth may not be a major microbe delivery event for babies

  15-02-2017 18:13
  
  A study of mother-baby duos suggests that birth itself may not be the main event for getting microbes in and on babies.
  
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• Scientists report ocean data from under Greenland's Petermann Glacier

  15-02-2017 18:11
  Based on data from the first ocean sensors deployed under Greenland's Petermann Glacier, researchers report that the floating ice shelf is strongly coupled, or tied, to the ocean below and to the adjacent Nares Strait. Warming temperatures recorded at the deepest ocean sensors match data from Nares Strait, which connects the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
  
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• No, that's not a brown recluse spider bite

  15-02-2017 18:10
  A retired entomologist and two dermatologists who specialize in treating brown recluse bites have co-authored a just-published paper that describes expressions of skin conditions that are often misdiagnosed as bites from the brown recluse spider.
  
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• New pathway for Greenland meltwater to reach ocean

  15-02-2017 18:10
  Cracks in the Greenland Ice Sheet let one of its aquifers drain to the ocean, new NASA research finds. The aquifers, discovered only recently, are unusual in that they trap large amounts of liquid water within the ice sheet. Until now, scientists did not know what happened to the water stored away in this reservoir -- the discovery will help fine tune computer models of Greenland's contribution to sea level rise.
  
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• Psychiatrists Debate Weighing in on Trump's Mental Health

  15-02-2017 17:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A longstanding code of ethics prohibits diagnosing public figures from afar
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• App aims to keep couples happy in relationship with quiz-style game

  15-02-2017 17:09 via cbc.ca
  
  There's a huge number of apps and services that promise to help you find love. But there are about a handful of apps specifically designed for people who have already found love. Happy Couples is one of them. CBC technology columnist Dan Misener explores the quiz-style game, aimed at keeping relationships together.
  
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• NASA's Mars 2020 Rover: Stepping Stone to What?

  15-02-2017 16:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  After intense debate, planetary scientists have selected three finalist landing sites for an ambitious U.S. mission that will set the course for future Mars exploration
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• Antarctic sea ice hits record low early data shows

  15-02-2017 16:26 via cbc.ca
  
  Sea ice around Antarctica has shrunk to the smallest annual extent on record after years of resisting a trend of man-made global warming, preliminary U.S. satellite data showed on Tuesday.
  
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• New economic water-splitting catalyst: Ruthenium-based material

  15-02-2017 16:15
  Researchers in South Korea have developed an exiting new catalyst -- a ruthenium (Ru)-based material -- that can split water into hydrogen almost as well as platinum can.
  
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• 'The blob' of abnormal conditions boosted Western US ozone levels

  15-02-2017 16:14
  Ozone levels in June 2015 were significantly higher than normal over a large swath of the Western US. Analysis ties this air quality pattern to the abnormal conditions in the northeast Pacific Ocean, nicknamed 'the blob.'
  
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• Researchers kill brain cancer in mice with combination immunotherapies

  15-02-2017 16:14
  A combination of drugs known as SMAC Mimetics and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) amplifies kill rates of cancer tumor cells in laboratory testing.
  
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• Brain study: Motor cortex contributes to word comprehension

  15-02-2017 16:14
  Researchers have experimentally confirmed the hypothesis, whereby comprehension of a word's meaning involves not only the 'classic' language brain centers but also the cortical regions responsible for the control of body muscles, such as hand movements. The resulting brain representations are, therefore, distributed across a network of locations involving both areas specialized for language processing and those responsible for the control of the associated action.
  
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• India launches record 104 satellites at one go

  15-02-2017 16:09
  
  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India successfully launched 104 satellites in a single mission on Wednesday, setting what its space agency says is a world record of launching the most satellites at one go.
  
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• Extreme waves caught with higher-resolution modeling

  15-02-2017 15:28
  A new study shows that high-resolution models captured hurricanes and big waves that low-resolution ones missed. Better extreme wave forecasts are important for coastal cities, the military, the shipping industry, and surfers.
  
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• India successfully launches 104 satellites into space

  15-02-2017 15:18 via cbc.ca
  
  ​India's space agency said it successfully launched more than 100 foreign nano satellites into orbit Wednesday aboard a single rocket.
  
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• Sound waves could take a tsunami down a few notches

  15-02-2017 15:00
  
  A tsunami’s ferocious force could be taken down a few notches with a pair of counter waves.
  
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• New Doppler sound database could help those suffering from heart conditions

  15-02-2017 14:45
  Handheld devices can scan the lower limbs of a patient and 'listen' to the blood flow, providing vital early indication of problems that could lead to strokes or heart attacks.  But inexperience or lack of training sometimes mean that clinicians do not properly interpret what they hear and therefore miss the warning signs. Now a new research project aims to build a digital library of the different foot and leg artery sounds recorded during the Doppler ultrasound procedure.
  
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• Risk of rapid North Atlantic cooling in 21st century greater than previously estimated

  15-02-2017 14:44
  The possibility of major climate change in the Atlantic region has long been recognized and has even been the subject of a Hollywood movie: The Day After Tomorrow. To evaluate the risk of such climate change, researchers developed a new algorithm to analyze the 40 climate models considered by the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Their findings raise the probability of rapid North Atlantic cooling during this century to nearly 50%.
  
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• New antibiotic from bacteria found on Kenyan ant could help beat MRSA

  15-02-2017 14:44
  A new antibiotic, produced by bacteria found on a species of African ant, is very potent against antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ like MRSA according to scientists.
  
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• Closer look at atomic motion in molecules may benefit biotech researchers

  15-02-2017 14:44
  Every molecule holds a complex landscape of moving atoms – and the ability to single out and examine individual nuclear vibrations may unlock to the secret to predicting and controlling chemical reactions. Now a new method enables biotech researchers to do just that.
  
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• Alien species on the rise worldwide

  15-02-2017 14:44
  Although it was known that the number of alien species increased during the last decades, it remained unclear whether or not the accumulation of alien species has already reached a point of slow-down. A new study on the topic has an answer now: for all groups of organisms on all continents, the number of alien species has increased continuously during the last 200 years.
  
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• Some marine creatures may be more resilient to harsher ocean conditions than expected

  15-02-2017 14:41
  As the world continually emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the oceans are taking a hit, absorbing some of it and growing more acidic. Among other effects, scientists have found that coral reefs and oyster hatcheries are deteriorating as a result. However, scientists studying a type of sea snail report a bit of bright news: The animal can adapt by rejiggering its shell-making process and other functions.
  
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• Learning chemistry within Minecraft video game

  15-02-2017 14:41
  Scientists are exploring whether teaching real-world science through a popular computer game may offer a more engaging and effective educational approach than traditional concepts of instruction. A group of 39 college students from diverse majors played an enhanced version of the popular video game "Minecraft" and learned chemistry in the process, despite being given no in-class science instruction.
  
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• How disturbances interact with a dynamic space-time fabric: 'Field patterns' as a new mathematical object

  15-02-2017 14:41
  Mathematicians propose a theoretical framework to understand how waves and other disturbances move through materials in conditions that vary in both space and time. The theory is called 'field patterns.'
  
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• Flat-footed fighters: Heel-down posture in great apes and humans confers a fighting advantage

  15-02-2017 14:41
  Walking on our heels, a feature that separates great apes, including humans, from other primates, confers advantages in fighting, according to a new study. Although moving from the balls of the feet is important for quickness, standing with heels planted allows more swinging force, suggesting that aggression may have played a part in shaping our stance.
  
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