Science news

• Arctic sea ice may vanish even if world achieves climate goal, study says

  06-03-2017 21:06 via cbc.ca
  
  Arctic sea ice may vanish in summers this century even if governments achieve a core target for limiting global warming set by almost 200 nations in 2015, scientists said on Monday.
  
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• Diamonds discovered for 1st time in Manitoba

  06-03-2017 20:32 via cbc.ca
  
  Very small diamonds have been discovered in Manitoba, a first for the province, says a geologist.
  
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• William Shatner's guide to Mars

  06-03-2017 19:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Star Trek actor takes you on a fact-fuelled cosmic journey to the mysterious Red Planet.
  
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• Canadian Space Agency narrows astronaut candidates to 32

  06-03-2017 18:50 via cbc.ca
  
  The Canadian Space Agency has narrowed its search for the next Canadian astronauts from 72 down to 32.
  
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• Why Google Home is spreading a fake story about Barack Obama plotting a coup

  06-03-2017 18:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A video showing Google Home detailing a bogus conspiracy theory about Barack Obama highlights a major problem with how the search giant uses "featured snippets" to answer questions.
  
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• Magnetism helps black holes blow off gas

  06-03-2017 17:00
  
  The turbulent winds that swirl around black holes are probably driven by magnetic fields, scientists say.
  
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• Bats Use Body Odor to Sniff Out the Best Mates

  06-03-2017 17:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The flying mammals use bat scents to find sexual partners who have optimum genetic compatibility
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Fitbit aims to help wearers get better, longer sleep

  06-03-2017 16:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Fitbit, whose devices encourage people to walk 10,000 steps each day, now wants to put them to sleep as well.
  
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• Prize for cracking brain's 'feel good' system

  06-03-2017 16:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Three UK-based scientists who have studied the brain’s reward centre win a prestigious prize worth 1m euros.
  
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• Work on brain's reward system wins scientists a million euro reward

  06-03-2017 16:29
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Three neuroscientists won the world's most valuable prize for brain research on Monday for pioneering work on the brain's reward pathways - a system that is central to human and animal survival as well as disorders such as addiction and obesity.
  
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• Coal collapse drives down UK carbon emissions

  06-03-2017 16:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A collapse in the use of coal has driven UK carbon emissions down to levels barely seen since the Victorian era, new figures show.
  
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• Anesthesia for youngsters is a tricky calculation

  06-03-2017 15:00
  
  Scientists, doctors and parents face uncertainty when it comes to anesthesia for babies.
  
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• Identity of ‘Tully monster’ still a mystery

  06-03-2017 13:00
  
  Paleontologists challenge whether the Tully monster actually was a vertebrate because it lacks key vertebrate structures.
  
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• IBM's online quantum machine gets faster

  06-03-2017 09:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  IBM wants to open out quantum computing to the business community and increase usage for programmers.
  
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• World's largest autism genome database shines new light on many 'autisms'

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Autism Speaks) The newest study from the Autism Speaks MSSNG project -- the world's largest autism genome sequencing program -- identified an additional 18 gene variations that appear to increase the risk of autism. The new report appears this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience. It involved the analysis of 5,205 whole genomes from families affected by autism -- making it the largest whole genome study of autism to date.
  
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• World-first synthetic receptor mimics how cells 'talk' to the world around them

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Bristol) Researchers from the University of Bristol have found a way to mimic the way cells in living organisms 'talk' to the world around them by creating a world-first synthetic receptor which can respond to chemical signals just like its natural equivalent.
  
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• What's the real extent of industry payments to doctors?

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Springer) More than three in every five Americans see a doctor who receives some form of payment from industry. This is according to a new survey led by Genevieve Pham-Kanter of Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health in the US. It is the first nationally representative study to examine the prevalence of industry payments among the general population of patients. The survey1appeared in the Journal of General Internal Medicine2, published by Springer.
  
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• Virtual reality training for 'safety-critical' jobs

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Exeter) New virtual reality training could help prevent accidents in 'safety-critical' industries like the NHS, aviation, the military and nuclear power.
  
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• Vesicle formation findings could pave way for liquid biopsies, drug delivery devices

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Carnegie Mellon University) Engineers at Carnegie Mellon University and biomedical researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Magee-Womens Research Institute have established a framework for understanding the mechanics that underlie vesicle formation. Their findings can be used to help develop liquid biopsies for a range of diseases and to develop new drug delivery vehicles.
  
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• Very different cities have similar potential for ride sharing

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) A newly published study co-authored by MIT researchers suggests that urban ride-sharing is feasible in a wide variety of cities around the globe -- and indeed that the potential 'shareability' of autos in those places is more similar, from place to place, than previously expected.
  
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• The influence of stimulants on performance when playing chess

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz) High-performance tournament chess players can actually enhance the highly complex cognitive functions they require by taking substances such as the CNS stimulant methylphenidate or the wakefulness promoter modafinil and thus win more chess matches -- unless they are under time pressure.
  
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• The Darknet protects itself by being more robust against attacks

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Universitat Rovira i Virgili) URV researchers have discovered why cyberattacks usually fail against the Darknet, a part of the internet that guarantees users' privacy and anonymity. This hidden network is used for sensitive and often illegal purposes such as drug trafficking or exchanging child pornography and can counter large attacks on its own by spontaneously adding more network capacity.
  
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• Study finds disruptive children do not inspire similar behavior in their siblings

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (American Friends of Tel Aviv University) A new Tel Aviv University study finds that the disruptive behavior of individual children does not encourage similar behavior in their brothers and sisters.
  
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• Star clusters discovery could upset the astronomical applecart

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research) The discovery of young stars in old star clusters could send scientists back to the drawing board for one of the Universe's most common objects.By cross-matching the locations of several thousand young stars with the locations of stellar clusters in neighboring galaxy, the researchers found 15 stellar candidates that were much younger than other stars within the same cluster.
  
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• Space energy technology restored to make power stations more efficient

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Elsevier) Satellite-powering technology that was abandoned decades ago has been reinvented to potentially work with traditional power stations to help them convert heat to electricity more efficiently, meaning we would need less fossil fuel to burn for power. A new study in Nano Energy presents a prototype energy converter, which uses graphene instead of metal, making it almost seven times more efficient.
  
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• Smartphone interruptions: Are yours relentless and annoying?

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Rutgers University) Does your smartphone spew a relentless stream of text messages, push alerts, social media messages and other noisy notifications? Well, Rutgers experts have developed a novel model that can predict your receptiveness to smartphone interruptions. It incorporates personality traits and could lead to better ways to manage a blizzard of notifications and limit interruptions - if smartphone manufacturers get on board.
  
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• SF State researchers create new tool that measures active learning in classrooms

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (San Francisco State University) A new tool developed by San Francisco State researchers that uses classroom sounds may solve the biggest outstanding question in undergraduate science education ? namely, what teaching methods are actually being used in college classrooms, and how can they be monitored?
  
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• Scientists show cognitive-enhancing drugs can improve chess play

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) The first study to both show and measure the effects of cognitive-enhancing drugs such as modafinil, methylphenidate (best known under the trade name Ritalin), and caffeine, on chess play is being published in the March edition of the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsychopharmacology. This shows significant cognitive improvements for modafinil and methylphenidate, and may have influence how these drugs are used off-label in a range of activities
  
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• Save the date: Major research conference on child development in Austin - April 6-8, 2017

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Society for Research in Child Development) The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) will hold its Biennial Meeting in Austin at the Austin Convention Center from April 6-8, 2017. This meeting brings together thousands of leading US and international experts to present and learn about the latest interdisciplinary research in child development. Attendance is free to all members of the media.
  
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• Robot uses social feedback to fetch objects intelligently

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Brown University) By enabling them to ask a question when they're confused, an algorithm developed at Brown University helps robots get better at fetching objects, an important task for future robot assistants.
  
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• Revealing the origin and nature of the outskirts of stellar megalopolises

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)) This is the most detailed study of the outskirts of massive elliptical galaxies at half the age of the Universe and contributes to the understanding of how the largest galaxies of the Universe evolved over time.
  
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• Research survey evaluates attitudes toward microfluidics-based cell culture

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Future Science Group) A new article published in Future Science OA from Shery Huang and colleagues at the University of Cambridge has attempted to address this issue by determining the ideal qualities of such technology from the point of view of the end users, the biomedical community.
  
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• Research into palliative care top priority for cancer patients

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Surrey) How and when people are referred to palliative care should be prioritised according to cancer patients, a new study in the Oncology Nursing Forum has found.
  
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• Random process analysis could give a woman more information about which infertility treatment is best

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University) It's been used to study automobile cruise control systems and population growth of certain animal species, and now researchers think Markov modeling could one day help a woman and her physician better peruse infertility treatment options.
  
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• QUT joins new intelligent transport center

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Queensland University of Technology) QUT will join a new research and development center designed to deliver better transport systems for Australia, after today's announcement by the Federal Government of a $55 million grant to establish the iMOVE Collaborative Research Centre. The iMOVE CRC funding and 10-year timeframe will enable the 46 partners, including leading government, industry and researchers, to develop technology outcomes that will benefit the whole of Australia.
  
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• Proper movements in Muslim prayer ritual can reduce lower back pain

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Binghamton University) Five times a day, roughly 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, bow, kneel, and place their foreheads to the ground in the direction of the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Islamic prayer ritual, the Salat.According to research at Binghamton University, State University of New York, the complex physical movements of the ritual can reduce lower back pain if performed regularly and properly.
  
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• Penn physician pioneers new reconstructive surgery for female genital mutilation

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) There is new hope for the hundreds of millions of women worldwide who have been subjected to genital mutilation. A surgeon in Penn Medicine's Center for Human Appearance has developed a reconstructive procedure that can increase sexual function and, patients' early experiences suggest, help heal the emotional and psychological wounds associated with the mutilation.
  
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• New study sheds light on the darker side of business travel

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Surrey) A new study from the University of Surrey finds that regular business travelers either flourish or flounder in their role.
  
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• New method rescues donor organs to save lives

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science) Researchers from Columbia Engineering and Columbia University Medical Center have -- for the first time -- maintained a fully functional lung outside the body for several days. They designed the cross-circulation platform that maintained the viability and function of the donor lung and the stability of the recipient over 36-56 hours, used the advanced support system to fully recover the functionality of lungs injured by ischemia and
  
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• New materials could turn water into the fuel of the future

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (California Institute of Technology) Combining computational with experimental approaches, researchers identify 12 new materials with potential use in solar fuels generators.
  
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• New evidence for a water-rich history on Mars

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Mars may have been a wetter place than previously thought, according to research on simulated Martian meteorites conducted, in part, at Berkeley Lab.
  
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• New deep learning techniques analyze athletes' decision-making

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Disney Research) Sports analytics is routinely used to assign values to such things as shots taken or to compare player performance, but a new automated method based on deep learning techniques -- developed by researchers at Disney Research, California Institute of Technology and STATS, a supplier of sports data -- will provide coaches and teams with a quicker tool to help assess defensive athletic performance in any game situation.
  
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• New blood test could help detect and locate cancer early on

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - San Diego) Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new blood test that could detect cancer -- and locate where in the body the tumor is growing. The study could provide a way to diagnose cancer early on without having to do invasive surgical procedures like biopsies. Researchers published their findings March 6 in Nature Genetics.
  
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• New approach for matching production and consumption of renewable electricity

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is coordinating the BALANCE project, which brings together leading European research institutes in the field of electrochemical conversion.
  
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• NASA takes a double-look at Tropical Cyclone Blanche

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Cyclone Blanche formed on March 5 near Australia's Top End, and made landfall the next day as NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead gathering images in visible and infrared light.
  
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• NASA sees powerful Tropical Cyclone Enawo threatening Madagascar

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Cyclone Enawo has continued to intensify while moving toward Madagascar. NASA's Aqua satellite showed the development of an eye, while the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM found heavy rainfall in the storm.
  
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• Maintaining an active sex life may lead to improved job satisfaction, engagement in work

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Oregon State University) Maintaining a healthy sex life at home boosts employees' job satisfaction and engagement at the office, underscoring the value of a strong work-life balance, an Oregon State University researcher has found.
  
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• Low-cost monitoring device uses light to quickly detect oil spills

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (The Optical Society) Researchers have developed a simple device that can detect an oil spill in water and then pinpoint the type of oil present on the surface. The device is designed to float on the water, where it could remotely monitor a small area susceptible to pollution or track the evolution of contamination at a particular location.
  
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• It's a bird, it's a plane, it's -- a key discovery about human memory

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (Johns Hopkins University) As Superman flies, people on the ground famously suppose they see a bird, then a plane, and then finally realize it's a superhero. But they haven't just spotted the Man of Steel -- they've experienced the ideal conditions to create a very strong memory of him.
  
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• Innovations to prevent heart disease take center stage at EuroPrevent congress

  06-03-2017 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) Innovations to prevent heart disease will take centre stage at EuroPrevent 2017 in Malaga, Spain.EuroPrevent is the annual congress of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology, a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology. EuroPrevent 2017 takes place April 6-8 at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Malaga.
  
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