Science news

• When it comes to peacock mating, plumage size matters: study

  15-03-2017 23:24
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The size and width of a peacock's proud plumage attracts the gaze of males likely sizing up rivals and of females potentially looking for mates, a survey released on Wednesday showed.
  
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• Tropical bedbugs outclimb common bedbugs

  15-03-2017 23:03
  
  A study of bedbug traps and feet names finds that tropical bedbugs are much better at scaling slippery walls than common bedbugs.
  
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• See how bacterial blood infections in young kids plummeted after vaccines

  15-03-2017 20:39
  
  Rates of pneumococcal bacteremia in children plummeted by 95 percent after the introduction of vaccines against Streptococcus bacteria.
  
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• Who is Karim Baratov, the alleged Canadian Yahoo hacker?

  15-03-2017 19:19 via cbc.ca
  
  "Workaholic. Occasional drawer. Gym rat" is how the 22-year-old describes himself on social media — an image at odds with the hacking allegations that have been levelled against Hamilton resident Karim Baratov by the FBI.
  
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• Distant galaxies lack dark matter, study suggests

  15-03-2017 19:00
  
  Slower-than-expected velocities of stars in distant galaxies, if confirmed, could reshape astronomers’ ideas of galaxy formation and evolution.
  
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• Complex Life Could Be Vastly Older Than Thought

  15-03-2017 19:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  New algae fossil discovery may reset the evolutionary time line 
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• 4 charged in massive Yahoo hack, including a Canadian

  15-03-2017 16:46 via cbc.ca
  
  The United States announced charges Wednesday against a dual Canadian-Kazakh national, two Russian intelligence officers and a fourth man, who lives in the U.S. but has ties to Russia, accusing them of a massive data breach at Yahoo that affected at least a half billion user accounts.
  
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• When the sea ice melts, juvenile polar cod may go hungry

  15-03-2017 14:45
  Polar cod fulfil a key role in the Arctic food web, as they are a major source of food for seals, whales and seabirds alike. But the polar cod themselves might soon be the hungry ones.
  
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• Researchers decipher how the body controls stem cells

  15-03-2017 14:45
  Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can develop into any type of cell in the human body. So far, however, scientists only partially understand how the body controls the fate of these all-rounders, and what factors decide whether a stem cell will differentiate, for example, into a blood, liver or nerve cell. Researchers have now identified an ingenious mechanism by which the body orchestrates the regeneration of red and white blood cells from progenitor cells.
  
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• Older women taking statins face higher risk of diabetes

  15-03-2017 14:45
  Women over 75 faced a 33 percent higher chance of developing diabetes if they were taking statins, new Australian research shows. The risk increased to 51 percent for those on high doses. Clinicians are urged to be aware of the risks when prescribing and carefully monitor elderly female patients.
  
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• An epidemic of epipens

  15-03-2017 14:44
  Prescriptions of adrenaline autoinjectors (commonly called 'epipens') for children with allergies have increased markedly in the last decade, with nearly four devices a year provided per child.
  
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• High profile Twitter accounts hijacked in Turkish-Dutch protest

  15-03-2017 12:56 via cbc.ca
  
  The diplomatic spat between Turkey and the Netherlands spread online on Wednesday when a large number of Twitter accounts, many with no apparent connection to the dispute, were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish.
  
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• Spiders top the global predator charts

  15-03-2017 12:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world's spiders consume between 400 million and 800 million tonnes of primarily insect prey every year, say scientists.
  
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• Waiting to Reprogram Your Cells? Don't Hold Your Breath

  15-03-2017 11:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  In a rethink of personalized medicine, researchers turn to banks of donor-derived stem cells
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• Our brains see black men as bigger, stronger than white men of same size: study

  15-03-2017 10:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Our memories are anything but perfect. Minutes after we witness something, our recollection begins to break down — and what we do remember can be influenced by bias and racism.
  
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• Fossils from 1.6 billion years ago may be oldest-known plants

  15-03-2017 09:40
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossils unearthed in India that are 1.6 billion years old and look like red algae may represent the earliest-known plants, a discovery that could force scientists to reassess the timing of when major lineages in the tree of life first appeared on Earth.
  
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• YouTube users be aware: Your viewing habits can be tracked

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) It's important to know that video encryption is not as secure asonce thought. Google, YouTube's parent company, is not likely to patch the gaps, since it would be prohibitively expensive to create a traffic obfuscation mechanism for every user's every video request.
  
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• World-first surveillance strategy shaped by Stirling expertise

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Stirling) The operation of surveillance cameras is the subject of a new UK strategy, shaped by a University of Stirling privacy expert.
  
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• Why CEOs of failing companies jump ship...or don't

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Arizona) The strength of an executive's social network may influence whether he or she stays or goes when a company starts to falter, according to new research led by the University of Arizona. CEOs who have strong personal relationships with business colleagues and key external stakeholders are less likely to jump ship. However, those on the opposite end of the spectrum -- whose social networks are very weak -- are also unlikely to quit, since their opportunities are more limited
  
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• Whole-body vibration may be as effective as regular exercise

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (The Endocrine Society) A less strenuous form of exercise known as whole-body vibration (WBV) can mimic the muscle and bone health benefits of regular exercise in mice, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.
  
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• Visualizing debris disk 'roller derby' to understand planetary system evolution

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Carnegie Institution for Science) When planets first begin to form, the aftermath of the process leaves a ring of rocky and icy material that's rotating and colliding around the young central star like a celestial roller derby. Analogs to our own solar system's Kuiper Belt, these disks of debris left over from planet formation can be detected by astronomers and studied to help understand the processes that create planetary systems.
  
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• UH Physicist launches new journal for materials science

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Houston) Zhifeng Ren, a University of Houston physicist and a principal investigator with the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH, has launched a new academic journal, 'Materials Today Physics,' which will focus on new and emerging materials.
  
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• UA part of international alliance to address African antivenom crisis

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Arizona Health Sciences) The African Society of Venimology, the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Autonomous University in Mexico and the VIPER Institute at the University of Arizona partner to provide biotechnology and educational support to confront the snakebite crisis on the African continent.
  
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• The way the brain processes speech could serve as a predictor of early dementia

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care) Early dementia is typically associated with memory and thinking problems; but older adults should also be vigilant about hearing and communication problems, suggest recent findings in a joint Baycrest-University of Memphis study.
  
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• The strangeness of slow dynamics

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Elhuyar Fundazioa) In a recent article published in Physical Review Letters (PRL 118, 117202 (2017)), researchers from the Nanomagnetism group at nanoGUNE reported so-far unknown anomalies near dynamic phase transitions (DPTs). Such anomalies do not exist in corresponding thermodynamic phase transitions (TPTs), and thus, they constitute a distinct difference between DPTs and TPTs, even though their equivalency was the key outcome of more than two decades of research by many groups around the gl
  
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• Study clusters health behavior groups to broaden public health interventions

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Kansas) A new study led by a University of Kansas researcher has used national health statistics and identified how to cluster seven health behavior groups based on smoking status, alcohol use, physical activity, physician visits and flu vaccination are associated with mortality.
  
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• Stress of major life events impacts women more than men, shows poll of 2,000 people

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (The Physiological Society) New research has highlighted the potential gender gap in stress, with women reporting higher stress from life events such as death of a loved one, illness, losing their smartphone and Brexit.
  
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• States with expanded Medicaid program saw higher voter turnout

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Missouri-Columbia) In a new study, Jake Haselswerdt, assistant professor of political science and public affairs at the University of Missouri, found a correlation between voter turnout and Medicaid expansion, a key component of the ACA. He says that increases in Medicaid enrollment are related to considerably higher voter turnout in states that expanded Medicaid. The effect is likely due to both an increase in turnout for new Medicaid beneficiaries and a backlash effect among con
  
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• Scientists identify a black hole choking on stardust

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT scientists using the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASASSN) have identified a black hole, choking on stardust. Data suggest black holes swallow stellar debris in bursts.
  
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• Researchers make headway toward understanding Alexander disease

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made a surprising and potentially crucial discovery about Alexander disease, a rare and fatal neurological disorder with no known cure.
  
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• Researchers discover star in closest known orbit around black hole

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Columbia University) An international team of astronomers has observed evidence of a star that whips around a black hole at a rate of nearly twice an hour. If confirmed, the finding could demonstrate the tightest orbital dance between a black hole and a companion star ever seen.
  
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• Relativistic electrons uncovered with NASA's Van Allen Probes

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Earth's radiation belts, two doughnut-shaped regions of charged particles encircling our planet, were discovered more than 50 years ago, but their behavior is still not completely understood. Now, new observations from NASA's Van Allen Probes mission show that the fastest, most energetic electrons in the inner radiation belt are not present as much of the time as previously thought.
  
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• Refugees with PTSD regulate stress differently

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Michigan State University) New Michigan State University research has found that refugees diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder regulate stress differently than those who don't have the disorder, but may have experienced similar suffering.
  
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• Quantum movement of electrons in atomic layers shows potential of materials for electronics and photonics

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Kansas) A University of Kansas research team has observed the counterintuitive motion of electrons during experiments in KU's Ultrafast Laser Lab. Because this sort of 'quantum' transport is very efficient, it could play a key role in a new type of manmade material that could be used someday in solar cells and electronics.
  
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• Quantum key system could make mobile transactions far more secure

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (The Optical Society) For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a prototype device that can send unbreakable secret keys from a handheld device to a terminal.
  
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• Protostar blazes bright, reshaping its stellar nursery

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) New ALMA observations reveal that a massive protostar, deeply nestled in its dust-filled stellar nursery, recently roared to life, shining nearly 100 times brighter than before.
  
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• Predicting long-term cognitive decline following delirium

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research) Evidence suggests that experiencing delirium after surgery can lead to long-term cognitive decline in older adults. However, not everyone who experiences delirium will suffer this fate. After a recent study, researchers at Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research and Brigham and Women's Channing Division of Network Medicine (both Harvard Medical School affiliates) have discovered that we can predict cognitive decline after postoperative de
  
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• Predicting how bad the bends will be

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Duke University) Researchers have created a new model for predicting decompression sickness after deep-sea dives that not only estimates the risk, but how severe the symptoms are likely to be. The US Navy Diving Manual may incorporate the model into its next update, as will commercial products intended to help recreational divers plan their ascents to avoid 'the bends.'
  
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• Optical fingerprint can reveal pollutants in the air

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Chalmers University of Technology) More efficient sensors are needed to be able to detect environmental pollution. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have proposed a new, sophisticated method of detecting molecules with sensors based on ultra-thin nanomaterials. The novel method could improve environmental sensing in the future. The results are published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
  
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• NTU Singapore and ELID Technology develop robot to wash and paint high-rise buildings

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Nanyang Technological University) An innovative robotic system that can clean building exteriors using water jets or give new coats of paint is now ready to serve customers in Singapore.
  
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• New electron source for materials analysis

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Forschungszentrum Juelich) Jülich physicists have succeeded in accelerating the determination of material properties as well as making it more efficient. They have developed a special electron source which greatly simplifies the measurement of material surfaces and shortens the time needed for a measurement from days to minutes.
  
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• NASA's Webb Telescope ghostly 'lights out' inspection

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The technicians who are inspecting the telescope and its expansive golden mirrors look like ghostly wraiths in this image as they conduct a 'lights out inspection' in the Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility (SSDIF) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
  
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• NASA spots sub-tropical storm 11S still swirling

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Once a tropical storm, now a sub-tropical storm, the remnants of the tropical low pressure area formerly known as 11S was spotted by NASA's Aqua satellite, still spinning in the Southern Indian Ocean.
  
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• Mapping the effects of crystal defects

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT research offers insights into how crystal dislocations -- a common type of defect in materials -- can affect electrical and heat transport through crystals, at a microscopic, quantum mechanical level. A new mathematical approach to analyzing these dislocations uses a new quasiparticle called a dislon.
  
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• 'Low-content' nutritional claims on packaged goods misleading for consumers

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Elsevier Health Sciences) Today, supermarket shelves are filled with products that make a variety of claims related to their perceived health benefits. Because there is no uniformity to what these statements mean, consumers are often left confused and ill informed. A new study found that simply making a low-content claim on the label was not a reliable indicator of a product's actual nutritional quality and that these claims may give consumers a false sense of confidence about the healthfulness
  
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• Liquid fuel for future computers

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (ETH Zurich) In the future, a new type of tiny redox flow battery will supply tightly packed electronic components with energy, while also dissipating the heat they produce.
  
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• Life origination hydrate theory

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Bentham Science Publishers) The LOH-Theory is based on the following original discoveries: highly-concentrated semi-liquid water systems saturated with functional organic substances have, at around 290 K, the so-called gas-hydrate honeycomb structure consisting of large (0.69 nm) and small (0.48 nm) cavities similar to the structure of underground methane deposits.
  
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• IT Researchers develop automatic security tests for complex systems

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Saarland University) Attackers frequently break into software systems by entering special strings of characters that exploit an existing programming vulnerability. Computer scientists from the Center for IT-Security, Privacy and Accountability (CISPA) at Saarland University are developing test procedures to prevent this kind of abuse.
  
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• Intensive medical treatment can reverse type 2 diabetes

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (The Endocrine Society) Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with intensive medical treatment using oral medications, insulin and lifestyle therapies, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
  
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• Imagining dialogue can boost critical thinking

  15-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Association for Psychological Science) Examining an issue as a debate or dialogue between two sides helps people apply deeper, more sophisticated reasoning, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
  
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