Science news

• Black hole gets unusual 'kick' out of galaxy core thanks to gravitational waves

  24-03-2017 21:30 via cbc.ca
  
  A team of international researchers got a bit of a shock recently: A supermassive black hole — something that normally anchors the centre of a galaxy — was spotted speeding away from its home. The reason? Gravitational waves, says the research team.
  
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• Trump's proposed NASA cuts take aim at Earth science

  24-03-2017 21:02 via cbc.ca
  
  Officials at NASA were delighted that U.S. President Donald Trump's budget proposal allocates $19.1 billion for the agency, down only 0.8 per cent from last year, but the proposal also cuts several programs to study the Earth.
  
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• Astronauts complete spacewalk to retrofit space station

  24-03-2017 20:30
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Two spacewalking astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station on Friday for a 6-1/2-hour spacewalk, the first of three to prepare the orbiting laboratory for future commercial space taxis and to tackle maintenance chores, NASA TV showed.
  
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• Most Americans like science — and are willing to pay for it

  24-03-2017 18:00
  
  Americans drastically overestimate how much the government spends on science. But when correctly informed, they want the government to spend more.
  
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• Spacewalking astronauts prep space station for new parking spot

  24-03-2017 17:01 via cbc.ca
  
  NASA wants to cram in at least two more spacewalks before the station's commander returns to Earth on April 10.
  
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• Mind-Reading Computers That Can Translate Thoughts into Words

  24-03-2017 17:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  In his latest book, Adam Piore explores how bioengineers are harnessing the latest technologies to unlock untapped abilities in the human body and mind, like translating neural brain patterns of...
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Ancient Romans may have been cozier with Huns than they let on

  24-03-2017 16:38
  
  Nomadic Huns and Roman farmers shared ways of life on the Roman Empire’s fifth century frontier.
  
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• Twitter exploring subscription-based version for first time

  24-03-2017 16:13 via cbc.ca
  
  Twitter Inc. is considering whether to build a premium version of its popular Tweetdeck interface aimed at professionals, raising the possibility that it could collect subscription fees from some users for the first time.
  
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• 'Sure you want to send that photo?': Approaching the issue of sexual extortion with youth

  24-03-2017 16:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Are you sure you want to send that photo? That’s the question the Uncertain Terms campaign is hoping teenagers will ask themselves before they send compromising photos that could be used as part of sexual extortion, or sextortion.
  
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• Skin powered by the sun? Prosthetic limbs with better sense of touch being developed

  24-03-2017 15:34 via cbc.ca
  
  A new prototype from researchers at the University of Glasgow opens up the possibility for so-called 'solar-powered skin.'
  
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• Trump Wants Deep Cuts in Environmental Monitoring

  24-03-2017 12:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The administration’s proposed budget takes aim at ecosystem and climate tracking efforts across agencies 
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• The politics of Pluto: 10 years later, the bitter debate rages on

  24-03-2017 10:00 via cbc.ca
  
  More than 10 years after Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet, the debate continues, with leading scientists on both sides becoming more vociferous and maybe a little testy.
  
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• The Role of Context in Ethnic/Racial Identity Among Minority Youth

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Society for Research in Child Development) This special section of Child Development, edited by Drs. Eleanor Seaton, Stephen Quintana, Maykel Verkuyten and Gilbert Gee, adds important information to the research in this area. It includes articles from national and international scholars on how policies, relationships, and locations can influence the development and content of ethnic/racial identity among youth.
  
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• The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP): A new model that addresses limitations of traditional taxonomies

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (American Psychological Association) An inaugural publication from an international consortium of psychologists and psychiatrists offers a new approach to diagnosing mental disorders. The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) -- introduced by Dr. Roman Kotov and colleagues (Online First) in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology -- is a new, dimensional classification system of a wide range of psychiatric problems that was developed to reflect the state-of-the art scientific evidence.
  
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• Study confirms prescription weight-loss medication helps with opiate addiction recovery

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston) Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have confirmed that a prescription weight-loss pill decreases the urge to use opiates such as oxycodone. In a study published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, the researchers led by UTMB scientist Kathryn Cunningham found that the drug, lorcaserin, reduced the use and craving for the opioid oxycodone in preclinical studies.
  
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• Spread of ages is key to impact of disease, animal study finds

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Edinburgh) How a disease outbreak affects a group of animals depends on the breakdown of ages in the population, research has shown.
  
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• Schizophrenia-associated gene research funded by $3.1 million NIH grant

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Emory Health Sciences) A research team at Emory University is embarking on a multipronged study of 3q29 deletion syndrome, a genetic mutation associated with a 40-fold increased risk for schizophrenia and a range of other neuropsychiatric conditions including mild to moderate intellectual disability, autism and anxiety.
  
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• Research results in AI for drug discovery to be presented at the BioDataWorld West in San Francisco

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (InSilico Medicine, Inc.) Insilico Medicine, a Big Data analytics company applying deep learning techniques to drug discovery, biomarker development and human longevity research will present new research applying generative adversarial networks to developing new molecular structures for leads in oncology and other diseases at the BioDataWorld West, San Francisco, April 26-27.
  
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• OSIRIS-REx asteroid search tests instruments, science team

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) OSIRIS-REx did not discover any Earth-Trojan asteroids during a two-week search, but the spacecraft's cameras operated flawlessly and demonstrated they can image objects two magnitudes dimmer than originally expected.
  
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• New study identifies successful method to reduce dental implant failure

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Plymouth) A research team comprising scientists from the School of Biological Sciences, Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Engineering at the University of Plymouth, have joined forces to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a new nanocoating for dental implants to reduce the risk of peri-implantitis.
  
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• New lab-on-a-chip platform seeks to improve pathogen detection

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Future Science Group) Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute have developed a new prototype lab-on-a-chip platform for the easy and versatile detection of molecular pathogens.
  
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• New gene discovered associated with Tau, a common form of brain pathology

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Rush University Medical Center) Investigators at Rush University Medical Center and the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reported the discovery of a new gene that is associated with susceptibility to a common form of brain pathology called Tau that accumulates in several different conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, certain forms of dementia and Parkinsonian syndromes as well as chronic traumatic encephalopathy that occurs with repeated head injuries.
  
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• NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Caleb's heaviest rainfall

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical cyclone Caleb formed on March 23 in the South Indian Ocean southwest of the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. The GPM core observatory satellite had a fairly good view of the newly formed tropical cyclone when it flew overhead and analyzed its rainfall and found the heaviest precipitation was affected by westerly winds.
  
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• NASA sees System 91P coming together east of Queensland

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The area of tropical low pressure designated System 91P appears to be organizing in NASA satellite imagery on March 24. Visible imagery from NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite revealed that the tropical low is consolidating and strengthening in the Coral Sea, South Pacific Ocean.
  
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• Most Lithuanians still emigrate for economic reasons

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Kaunas University of Technology) Independent research, initiated and carried out by Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) interdisciplinary migration research cluster shows that introduction of Euro in Lithuania coincides with the fourth wave of emigration. In 2015, more than 40 thousand people left Lithuania, and in 2016 -- around 50 thousand.
  
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• Microwave-induced bismuth salts-mediated synthesis of molecules of medicinal interests

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Bentham Science Publishers) The products obtained via bismuth salts-mediated reactions are medicinally active or starting materials for the synthesis of biologically active molecules including sex hormones, anticancer agents, antibacterial agents and agents for chagas diseases.
  
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• In a quantum race everyone is both a winner and a loser

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (University of Vienna) Our understanding of the world is mostly built on basic perceptions, such as that events follow each other in a well-defined order. Such definite orders are required in the macroscopic world, for which the laws of classical physics apply. The current work by a team of physicists from the University of Vienna is the first experimental quantification of such a superposition. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Science Advances.
  
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• Hydrophobic proteins on virus surfaces can help purify vaccines

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Michigan Technological University) Through experimental and computational tests, new research expands on the theory of virus surface hydrophobicity. By being slightly water-repellent, the outer layers of proteins in virus capsids affect how it interacts with cells and the environment. Understanding this more can improve vaccine production and virus detection.
  
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• Extreme space weather: Protecting our critical infrastructure

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (European Commission Joint Research Centre) Extreme space weather has a global footprint and the potential to damage critical infrastructure on the ground and in space. A new report by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre calls for bridging knowledge gaps and for better coordination at EU level to reduce the potential impact of space weather events.
  
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• Data security in medical studies: IT researchers break anonymity of gene databases

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Saarland University) DNA profiles can reveal a number of details about individuals. There are laws in place that regulate the trade of gene data. However, these laws do not apply to an equally relevant type of genetic data, so-called microRNAs. This means that anonymity needs to be strictly maintained in microRNA studies as well. Researchers from Saarland University are able to show that a few microRNA molecules are sufficient to draw conclusions about study participants.
  
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• Clock stars: Astrocytes keep time for brain, behavior

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Washington University in St. Louis) Star-shaped cells called astrocytes, long considered boring, 'support cells,' are finally coming into their own. To everyone's surprise they even play an important role in the body's master clock, which schedules everything from the release of hormones to the onset of sleepiness.
  
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• Chance find has big implications for water treatment's costs and carbon footprint

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) A type of bacteria accidentally discovered during research supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council could fundamentally reshape efforts to cut the huge amount of electricity consumed during wastewater clean-up.The discovery has upended a century of conventional thinking. The microorganisms -- 'comammox' (complete ammonia oxidizing) bacteria -- can completely turn ammonia into nitrates.
  
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• Brain scans may help clinicians choose talk therapy or medication treatment for depression

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Emory Health Sciences) Researchers have found that specific patterns of activity on brain scans may help clinicians identify whether psychotherapy or antidepressant medication is more likely to help individual patients recover from depression.
  
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• Astronomers identify purest, most massive brown dwarf

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Royal Astronomical Society) An international team of astronomers has identified a record breaking brown dwarf (a star too small for nuclear fusion) with the 'purest' composition and the highest mass yet known. The object, known as SDSS J0104+1535, is a member of the so-called halo -- the outermost reaches -- of our galaxy, made up of the most ancient stars. The scientists report the discovery in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
  
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• Academics call for Parliament to tackle the privatization of NHS

  24-03-2017 05:00
  
  (Newcastle University) A bill to prevent the privatisation of NHS services and to reinstate the NHS in England, supported and written by Newcastle University academics, is scheduled to be debated today.
  
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• [Working Life] Learning from rejections

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Andy Tay
  
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• [This Week in Science] Why pain and stress lead to depression

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Leslie K. Ferrarelli
  
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• [This Week in Science] Using “you” to generalize from me to others

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Gilbert Chin
  
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• [This Week in Science] Tugging on Notch receptor tunes signaling

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: L. Bryan Ray
  
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• [This Week in Science] Protein-folded DNA nanostructures

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Phil Szuromi
  
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• [This Week in Science] Nanograined metals avoid going soft

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Brent Grocholski
  
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• [This Week in Science] NAD+ binding modulates protein interactions

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: L. Bryan Ray
  
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• [This Week in Science] Metal-oxide synergy

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Phil Szuromi
  
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• [This Week in Science] Making magma chambers from mush

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Brent Grocholski
  
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• [This Week in Science] Lysosomal cholesterol activates mTORC1

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: L. Bryan Ray
  
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• [This Week in Science] It's easier to see green

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Shahid Naeem
  
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• [This Week in Science] Influenz-ing IFN responses in dendritic cells

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Lindsey Pujanandez
  
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• [This Week in Science] Identifying the hosts of quasar absorbers

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Keith T. Smith
  
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• [This Week in Science] How perovskites have the edge

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Phil Szuromi
  
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• [This Week in Science] Helping T cells feel at home in the liver

  24-03-2017 01:00
  Author: Angela Colmone
  
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