Science news

• How one app wants to make you smarter while you wait

  18-04-2017 21:20 via cbc.ca
  
  Frustrated by slow technology? A new tool from MIT will make that time wasted waiting for your tech more productive.
  
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• Large asteroid safely buzzes Earth

  18-04-2017 21:09 via cbc.ca
  
  A large asteroid discovered three years ago whipped past Earth this morning.
  
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• Asteroid to make close pass to Earth on Wednesday

  18-04-2017 21:09 via cbc.ca
  
  A large asteroid discovered three years ago will be visible to stargazers starting on Wednesday.
  
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• Autism, ADHD risk not linked to prenatal exposure to antidepressants

  18-04-2017 20:56
  
  Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, two new large studies suggest.
  
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• The kinase TPL2 activates ERK and p38 signaling to promote neutrophilic inflammation

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Tumor progression locus 2 (TPL2; also known as MAP3K8) is a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase (MAP3K) that phosphorylates the MAPK kinases MEK1 and MEK2 (MEK1/2), which, in turn, activate the MAPKs extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 (ERK1/2) in macrophages stimulated through the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R), Toll-like receptors (TLRs), or the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR). We describe a conserved and critical role for TPL2 in mediating the
  
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• The FOXM1 inhibitor RCM-1 suppresses goblet cell metaplasia and prevents IL-13 and STAT6 signaling in allergen-exposed mice

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Goblet cell metaplasia and excessive mucus secretion associated with asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease contribute to morbidity and mortality worldwide. We performed a high-throughput screen to identify small molecules targeting a transcriptional network critical for the differentiation of goblet cells in response to allergens. We identified RCM-1, a nontoxic small molecule that inhibited goblet cell metaplasia and excessive mucus production in mice after exposure
  
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• Stress signals in plants

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Selective autophagy mediates the cross-talk between plant growth and stress signaling pathways.
  
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• 'Soil your undies' to test the quality of your soil

  18-04-2017 19:55 via cbc.ca
  
  The Soil Conservation Council of Canada is encouraging people to bury their underwear in the garden. This comes as part of national soil conservation week and the Soil Your Undies Campaign.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (385)

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles show that combining antiangiogenic therapy and immune checkpoint inhibition improves antitumor immunity.
  
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• Paper of note in Science 356 (6334)

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s article highlights the contribution of T cell reactivity to nonviral antigens to the success of adoptive T cell transfer in treating a virus-driven cancer.
  
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• Microbes stimulate hair follicles

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Commensal microbes induce hair follicles to release a chemokine that recruits regulatory T cells into neonatal skin.
  
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• Highlight: A new way to block the development of asthma from dust mites

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Targeting a transcription factor, generally considered to be "nondruggable," may help to prevent asthma from developing.
  
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• Control of potassium homeostasis is an essential function of the second messenger cyclic di-AMP in Bacillus subtilis

  18-04-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The second messenger cyclic di–adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) is essential in the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis and in related pathogenic bacteria. It controls the activity of the conserved ydaO riboswitch and of several proteins involved in potassium (K+) uptake. We found that the YdaO protein was conserved among several different bacteria and provide evidence that YdaO functions as a K+ transporter. Thus, we renamed the gene and protein KimA (K+ importer A). Reporter
  
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• Liftoff: University of Alberta satellite rockets into orbit

  18-04-2017 17:35 via cbc.ca
  
  With an explosion of rocket fuel and plume of smoke, a tiny satellite made by a group of Edmonton students has begun its journey, while propelling Alberta into the space industry.
  
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• NASA provides 1st live 360-degree view of launch to space station

  18-04-2017 16:30 via cbc.ca
  
  Want the world's best, up-close view of a rocket launch without being right there on site? For the first time, cameras will provide a live, immersive video of a rocket heading toward space.
  
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• Giant sea scorpions used serrated tail spines to slay prey, Edmonton study finds

  18-04-2017 16:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Ancient sea scorpions, which once crawled the primordial seas, used serrated, slashing tail spines to overpower their prey, new research from the University of Alberta suggests.
  
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• Sunken Pleasure: California Will Need Mountains of Sand to Save Its Beaches

  18-04-2017 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Up to two thirds of SoCal’s sandy shores may erode by 2100 without extra human help
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• How Bacteria-Laden Poop Is Killing American Squash and Melons

  18-04-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A deadly microscopic foe is giving the gourds “heart failures”
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Disgraced lab worker's actions sees Massachusetts dismiss thousands of cases

  18-04-2017 11:47 via cbc.ca
  
  Prosecutors moved to throw out several thousand drug convictions on Tuesday in Massachusetts, five years after a chemist at the state drug lab was caught tampering with evidence and falsifying tests.
  
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• Disgraced lab worker's actions could see Mass. dismiss thousands of cases

  18-04-2017 11:47 via cbc.ca
  
  District attorneys in Massachusetts are facing a key deadline as they continue to deal with the damage caused by the misconduct of a former state drug lab chemist.
  
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• Why we should be thanking Burger King for hijacking our smart home devices

  18-04-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Last week, Burger King ran a television ad asking, "Okay Google, what is the Whopper Burger?" which triggered smart home device in viewers' homes. Many users are understandably annoyed, but the effect of the ad might not be all bad.
  
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• UTSA professor's study describes new way to predict tumor growth

  18-04-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at San Antonio) A new study by Yusheng Feng, professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), describes an algorithm that can predict the growth of cancerous tumors, which could help medical professionals judge the best treatment options for patients.
  
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• New method can model chemistry in extreme magnetic fields of white dwarfs

  18-04-2017 06:00
  
  (American Institute of Physics) Approximately 10-20 percent of white dwarfs exhibit strong magnetic fields, which can reach up to 100,000 tesla. However, on Earth, the strongest magnetic fields that can be generated using nondestructive magnets are about 100 tesla. Therefore, studying the chemistry in such extreme conditions is only possible using theory and until now has not provided much insight to the spectra accompanying white dwarfs. Researchers describe their work modeling these systems in
  
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• NASA sees lingering remnants of Tropical Cyclone 02W

  18-04-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The remnant clouds associated with former Tropical Cyclone 02W continued to linger in the South China Sea when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead.
  
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• NASA measures rainfall rates in Tropical Cyclone Maarutha

  18-04-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm Maarutha became the first tropical cyclone of 2017 in the Bay of Bengal when it formed on April 15, 2017. Although the tropical cyclone only lived two days, NASA gathered rainfall rate data on it on the day it developed.
  
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• Hydrogen halo lifts the veil of our galactic home

  18-04-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Arizona) UA astronomers Huanian Zhang and Dennis Zaritsky have reported the first detections of diffuse hydrogen wafting about in a vast halo surrounding the Milky Way.
  
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