Science news

• 'None of us can see our grades': Cambrian College hit by computer malware

  01-05-2017 23:34 via cbc.ca
  
  Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ont. is recovering from a ransomware computer attack, in which hackers held files hostage in exchange for approximately $54,000 in electronic currency or 30 bitcoins.
  
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• Water tubing accidents, table run-ins cause Neandertal-like injuries

  01-05-2017 19:57
  
  People’s injury patterns today can’t explain how Neandertals got so many head wounds.
  
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• Yik Yak social media app shutting down

  01-05-2017 16:33 via cbc.ca
  
  Location-based social media service Yik Yak says it will soon shut down, after a number of the small company's software engineers left to join another company.
  
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• Chemistry controlled on tiniest scale can create hollow nanoparticles

  01-05-2017 15:00
  
  Oxidizing tiny iron particles from the inside out reveals how oxidation works and could offer new vehicles for drugs or energy.
  
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• SpaceX successfully launches secret government spy satellite

  01-05-2017 14:47 via cbc.ca
  
  ​SpaceX launched a top-secret spy satellite for the U.S. government Monday morning and then successfully landed the booster for recycling.
  
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• Lakes worldwide feel the heat from climate change

  01-05-2017 13:00
  
  Lakes worldwide are warming with consequences for every part of the food web, from algae, to walleye, to freshwater seals.
  
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• With a Little Help from My Friends

  01-05-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A psychologist explores how grooming, singing and dancing underpin human relationships
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Zapping bacteria with sanitizers made of paper

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Rutgers University) Imagine wearing clothes with layers of paper that protect you from dangerous bacteria. A Rutgers University-led team has invented an inexpensive, effective way to kill bacteria and sanitize surfaces with devices made of paper.
  
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• 'Valleytronics' advancement could help extend Moore's Law

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University at Buffalo) A University at Buffalo-led team has discovered a new way to control energy levels between electronic valleys in 2-D semiconductors. The breakthrough could help extend Moore's Law, allowing industry to build computer chips that are faster, more powerful and cheaper that those available today.
  
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• Under pressure: Understanding how portal hypertension occurs following liver injury

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Medical University of South Carolina) Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina report that liver injury results in the loss of nitric oxide production, which causes an increase in pressure within the liver vasculature. This finding could provide a platform for the development of novel treatment options for portal hypertension.
  
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• Supercomputers assist in search for new, better cancer drugs

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center) Finding new drugs that can more effectively kill cancer cells or disrupt the growth of tumors is one way to improve survival rates for ailing patients. Researchers are using supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center to find new chemotherapy drugs and to test known compounds to determine if they can fight different types of cancer. Recent efforts have yielded promising drug candidates, potential plant-derived compounds a
  
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• Photoluminescent display absorbs, converts light into energy

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (SPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics) A study recently published in the SPIE Journal of Photonics for Energy demonstrates how to convert a luminescent solar concentrator into an energy-harvesting laser phosphor display by projecting intensity modulated light. The journal is published by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.
  
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• PETA science consortium, experts provide training to government regulators

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Seminar covering the use of computer models to reduce animal testing.
  
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• Paleontologists learning more about dinosaurs with virtual reality

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of South Florida (USF Health)) National Geographic Society names Dr. Ryan Carney an 'emerging explorer' for his digital dinosaur project. He digitizes fossils using X-ray, lasers and photogrammetry, then brings them 'back to life' with computer animation. Using virtual reality and augmented reality, paleontologists and students could interact with the dinosaurs in 3-D, allowing them to better understand their anatomy and motion without having to travel to a museum.
  
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• Pain reliever may help relieve the vision damage of glaucoma

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University) The tip of our optic nerve is typically the first place injured by glaucoma.Now researchers want to know if the powerful pain medicine (+)-pentazocine can help avoid the damage.
  
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• New porous solids may lead to better drugs

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (California Institute of Technology) Researchers have succeeded in a decades-long quest to make a new type of molecular sieve that may open new ways to produce chiral molecules.
  
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• New model for predicting presidential election results based on television viewership

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) A comparative study on predicting presidential election outcomes using models built on watch data for thousands of television shows has found that simple 'single-show models' can have high predictive accuracy. Given the recent performance of poll-data-driven models in predicting the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit vote outcomes, models based on television viewership offer an accurate predictive tool, as reported in Big Data.
  
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• International Communication Association to hold annual conference in San Diego, Calif.

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (International Communication Association) The International Communication Association will hold its annual conference May 25-29 in San Diego, Calif., at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. The theme of the 2017 conference will explore how Communication intervenes political events and social phenomena to disrupt the status quo.
  
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• Ground-breaking science recognized in major new frontiers research award

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Frontiers) With the rise of artificial intelligence, the threat of climate change and the challenges of how to feed the world, educate our children and remain healthy as we age, the world turns toward scientific research to provide the insights and breakthroughs that will improve and save lives. Frontiers Spotlight Award aims to catalyze scientific discourse each year by granting US $100,000 to organize a conference around exceptional research.
  
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• Engineering cells to make immunotherapy more effective

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Houston) Immunotherapy, in which cells from the human immune system are unleashed to fight disease, has been the big story in cancer treatment over the past few years, but there is no good way to predict who will respond. Researchers from the University of Houston are working to engineer immune cells that can work more efficiently in more people.
  
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• Earthquakes can make thrust faults open violently and snap shut

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (California Institute of Technology) Engineers and scientists experimentally observe surface twisting in thrust faults that can momentarily rip open the earth's surface.
  
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• An illuminating honor

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) Engineering professor Larry Coldren is recognized for 'major contributions to photonic integrated circuits.'
  
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• AGU releases new position statement on the rights and responsibilities of scientists

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (American Geophysical Union) Scientific research in Earth and space sciences advances our understanding of our world and contributes to strong global economies, security, and public health and safety. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) announced a newly adopted position statement, 'The Responsibilities and Rights of Scientists,' acknowledging that scientists have certain 'rights and responsibilities that must be followed individually and defended universally.'
  
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• Adjusting meds may reduce fall risk in older adults

  01-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Michigan) Simply adjusting the dose of an older adult's psychiatric medication could reduce their risk of falling, a new University of Michigan study suggests.
  
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