Science news

• Criminals used leaked NSA cyberweapon in crippling ransomware attack, experts say

  12-05-2017 22:59 via cbc.ca
  
  The attackers exploited a software bug that was also used by U.S. spies, and patched by Microsoft in March.
  
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• Video imaging reveals how immune cells sense danger

  12-05-2017 20:08
  How do T cells, the beat cops of the immune system, detect signs of disease without the benefit of eyes? Like most cells, they explore their surroundings through direct physical contact, but how T cells feel out intruders rapidly and reliably enough to nip infections and other threats in the bud has remained a mystery to researchers.
  
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• Famous tree-climbing lions of Uganda roaming farther as prey animals decrease

  12-05-2017 20:07
  Scientists in Uganda studying the behaviors of the country's famous tree-climbing lions have found that the home ranges of lion prides in the study areas have increased over time as they search farther for diminishing numbers of prey animals.
  
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• Dementia-related brain changes observed before memory or thinking problems are noticeable

  12-05-2017 20:07
  Scientists discover a potential predictor for early dementia that could inform the development of drug and therapeutic interventions to treat or slow down the disease.
  
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• Hubble catches a galaxy duo by the 'hare'

  12-05-2017 19:44
  This image shows the unusual galaxy IRAS 06076-2139, found in the constellation Lepus (The Hare).
  
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• Fossil 'winged serpent' is a new species of ancient snake, doctoral student finds

  12-05-2017 19:44
  An ancient sink hole in eastern Tennessee holds the clues to an important transitional time in the evolutionary history of snakes. Among the fossilized creatures found there, according to a new paper, is a new species of snake that lived 5 million years ago.
  
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• Large multicenter study shows high success rate for robotic PCI procedures

  12-05-2017 18:58
  Results from the PRECISION trial (Efficacy and Safety Outcomes of Radial- vs Femoral-Access Robotic Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Final Results of the Multicenter PRECISION Registry) were presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial.
  
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• How 11 deaf volunteers helped launch the space age: Bob McDonald

  12-05-2017 18:28 via cbc.ca
  
  Eleven deaf volunteers underwent astronaut stress training because of their unique immunity to space sickness.
  
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• A secretive Silicon Valley tech giant set up shop in Canada. But what does it do?

  12-05-2017 18:07 via cbc.ca
  
  Co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, spies, banks, and even chocolate maker Hershey have relied on Palantir's help to trawl through data — but what the company does in Canada is a mystery.
  
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• Stress-mitigation interventions for parents did not lessen symptoms among kids with asthma

  12-05-2017 18:05
  A $2.2 million, first-of-its kind randomized study found no differences between kids with asthma who received standard care based on National Institutes of Health guidelines compared with kids whose parents received stress-mitigation techniques in addition to evidence-based asthma care.
  
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• Why does Belgium shine so brightly?

  12-05-2017 17:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tens of thousands of people marvel over shots of brightly lit Belgium taken from space.
  
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• Faster, smaller, more powerful computer chips: Hafnia dons a new face

  12-05-2017 17:05
  As computer chips become smaller, faster and more powerful, their insulating layers must also be much more robust -- currently a limiting factor for semiconductor technology. A research team says this new phase of hafnia is an order of magnitude better at withstanding applied fields.
  
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• Fast, simple way to create two-dimensional electronic circuits

  12-05-2017 17:05
  Team discovers fast, simple way to create two-dimensional electronic circuits that could potentially lead to a new generation of electronic devices.
  
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• Counterintuitive approach to treating a brain cancer

  12-05-2017 17:05
  The loss of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN has been linked to tumor growth and chemotherapy resistance in the almost invariably lethal brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Now, researchers have shown that one way to override the growth-promoting effects of PTEN deletion is, surprisingly, to inhibit a separate tumor suppressor gene.
  
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• A dual-functional GLP-1 analogue may improve insulin sensitivity and help fight diabetes

  12-05-2017 17:05
  Scientists have discovered a dual peptide called 'PGLP-1' that promotes insulin secretion and inhibits gluconeogenesis (a metabolic process that produces glucose).
  
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• Stunning images reveal glacial landscapes under the oceans

  12-05-2017 17:00
  
  The most detailed atlas of the seafloor ever compiled offers colorful imagery and ghostly glimpses of Earth’s glacial past.
  
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• British hospital system hit by suspected ransomware attack

  12-05-2017 16:40 via cbc.ca
  
  Hospitals across the U.K. diverted ambulances and cancelled appointments after their computers and phones were disrupted by a cyberattack, which soon spread globally.
  
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• Imbalanced gut microbiome linked to systemic sclerosis, study suggests

  12-05-2017 16:33
  Americans and Norwegians with systemic sclerosis had higher levels of bacteria that can cause inflammation and lower levels of bacteria that are believed to protect against inflammation compared with healthy people.
  
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• New gelatin devices that imitate the activity of the body in bone regeneration

  12-05-2017 16:32
  A team of scientists is developing structures that can be used as scaffolding in the regeneration of bone defects and which also release growth factors.
  
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• We buy what we grasp: How our hands lead us to choose certain products

  12-05-2017 16:13
  The things we touch while shopping can affect what we buy, according to new studies. The authors suggest that tactile exposure to the object "activated the conceptual representation of that object, which then facilitated subsequent processing of the given object."
  
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• Water droplets as miniaturized test tubes

  12-05-2017 16:11
  Modern laboratory technology cannot only help develop new medicine, but also make quicker diagnoses of higher precision. Scientists have now developed laboratory equipment that facilitates the search for active substances and the examination of cell samples. Thus, costs are reduced by a factor of up to one hundred.
  
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• Study on blue tits: Smell first, and then beg

  12-05-2017 16:11
  Nestling blue tits can discriminate between the smell of other nestlings and adapt their begging behavior accordingly, suggests a new report.
  
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• Precision control of superconductivity in atomic layers using magnetic molecules

  12-05-2017 16:11
  A research team has succeeded in precisely controlling the transition temperature of atomic-scale-thick superconductors using magnetic organic molecules. The team also identified the control mechanism.
  
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• Untangling the knots in cell stress

  12-05-2017 16:04
  A new study describes how different UPR transducers are used selectively for protein correction.
  
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• Stem cells in plants and animals behave surprisingly similarly

  12-05-2017 16:04
  A new study shows that the behavior of stem cells in plants and animals is surprisingly similar. The researchers were able to produce mathematical equations that reveal very small differences in the behavior of the proteins. The results can hopefully be used in stem cell research involving humans.
  
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• Shearing of alpacas is necessary, but also stressful

  12-05-2017 16:04
  Alpacas, a species of New World camelids, have very thick wool. This requires them to be shorn regularly, just like sheep. But shearing is a source of stress for the animals. This has now been confirmed for the first time based on an evaluation of clinical, hormonal and behavioral parameters. The scientists were able to show that even the act of restraining the animals in different positions released higher concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol.
  
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• Scientists find a way to pack grains and drugs most efficiently

  12-05-2017 16:04
  Scientists have discovered a way to solve a problem that has baffled humans for so long it is mentioned in the Bible: achieving the most efficient packing of objects such as grains and pharmaceutical drugs.
  
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• Playground politics: What drives rejection amongst children?

  12-05-2017 16:04
  New research approaches the subject of rejection in a different way. It asked the children doing the rejecting, the 'rejecters,' for the reasons they disliked certain children. The study revealed the act of rejection is complex -- the behavior of the rejected child is only partly, or not at all, to blame.
  
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• Osteoarthritis could be prevented with good diet and exercise

  12-05-2017 16:04
  Osteoarthritis can potentially be prevented with a good diet and regular exercise, a new expert review reports.
  
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• In both love and war, alligators signal size by bellowing

  12-05-2017 16:04
  American alligators produce loud, low-frequency vocalizations called 'bellows'. Cognitive biologists investigated these vocalizations and found that they reveal the caller's body size. Alligators can use this information to avoid unpromising contests for mates and breeding areas.
  
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• Dig it! Two new shrimp species found in burrows at the bottom of the Gulf of California

  12-05-2017 16:04
  Although the Santa María-La Reforma lagoon complex in the Gulf of California is one of the most important areas for shrimp fishery, little is known about the crustacean species that live in burrows dug in the bottom. In addition to presenting two new species for science, the researchers collaborate to build up on the knowledge of small shrimp species living there.
  
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• Chronic childhood illness linked with later life mental health problems

  12-05-2017 16:04
  A new study into the effects of chronic physical illness in children on their life-long mental health has found that such experiences appear to increase the chances of them having depression and anxiety in adulthood.
  
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• Astronauts adjust ISS spacewalk plans after cable leak

  12-05-2017 15:43 via cbc.ca
  
  During preparations for the 200th International Space Station spacewalk, a small amount of water leaked from the connection point between an umbilical hose one of the suits, prompting engineers and the two astronauts to opt for Plan B.
  
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• X-rays from copper source set new gold standard for measuring industrial materials

  12-05-2017 15:39
  With this new, unique X-ray machine, NIST can make some of the world's most accurate measurements, and calibrate everyone else's X-rays, too.
  
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• What goes down, must come up: Stirring things up in the Earth's mantle

  12-05-2017 15:39
  New insights into the convection patterns of the Earth's mantle and its chemical makeup have been revealed. The new findings suggest that the mantle does not flow ubiquitously, as has been previously thought - and that it is instead divided into two very large domains that convect only within themselves, with little evidence of them mixing together.
  
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• Next-gen solar cells could be improved by atomic-scale redesign

  12-05-2017 15:39
  Researchers have uncovered the exact mechanism that causes new solar cells to break down in air, paving the way for a solution.
  
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• Immune cells rely on receptor to signal counterattack on parasitic worm

  12-05-2017 15:39
  Immune cells, called macrophages, may rely on a compound to signal an attack to beat back attacks from parasitic worms, according to an international team of researchers.
  
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• Electrostatic design of materials: A fundamentally new approach

  12-05-2017 15:39
  Researchers have mapped out a radically new approach for designing optical and electronic properties of materials.
  
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• 'Exit the water calmly': Helicopter warns paddleboarders they're next to 15 great white sharks

  12-05-2017 15:29 via cbc.ca
  
  A sheriff's helicopter crew warned a group of paddleboarders to get out of the ocean after spotting more than a dozen great white sharks along the Southern California coast.
  
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• Toddlers’ screen time linked to speech delays and lost sleep, but questions remain

  12-05-2017 15:00
  
  Two new studies link handheld screen time for young children to less sleep and greater risk of expressive language delays. But the results are preliminary.
  
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• Lifting your spirits doesn't require many reps

  12-05-2017 14:13
  Engaging in light or moderate physical activity such as taking a walk or going for a bike ride is the best way for normally inactive people to beat the blues and improve their sense of well-being, according to a new study. Researchers say that in this study there was no additional emotional benefit gained from working out aggressively.
  
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• Jurassic drop in ocean oxygen lasted a million years

  12-05-2017 14:13
  Dramatic drops in oceanic oxygen, which cause mass extinctions of sea life, come to a natural end -- but it takes about a million years.
  
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• Invasive lung cancer cells display symbiosis: Key to metastasis

  12-05-2017 14:13
  Lung cancer cells making up an invasive pack have specialized roles as leaders and followers, and depend on each other for mobility and survival. The genes supporting the cells' interdependence, explored with innovative cell separation techniques, could be keys to future treatments aimed at impairing cancer metastasis.
  
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• Anticancer nanomaterials created by simulating underwater volcanic conditions

  12-05-2017 14:13
  Researchers have developed anticancer nanomaterials by simulating the volcano-induced dynamic chemistry of the deep ocean. The novel method enables making nanoclusters of zinc peroxide in an environmentally friendly manner, without the use of additional chemicals. The as-synthesised zinc peroxide nanoparticles can be used as a tool for cancer therapy and against other complicated diseases.
  
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• Watch male cuttlefish fight over a female in the wild

  12-05-2017 13:00
  
  For the first time, researchers have observed the competitive mating behaviors of the European cuttlefish in the field.
  
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• Students compete for scholarships at Cineplex's college e-sports tournament in Toronto

  12-05-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  This weekend, Toronto will host the finals of the Collegiate Starleague (CSL) e-sports circuit, with some of the top university and college teams playing for $100,000 US in scholarships.
  
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• Science takes to the streets across Canada with Science Rendezvous

  12-05-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Want to learn how rockets work or the latest smartphone technology? Universities in 30 cities across the country will host more than 300 free events on May 13 aimed at bringing science to the public.
  
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• RAS funds five public engagement projects to mark 200th anniversary

  12-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Royal Astronomical Society) Planet walks and planetaria in Galway, tactile stargazing for people with sight loss, adventures in space for girls, astronomy and geophysics for rehabilitation of prisoners, and a science trailer for Cornwall make up five new public engagement projects supported by more than £400,000 from the Royal Astronomical Society. The projects, backed by the RAS 200: Sky & Earth program that celebrates the run up to the Society's bicentenary in 2020, were announced t
  
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• NASA sees intensifying Tropical Cyclone Ella now heading west

  12-05-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Cyclone Ella is intensifying and NASA observed heavy rainfall in the storm. Ella is now expected to pass to the north of Fiji which is good news for the island nation.
  
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• For anorexia nervosa, researchers implicate genetic locus on chromosome 12

  12-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of North Carolina Health Care) A landmark study led by UNC School of Medicine researchers has identified the first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa and has revealed that there may also be metabolic underpinnings to this potentially deadly illness.
  
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