Science news

• Regulator renews TV licences, imposes roadblocks for shutting local stations

  15-05-2017 22:58 via cbc.ca
  
  Canada's big TV ownership groups will have to jump over new hurdles if they want to shutter any of their local TV stations, according to licence renewals granted today by the country's broadcast regulator.
  
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• U.S. Hospitals Not Immune to Crippling Cyber Attacks

  15-05-2017 22:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Outdated systems and earlier breaches underscore America's health care data security risks
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• WannaCry ransomware: What you need to know

  15-05-2017 20:06 via cbc.ca
  
  The WannaCry ransomware attack has been widespread but not yet catastrophic. Still, there are a lot of unanswered questions as to the source and how the issue has spread.
  
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• Diesel pollution vastly underestimated, contributes to global deaths

  15-05-2017 19:49 via cbc.ca
  
  Pollution from diesel trucks, buses and cars globally is more than 50 percent higher than levels shown in government lab tests, a new study says.
  
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• Personal information is 'very well protected,' Sask. says after province hit by cyberattack

  15-05-2017 19:21 via cbc.ca
  
  The Saskatchewan government says it has experienced a "malicious attack" on its computer systems that is causing sporadic outages to the province's website.
  
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• Uber ordered not to use technology taken from Waymo

  15-05-2017 19:17 via cbc.ca
  
  A U.S. federal judge has ordered Uber not to use technology that a key executive downloaded before he left Waymo, the autonomous car company that was spun off from Google. But he refused to order a halt to Uber's self-driving program, as requested by Waymo.
  
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• Facebook Wants to Make Chatbots More Conversational

  15-05-2017 18:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The social media giant is making its speech artificial intelligence training data open source
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• Bell launches 'Alt TV' mobile streaming app in response to cord-cutting trend

  15-05-2017 17:46 via cbc.ca
  
  Telecommunications and media giant Bell is taking a stab at on-demand mobile television for customers without a cable subscription, as the number of Canadians quitting traditional cable TV continues to increase.
  
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• How an anonymous 'hero' stopped Friday's cyberattack — and why we're not out of the woods yet

  15-05-2017 17:27 via cbc.ca
  
  A security expert whose firm helped stop the spread of Friday's massive cyberattack by activating a secret kill switch discovered by an anonymous computer whiz says we haven't seen the last of the so-called WannaCry virus.
  
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• Naked singularity might evade cosmic censor

  15-05-2017 15:00
  
  Physicists demonstrate the possibility of a “naked” singularity in curved space.
  
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• Dinosaur asteroid hit 'worst possible place'

  15-05-2017 13:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How different Earth's history might have been if the space rock had struck a different location.
  
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• The first Cassini to explore Saturn was a person

  15-05-2017 13:00
  
  Cassini, the spacecraft about to dive into Saturn, was named for the astronomical pioneer who first perceived the gap between the planet’s famous rings.
  
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• Proposed Canso spaceport has clients lined up, says Maritime Launch Services

  15-05-2017 11:30 via cbc.ca
  
  The president of Maritime Launch Services says he has clients committed to launch satellites from a proposed spaceport in Canso, N.S., but he’s not ready to say how many, or who they are.
  
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• Log in, look out: Cyber chaos from ransomware attack spreads with workweek's start

  15-05-2017 09:06 via cbc.ca
  
  Global cyber chaos was spreading Monday as companies booted up computers at work following the weekend's worldwide ransomware cyberattack.
  
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• Cyberattack wave ebbs, but experts see risk of more

  15-05-2017 09:06 via cbc.ca
  
  ​The "ransomware" cyberattack that has hit companies and governments around the world ebbs in intensity, though experts warn that new versions of the virus could emerge.
  
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• Where you live may impact how much you drink

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Washington) Neighborhoods with greater poverty and disorganization may play a greater role in problem drinking than the availability of bars and stores that sell hard liquor, a University of Washington-led study has found.
  
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• University of Birmingham develops revolutionary eye drops to treat age-related blindness

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Birmingham) Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a type of eye drop which could potentially revolutionize the treatment of one of the leading causes of blindness in the UK.
  
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• UNH researcher identifies key differences in solar wind models

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of New Hampshire) The challenge of predicting space weather, which can cause issues with telecommunications and other satellite operations on Earth, requires a detailed understanding of the solar wind (a stream of charged particles released from the sun) and sophisticated computer simulations. Research done at the University of New Hampshire has found that when choosing the right model to describe the solar wind, using the one that takes longer to calculate does not make it the most
  
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• Two dose HPV vaccine effective in treating genital warts, study finds

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Boston University Medical Center) New research out of Boston Medical Center, published online in the STD Journal, is the first published clinical evidence to support new recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a two-dose HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts. BMC researchers found that the two-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine provides the same level of protection against genital warts as three doses, when given as directed.
  
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• Study: Trying new marijuana products and edibles is associated with unexpected highs

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (RTI International) A new study by RTI International suggests that unexpected highs are a consequence of using new marijuana products and edibles--products that have flooded the marijuana market since legalization of recreational marijuana use.
  
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• Study expands understanding of how the brain encodes fear memory

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Riverside) Research by UC Riverside scientists on 'fear memory' could lead to the development of therapies that reduce the effects of PTSD, which affects 7 percent of the US population. The researchers found that a population of hippocampal neurons project to both the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex, and that these neurons efficiently convey information to the two brain areas to encode and retrieve fear memory for a context associated with an aversive event.
  
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• Solving one of nature's great puzzles: What drives the accelerating expansion of the universe?

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of British Columbia) UBC physicists may have solved one of nature's great puzzles: what causes the accelerating expansion of our universe?
  
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• Scientists take first tentative steps to explore potential climate of Proxima B

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Exeter) The quest to discover whether a planet orbiting our closest neighbouring star, Proxima Centauri (4.2 light years or 25 trillion miles from Earth), has the potential to support life has taken a new, exhilarating twist.
  
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• Penn Medicine's Alzheimer's genetics data storage site gets 5-year renewal to total $7.7 M

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) Penn Medicine's Alzheimer's disease genetics data repository has received a five-year funding renewal from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health. The award is expected to total $7.7 million over five years.
  
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• Nonprescription use of Ritalin linked to adverse side effects, UB study finds

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University at Buffalo) New research from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions that explored the potential side effects of the stimulant drug Ritalin on those without ADHD showed changes in brain chemistry associated with risk-taking behavior, sleep disruption and other undesirable effects.
  
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• New 'styrofoam' planet provides tools in search for habitable planets

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Lehigh University) Researchers at Lehigh University have discovered a new planet orbiting a star 320 light years from Earth that has the density of styrofoam. This 'puffy' exoplanet may hold opportunities for testing atmospheres that will be useful when assessing future planets for signs of life. The research, 'KELT-11b: A Highly Inflated Sub-Saturn Exoplanet Transiting the V+8 Subgiant HD 93396,' appears in The Astronomical Journal May 2017 issue.
  
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• New study examines sexual violence against college women with disabilities

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) Patterns of sexual violence and intimate partner violence aimed at female college students with a mental health-related or behavioral disability and the health effects of this abuse.
  
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• New report details Chicago's racial, ethnic disparities

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Illinois at Chicago) Racial and ethnic inequality in Chicago is so 'pervasive, persistent, and consequential' that the investigators describe life for white, black and Latino residents in Chicago today as a 'tale of three cities.'
  
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• New nationwide study indicates patients are often prescribed potentially futile drugs in their final

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Elsevier Health Sciences) Older adults often receive drugs of questionable benefit during their last months of life, according to the first study conducted on the burden of end-of-life medications across an entire population. The authors advocate for clinical guidelines to support physicians when they face the decision to continue or discontinue medications near the end of life. Their findings are published in The American Journal of Medicine.
  
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• New AP-NORC education survey delves into Americans' views on choice, quality, and control

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (NORC at the University of Chicago) About 4 in 10 Americans think there is too little school choice in their state or their own community, and more than half say the amount of school choice parents have is about right, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey also found that when it comes to school assignment, the idea of schools continuing to give preference to children living in nearby areas is more popular than several alternate pro
  
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• NASA's EPIC view spots flashes on Earth

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) One million miles from Earth, a NASA camera is capturing unexpected flashes of light reflecting off our planet.
  
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• More than 1/3 of parents would allow child to be in residential or hotel pool unsupervised

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan) As kids get ready to splash around in pools this summer, some parents may underestimate drowning risks, suggests a new national poll.
  
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• Making drug use a crime makes HIV prevention, treatment more difficult

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) The criminalization of drug use has a negative effect on efforts to prevent and treat people with HIV, suggests a review of published research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of British Columbia.
  
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• LGB-focused resources help stressed teens cope

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Arizona) Imagining a better future isn't enough to help LGB teens deal with stress related to their sexual orientation, says University of Arizona researcher Russell Toomey. His new study that finds that teens who engage with LGB-specific resources are more well-adjusted and more likely to finish high school than those who use other strategies.
  
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• Journal of Infectious Diseases features UNC HIV researchers in special edition

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of North Carolina Health Care) A special issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases focuses solely on HIV eradication and is edited by the director of the UNC HIV Cure Center in Chapel Hill.
  
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• GCS sets records for hours delivered, user participation in 17th large-scale call

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Gauss Centre for Supercomputing) During its17th call for large-scale proposals, the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing broke records in hours delivered, proposals received, and number of projects that were awarded allocation time.
  
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• Frisky female fruit flies become more aggressive towards each other after sex

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Oxford) Female fruit flies start headbutting each other after mating, becoming significantly more aggressive and intolerant Oxford University research has revealed.
  
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• Exposure to psychological domestic abuse most damaging to children's wellbeing

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Limerick) Exposure to psychological abuse between parents is more damaging to children's wellbeing as they grow older than physical domestic violence, according to new research carried out at University of Limerick, Ireland.
  
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• Diabetes drug may help symptoms of autism associated condition

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Edinburgh) A widely used diabetes medication could help people with a common inherited form of autism, research shows. Scientists found that a drug called metformin improves sociability and reduces symptomatic behaviors in adult mice with a form of Fragile X syndrome.
  
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• Biostatistician has $1.4 million Gates Grant to study family planning worldwide

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) Biostatistics expert Leontine Alkema at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently was awarded a three-year, $1.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to explore and analyze family planning indicators such as contraceptive use in 69 countries. The main goal is to develop new methods and tools any country can use to monitor and advance national reproductive health.
  
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• ASU and NYU researchers look to boost crowdsourced brainstorming

  15-05-2017 06:00
  
  (New York University) The very nature of crowdsourcing means that ideators can be overwhelmed by the number of ideas generated, rather than inspired by them.In an effort to enhance idea generation within the crowd context, the researchers sought to determine what effect peripheral tasks -- such as rating and combining others' ideas had on ideation performance.
  
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