Science news

• Flood prediction, climate change impacts on water studied at new Canmore lab

  23-05-2017 21:25 via cbc.ca
  
  At a new research lab in Canmore, scientists are studying the impact of climate change on water, glaciers and snow, and developing tools to predict and warn people about future floods.
  
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• Receptor cooperation in B cells

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  TLR4-stimulated B cell activation is mediated by the tyrosine kinase Syk and depends on the B cell receptor.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (390)

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe new treatments for heart failure and its associated symptoms and a sequential gene delivery system to regenerate fractured bone.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 356 (6339)

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles identify a repulsive guidance system that controls the recruitment of T cells to germinal centers; a mechanism for controlling the transfer of nutrients from the placenta to early mouse embryos; and the subcellular location of calcium dynamics in astrocytes.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 545 (7654)

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight plant growth responses to nutrients; axonal pathfinding; an unexpected source of tumor niche cells; photosensation in the fly brain; the selectivity of GPCRs for specific G proteins; balancing mTORC signaling; and a connection between gut microbes and brain vasculature malformations.
  
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• New connections: How to become more flexible and open up

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Cryo-EM–generated structures provide insight into how RyR2 is gated and how phosphorylation may affect the activation process.
  
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• Key determinants of selective binding and activation by the monocyte chemoattractant proteins at the chemokine receptor CCR2

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Chemokines and their receptors collectively orchestrate the trafficking of leukocytes in normal immune function and inflammatory diseases. Different chemokines can induce distinct responses at the same receptor. In comparison to monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1; also known as CCL2), the chemokines MCP-2 (CCL8) and MCP-3 (CCL7) are partial agonists of their shared receptor CCR2, a key regulator of the trafficking of monocytes and macrophages that contribute to the pathology of atheroscle
  
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• Androgen receptor inhibitor-induced "BRCAness" and PARP inhibition are synthetically lethal for castration-resistant prostate cancer

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Cancers with loss-of-function mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 are deficient in the DNA damage repair pathway called homologous recombination (HR), rendering these cancers exquisitely vulnerable to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. This functional state and therapeutic sensitivity is referred to as "BRCAness" and is most commonly associated with some breast cancer types. Pharmaceutical induction of BRCAness could expand the use of PARP inhibitors to other tumor types. For example, BRCA m
  
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• A cryo-EM-based model of phosphorylation- and FKBP12.6-mediated allosterism of the cardiac ryanodine receptor

  23-05-2017 19:52 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Type 2 ryanodine receptors (RyR2s) are calcium channels that play a vital role in triggering cardiac muscle contraction by releasing calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm. Several cardiomyopathies are associated with the abnormal functioning of RyR2. We determined the three-dimensional structure of rabbit RyR2 in complex with the regulatory protein FKBP12.6 in the closed state at 11.8 Å resolution using cryo-electron microscopy and built an atomic model of RyR2. The he
  
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• Trump budget cuts funding for clean air and water programs

  23-05-2017 18:13 via cbc.ca
  
  The Trump Administration budget released Tuesday slashes funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by nearly one-third, laying off thousands of employees while imposing dramatic cuts to clean air and water programs.
  
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• Astronauts conduct spacewalk to perform urgent repairs

  23-05-2017 16:05 via cbc.ca
  
  Spacewalking astronauts made urgent repairs at the International Space Station on Tuesday, three days after a critical relay box abruptly failed.
  
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• TRAPPIST-1’s seventh planet is a chilly world

  23-05-2017 15:00
  
  Follow-up observations of TRAPPIST-1 and its seven planets reveals details about the outermost one.
  
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• Tool sharpens focus on Stone Age networking in the Middle East

  23-05-2017 13:00
  
  Stone Age tool’s route to Syrian site covered at least 700 kilometers.
  
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• The Human Nose Knows More Than We Think

  23-05-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A look at the body of olfactory science shows people’s reputation for having a poor sense of smell is a myth
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Online 'sextortion' complaints involving teen boys jump by 89% in 2 years: study

  23-05-2017 06:01 via cbc.ca
  
  Child exploitation experts say they've detected a spike in reports of online "sextortion" cases involving teen boys.
  
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• You don't see what I see?

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Kyoto University) Kyoto University researchers shows that an ability to perceive differences between similar images depends on the cultural background of the viewer.
  
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• Wiley and CAS collaborate to deliver advanced predictive cheminformatics capabilities to researchers

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Wiley) John Wiley and Sons Inc. and CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, today announced a partnership that will accelerate the evolution of predictive synthesis by enriching Wiley's award-winning ChemPlanner technology with the most accurate and complete chemical information from CAS.
  
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• What will happen to European criminal law after Brexit?

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Springer) Britain will not be able to select which sections of the European Union criminal law system it abides by, as was previously the case. This is according to Valsamis Mitsilegas of Queen Mary University of London in the UK, author of an article in Springer's journal Criminal Law Forum.
  
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• VLA reveals new object near supermassive black hole in famous galaxy

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) When astronomers took a new look at a famous galaxy with the upgraded Very Large Array, they were surprised by the appearance of a new, bright object that had not appeared in previous images.
  
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• UT study shows snakes, thought to be solitary eaters, coordinate hunts

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Tennessee at Knoxville) Snakes, although as social as birds and mammals, have long been thought to be solitary hunters and eaters. A new study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, shows that some snakes coordinate their hunts to increase their chances of success.
  
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• US child welfare system could save $12 billion, improve outcomes

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (RAND Corporation) Improving prevention and treatment services are realistic reforms to the child welfare system that could improve long-term outcomes for children while cutting $12 billion in costs. RAND developed a quantitative model to reach its recommendations. The model is the first-ever attempt to integrate risk of maltreatment, detection, paths through the system and consequences to predict the impact of policy changes.
  
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• Study: Street gangs, crime serve as deviant leisure activities for youths

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Street gang membership, criminal activities provide deviant leisure activities for at-risk youths, suggests a new study by University of Illinois researchers Liza Berdychevsky, Kim Shinew and Monika Stodolska.
  
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• Strategic brain training positively affects neural connectivity for individuals with TBI

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Center for BrainHealth ) A study from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas shows that a specific instructor-led brain training protocol can stimulate structural changes in the brain and neural connections even years after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The findings, published in Brain and Behavior, further suggest that changes in cortical thickness and neural network connectivity may prove an effective way to quantitatively measure treatment efficacy, an ability that
  
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• South highest, Northeast lowest for child auto fatalities

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (UT Southwestern Medical Center) The number of motor vehicle fatalities involving children under age 15 varies widely by state, but occurrences are more common in the South, and are most often associated with improperly or unused restraints and crashes on rural roads, a new review of child-related auto fatalities shows.
  
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• School choice policies may impact segregation and diversity of public schools

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Penn State) Despite decades of educational reform and legal efforts, many U.S. schools are experiencing increasing segregation, with 16 percent of public schools serving both minority and high poverty students.
  
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• Rethinking exercise: Replace punishing workouts with movement that makes you happy

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Michigan) Many women start fitness programs to lose weight, and when they don't, they feel like failures and stop exercising
  
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• Recreational cocaine: Brain area involved in addiction activated earlier than thought

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (McGill University) Even among non-dependent cocaine users, cues associated with consumption of the drug lead to dopamine release in an area of the brain thought to promote compulsive use, according to researchers at McGill University.
  
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• Pope's encyclical boosted his credibility on climate change, especially among liberals

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania) The Pope's 2015 encyclical on climate change did not directly influence people's beliefs about the seriousness of climate change or its effect on the poor, a study in Cognition has found. The papal message did, however, indirectly influence people's beliefs about climate change by raising the Pope's credibility on that issue, most strongly among liberals.
  
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• Paper: DNA may have only modest impact on sexual assault arrests

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Crime labs' DNA testing may influence arrests in just a small number of sexual assault cases, because most arrests occur before crime lab results are available, suggests a new study led by University of Illinois social work senior research specialist Theodore P. Cross.
  
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• NTU partners with Danish consortium to develop green technologies

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Nanyang Technological University) NTU Singapore and the Smart City World Labs, a Danish consortium, are collaborating to develop technologies to improve the sustainability and livability of cities.
  
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• New study examines child death rates in motor vehicle crashes by state

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Brigham and Women's Hospital) New research finds that an estimated 1,100 pediatric deaths could be averted over five years with an absolute 10 percent improvement in child restraint use.
  
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• Neptune: Neutralizer-free plasma propulsion

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (American Institute of Physics) Plasma propulsion concepts are gridded-ion thrusters that accelerate and emit more positively charged particles than negatively charged ones. To enable the spacecraft to remain charge-neutral, a 'neutralizer' injects electrons to exactly balance the positive ion charge in the exhaust beam, but this neutralizer requires additional power from the spacecraft. Researchers are investigating how the radio-frequency self-bias effect can be used to remove the neutralizer
  
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• NASA sees powerful storms with advancing monsoon in Bay of Bengal

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Storms associated with the advancing monsoon in the Northern Indian Ocean's Bay of Bengal were analyzed by NASA with the GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission core satellite.
  
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• NASA scientist parlays experience to build Ocean Worlds instrument

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) An instrument originally developed to search for organic molecules on Mars is being repurposed to potentially hunt for life on a handful of moons in the outer solar system that appear to host oceans, geysers and vents of ice volcanoes.
  
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• Mortality rates at teaching hospitals lower compared with non-teaching hospitals

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) Patients admitted to major teaching hospitals are less likely to die compared with patients admitted to minor teaching or non-teaching hospitals, according to a large national study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  
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• More than play: Can video games train sailors and marines?

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Office of Naval Research) With support from the Office of Naval Research, Dr. Shawn Green, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has partnered with a video game company to build a customized game to determine what specific components of first-person-shooter and other action video games contribute to cognitive improvement.
  
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• Lawson and Western researchers suggest dual gait testing as early predictor of dementia

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Lawson Health Research Institute) In a new study, researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University are demonstrating that gait, or motion testing, while simultaneously performing a cognitively demanding task can be an effective predictor of progression to dementia and eventually help with earlier diagnosis.
  
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• Just one alcoholic drink a day increases breast cancer risk, exercise lowers risk

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (American Institute for Cancer Research) A new report that analyzed the global scientific research on how diet, weight and exercise affect breast cancer risk finds there are steps women can take to lower their risk. The report finds that daily alcohol consumption and adult weight gain increase risk; physical activity and breastfeeding lower risk. The report also reveals, for the first time, that vigorous exercise decreases the risk of both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancers.
  
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• Gutenberg Research College welcomes new fellows and presents 2017 Gutenberg Research Award

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz) The Gutenberg Research College of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz granted the 2017 Gutenberg Research Award worth EUR 10,000 to sociologist and anthropologist Professor Karin Knorr Cetina of the University of Chicago and welcomed seven new fellows.
  
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• Flight delay? Lost luggage? Don't blame airline mergers, Indiana University research shows

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Indiana University) An analysis of 15 years of US Department of Transportation statistics found that airline consolidation has had little negative impact on on-time performance.
  
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• Do consent decrees adequately address police misconduct?

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Wiley) In recent years, the US Department of Justice has forced reform in police departments through the consent decree process, in which departments have agreed to take specific actions without admitting fault or guilt.
  
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• Despite partisanship surrounding voter ID, most voters don't believe it suppresses turnout

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Kansas) Most Americans -- even average Democrats -- do not accept the argument that voter identification laws can suppress voter turnout, according to a new study that includes a University of Kansas professor.
  
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• Depression risk following natural disaster can be predicted via pupil dilation

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Binghamton University) Pupil dilation could identify which individuals are at greatest risk for depression following disaster-related stress, and help lead to targeted interventions, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
  
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• CAST project places new limitations on dark matter

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Freiburg) CERN research results deliver no evidence for the existence of solar axions.
  
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• Better science faster

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) Scientists at UCSB's NCEAS are transforming how complex marine data from the Ocean Health Index is synthesized, communicated and used for coastal management.
  
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• ACR opposes sweeping healthcare cuts in Trump administration budget

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (American College of Rheumatology) The American College of Rheumatology expressed opposition to the Trump Administration's proposed budget cuts to federal programs and institutions that provide critical resources in the fight against rheumatic diseases, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).The rheumatology provider community praised budget proposals to repeal the Independent Payment Adviso
  
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• 2017 Gutenberg Research Award for Karin Knorr Cetina

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz) The Gutenberg Research College of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz granted the 2017 Gutenberg Research Award to Professor Karin Knorr Cetina of the University of Chicago for her pioneering contributions to anthropology, sociology, and interdisciplinary science studies.
  
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• 11th Annual Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, Montreal, May 28-31, 2017

  23-05-2017 06:00
  
  (Canadian Association for Neuroscience) The Canadian Association for Neuroscience is pleased to announce it will hold its eleventh annual meeting in Montreal, Canada, from May 28-31. The meeting will gather neuroscientists from Canada and around the world and offer the chance to share their research on the brain and nervous system. The scope of topics to be presented is wider than ever, ranging from the mechanistic to the clinical.
  
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• Herd knowledge

  23-05-2017 03:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As a warming climate threatens traditional food supplies in the Arctic, one rural Alaskan village is flying in hundreds of reindeer by cargo plane. James Cook went to find out why.
  
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• The DNA detective

  23-05-2017 03:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man abandoned as a baby 61 years ago traced his family using a DNA detective. But what do they do?
  
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