Science news

• Low-dose THC can relieve stress; more does just the opposite

  02-06-2017 21:52
  Low levels tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, does reduce stress, but in a highly dose-dependent manner, new research confirms.
  
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• Are soft contact lenses safe for children? Risks seem no higher than in adults

  02-06-2017 21:52
  Soft contact lenses can be safely prescribed to children and adolescents, with no increase in adverse effects compared to adults, according to a review.
  
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• EPA head calls Trump's climate deal withdrawal 'courageous,' 'thoughtful'

  02-06-2017 21:20 via cbc.ca
  
  Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt launched a vigorous defence of Donald Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement, but refused to say whether the president believes climate change is a hoax.
  
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• Timing meals later at night can cause weight gain and impair fat metabolism

  02-06-2017 20:38
  New findings suggest eating late at night could be more dangerous than you think. Compared to eating earlier in the day, prolonged delayed eating can increase weight, insulin and cholesterol levels, and negatively affect fat metabolism, and hormonal markers implicated in heart disease, diabetes and other health problems, according to recent results.
  
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• STD treatment for two?

  02-06-2017 20:38
  In some states, patients who test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea leave the clinic with not only a prescription for themselves, but also one for their sexual partner -- who was not seen by a doctor. States that allow doctors to treat a patient's sexual partner without an in-person visit may find more success lowering rates of sexually transmitted diseases, shows a new report.
  
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• Scientists launch global agenda to curb social, human rights abuses in seafood sector

  02-06-2017 20:38
  As the United Nations Oceans Conference convenes in New York, a new paper calls on marine scientists to focus on social issues such as human rights violations in the seafood industry.
  
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• Genetic sequencing could influence treatment for nearly three-quarters of advanced cancer patients

  02-06-2017 20:38
  Nearly three-quarters of 500 patients with advanced cancer could be referred to a potential targeted treatment based on the results of a comprehensive analysis of their tumor's genetic landscape, a new analysis finds.
  
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• Leaders pledge to save 'Mother Earth' despite Trump's decision to abandon Paris accord

  02-06-2017 20:37 via cbc.ca
  
  China and Europe pledged on Friday to unite to save what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called "our Mother Earth," standing firmly against President Donald Trump's decision to take the United States out of the Paris climate change pact.
  
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• Details of Lassa virus structure could inform development of vaccines, therapies

  02-06-2017 20:37
  
  A 10-year Lassa virus research project has yielded structural and functional details of a key viral surface protein that could help advance development of Lassa vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics, which are currently lacking.
  
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• Bone loss is another hidden pathology caused by malaria infection

  02-06-2017 20:37
  
  Malaria infection causes bone loss as a result of chronic bone inflammation induced by accumulated Plasmodium by-products in bone, report researchers.
  
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• When it comes to the flu, the nose has a long memory

  02-06-2017 20:00
  
  Mice noses have specialty immune cells with long memories.
  
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• New Approach to Amputation Could Reduce Phantom Pain

  02-06-2017 19:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The technique, tested in rodents, could yield better sensation and control of prosthetic limbs
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• Understanding a river's 'thermal landscape' may be the key to saving it

  02-06-2017 17:28
  Inexpensive sensor technologies have enabled an explosion in the availability of river temperature data and in statistical models for understanding them. These new data and tools are enabling a deeper understanding of the important role of fluctuations in a river's thermal regimes that will enable more effective ecosystem management and restoration.
  
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• Tumor induction from a distance

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  Neighboring tissues can send signals inducing tumorigenesis, researchers suggest.
  
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• Sydney Harbor emissions equivalent to 200 cars on the roads

  02-06-2017 17:28
  The first footprint of Sydney Harbor's carbon emissions has found it is roughly equivalent to similar natural 'drowned river' estuaries in the US but significantly less than polluted water sources straddling build-up areas in Europe and Asia. The footprinting of the growing megacity icon has implications for planning and remediation efforts in highly urbanized areas in an environment of climate change.
  
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• Secukinumab and ixekizumab in psoriasis: Considerable added benefit for certain patients

  02-06-2017 17:28
  There were notably more remissions with Secukinumab and ixekizumab than under the comparator therapies for psoriasis. In future, the analysis of symptoms should not be limited to improvements at one time point.
  
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• Scientists try to crack the brain's memory codes

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  In a pair of studies, scientists explored how the human brain stores and retrieves memories. One study suggests that the brain etches each memory into unique firing patterns of individual neurons. Meanwhile, the second study suggests that the brain replays memories faster than they are stored.
  
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• Physicist builds on Einstein and Galileo's work

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  Sixteenth century scientist Galileo Galilei threw two spheres of different mass from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to establish a scientific principle. Now nearly four centuries later, a team of physicists has applied the same principle to quantum objects.
  
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• Olive oil nutrient linked to processes that prevent cancer in brain

  02-06-2017 17:28
  Research into oleic acid -- the primary ingredient in olive oil -- has shown how it can help prevent cancer-causing genes from functioning in cells, and may help to prevent cancer developing in the brain.
  
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• Molecular system for artificial photosynthesis

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  A molecular system for artificial photosynthesis is designed to mimic key functions of the photosynthetic center in green plants -- light absorption, charge separation, and catalysis -- to convert solar energy into chemical energy stored by hydrogen fuel.
  
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• Mice will help reveal the roles of human brown fat

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  Mice have metabolically active brown fat deposits similar to the largest depot found in people, scientists have discovered.
  
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• Hospitalization risk factors for kids with autism identified

  02-06-2017 17:28
  With the goal of prevention, a new study of children and teens with autism spectrum disorders found five risk factors that are significantly associated with an increased likelihood of seeking inpatient psychiatric care.
  
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• Facial expressions can cause us problems in telling unfamiliar faces apart

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  Using hundreds of faces of actors from movies, psychologists have shown how facial expressions can get in the way of our ability to tell unfamiliar faces apart.
  
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• Eco-label in exchange for less chemicals on rice fields

  02-06-2017 17:28
  Money isn't always everything: Taiwanese rice farmers are willing to produce in an environmentally friendly fashion if this would earn them an eco-label. For such a label, they would accept lower compensation payments for a reduction in the use of fertilizers.
  
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• Dairy products a good dietary source of some types of vitamin K

  02-06-2017 17:28
  US dairy products are a significant source of the MK form of vitamin K and indicates that MK forms of the nutrient are more present in commonly-consumed foods than previously thought, new research shows.
  
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• Cold brown dwarf discovered close to our solar system

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  A new citizen-science tool released earlier this year to help astronomers pinpoint new worlds lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system has already led to a discovery: a brown dwarf a little more than 100 light years away from the Sun. Just six days after the launch of the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 website, four users alerted the science team to the curious object, whose presence has since been confirmed via telescope.
  
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• Antarctic ice rift close to calving, after growing 17km in 6 days, latest data from ice shelf shows

  02-06-2017 17:28
  
  The rift in the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica has grown by 17km in the last few days and is now only 13km from the ice front, indicating that calving of an iceberg is probably very close, researchers revealed after studying satellite data. The rift is likely to lead to one of the largest icebergs ever recorded.
  
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• Paris climate deal: Buildings 'go green' in protest

  02-06-2017 17:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Buildings around the world are lit green after the US withdraws from the Paris climate agreement.
  
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• Sooty terns’ migration takes the birds into the path of hurricanes

  02-06-2017 16:35
  
  Sooty terns migrate south from southern Florida and back again. The track sometimes takes the birds into the path of hurricanes, a new study finds.
  
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• Forensic chemical analysis of wood could stop illegal logging

  02-06-2017 15:17
  
  A new technique has been developed to tackle illegal logging by pinpointing the wood's origin to a smaller area than ever before (
  
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• Papua New Guinea expedition discovers largest trees at extreme altitudes

  02-06-2017 15:07
  
  The first field campaign surveying Papua New Guinea's lush primary forests from the coast to clouds has revealed the high mountain tops may house the largest trees recorded globally at such extreme altitudes.
  
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• Gene therapy could 'turn off' severe allergies

  02-06-2017 15:07
  
  A single treatment giving life-long protection from severe allergies such as asthma could be made possible by recent immunology research.
  
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• Immune responses from early study of novel sarcoma vaccine

  02-06-2017 14:52
  The critical component of an experimental vaccine led to an escalating immune response in patients with sarcoma, an indicator of its potential anti-cancer effects.
  
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• New therapeutic attack point: Scientists find off-switch for the mTor complex

  02-06-2017 14:50
  As the cell's molecular control center, the mTor kinase regulates cellular metabolism, growth and division. However, in cells affected by pathological change, the regulation goes awry. Scientists have succeeded in locating a crucial off-switch for the central cell control. Paradoxically, this 'off-switch' is a lipid kinase producing a product previously known for its role in the activation of mTor.
  
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• Knowledge by simplification: Scientists explore strong force

  02-06-2017 14:50
  The “strong force” plays a crucial role for the existence of matter in the visible universe, scientists report. They used a method of theoretical simplification which might be applicable to heavier nuclei.
  
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• Deep magma reservoirs are key to volcanic 'super-eruptions,' new research suggests

  02-06-2017 14:50
  A new study shows the importance of large reservoirs in creating Earth’s most powerful volcanic eruptions and explains why they are so rare.
  
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• 'Miracle material' discovery could end cracked smart devices

  02-06-2017 14:44
  
  A new material could finally bring an end to the misery of cracked smartphone and tablet screens, report investigators.
  
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• Roberta Bondar inspiring youth to mark Ontario 150 with photos of nature

  02-06-2017 13:52 via cbc.ca
  
  Canada's first female astronaut, Roberta Bondar was in Sudbury, Ont., on Thursday, as part of a seven city tour across northern Ontario. She is trying to get students involved in the Ontario 150 Bondar Challenge. She's asking students to take a picture of nature in hopes of it still being there in 150 years.
  
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• Nunavik beluga hunt quota gets bump, but it's complicated

  02-06-2017 13:00 via cbc.ca
  
  This spring hunt marks the start of a new three-year wildlife management plan that allows a total of 187 Eastern Hudson Bay beluga to be harvested between now and January 31, 2020.
  
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• 20 Years after Deep Blue: How AI Has Advanced Since Conquering Chess

  02-06-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  IBM AI expert Murray Campbell reflects on the machine’s long, bumpy road to victory over chess champ Garry Kasparov
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Methane 'blowout' formed giant craters on Arctic seafloor, study says

  02-06-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Methane continues to seep out into Arctic waters, raising the question of whether the greenhouse gas could reach the atmosphere.
  
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• UTA researcher earns grant to develop power-scalable compact semiconductor laser

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Weidong Zhou, a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department, is the primary investigator in a five-year, $3 million Multidisciplinary Research Initiatives grant from the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office to develop a high-power semiconductor laser that is compact, efficient and power-scalable.
  
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• UTA civil engineering professor to lead city of Arlington project evaluating manholes

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) The Arlington City Council approved the three-year $474,723 project that will measure the hydrogen sulfide and multiple other parameters that influence manhole corrosion. Each manhole is four to five feet in diameter and in Arlington can range from four to four-and-a-half feet tall.
  
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• State Senator Sarlo, Assemblyman Bramnick, and industry leaders support makerspace at NJIT

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is pleased to announce the support of State Senator Paul A. Sarlo (D-Bergen) and Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union), as well as numerous industry leaders for an allocation in New Jersey's Fiscal Year 2018 State Budget to support Makerspace at NJIT.
  
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• Red light has no effect on bat activity: Less disruption by changing artificial color

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)) Artificial light at night can have a disruptive effect on bats, but not if the light is red. Switching to red light may therefore limit or prevent habitat loss for rare, light-shy bat species. The latest issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B publishes results from five years of pioneering research led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW).
  
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• Queen's researcher's 'miracle material' discovery could end cracked smart devices

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Queen's University Belfast) A Queen's University researcher has led an international team of scientists to the discovery of a new material, which could finally bring an end to the misery of cracked smartphone and tablet screens.
  
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• Polymer pioneer

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) Craig Hawker receives an international prize for combining organic chemistry and polymer synthesis to create innovative materials.
  
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• Observation of the phase transition of liquid crystal defects for the first time

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)) KAIST researchers observed the phase transition of topological defects formed by liquid crystal (LC) materials for the first time.The phase transition of topological defects, which was also the theme of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2016, can be difficult to understand for a layperson but it needs to be studied to understand the mysteries of the universe or the underlying physics of skyrmions, which have intrinsic topological defe
  
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• New ceramic nanofiber 'sponges' could be used for flexible insulation, water purification

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Brown University) Ceramic materials tend to shatter when deformed, but new research shows a way of using ultra-thin ceramic nanofibers to make squishy, heat-resistant sponges with a wide variety of potential uses.
  
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• New catalytic converter composite reduces rare earth element usage

  02-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Kumamoto University) Strict emissions regulations are important for maintaining the health of humans and the environment, but strict regulations also bring technological challenges to overcome. Automobile catalytic converters convert harmful pollutants to less toxic substances, but they require the use of the relatively expensive rare earth element, Cerium. Japanese researchers have designed a new catalyst that reduces the amount of the rare earth element used by 30 percent from reference catal
  
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