Science news

• DNA reveals how cats achieved world domination

  19-06-2017 23:01
  
  Analysis of 9,000 years of cat remains suggests two waves of migration
  
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• Volcanoes 'triggered dawn of dinosaurs'

  19-06-2017 22:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A million-year-long period of volcanic activity led to the rise of the dinosaurs, a study suggests.
  
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• Dino domination

  19-06-2017 22:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A million-year-long period of volcanic activity led to the rise of the dinosaurs, a study suggests.
  
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• Kepler telescope finds 10 more possible life-friendly planets

  19-06-2017 22:57
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Astronomers on Monday added 219 candidates to the growing list of planets beyond the solar system, 10 of which may be about the same size and temperature as Earth, boosting the chances for life.
  
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• Personal info of nearly 200 million U.S. voters sat exposed on a public server for 12 days

  19-06-2017 22:28 via cbc.ca
  
  Personal information belonging to 198 million American voters was exposed for more than week this month, publicly accessible from a "misconfigured database" — if you knew where to look.
  
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• New fossils shake up history of amphibians with no legs

  19-06-2017 21:30
  
  The oldest near-relative of today’s snake-shaped caecilians could have an unexpected backstory.
  
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• NASA telescope finds 10 more Earth-sized, potentially habitable planets

  19-06-2017 20:29 via cbc.ca
  
  NASA says its planet-hunting telescope has found 10 new planets outside our solar system that are likely the right size and temperature to potentially have life on them.
  
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• How cats conquered the ancient world

  19-06-2017 17:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The domestic cat is descended from wild cats that were tamed twice - in the Near East and then Egypt.
  
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• Google steps up fight against online extremism

  19-06-2017 16:36 via cbc.ca
  
  Google is intensifying its campaign against online extremism, saying it will put more resources toward identifying and removing videos related to terrorism and hate groups.
  
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• Virtual reality a 'teacher's dream' but high cost keeps it largely out of schools

  19-06-2017 16:30 via cbc.ca
  
  Virtual reality is slowly being adopted by schools in Canada, as high costs and a complicated set up remains an obstacle.
  
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• Brexit 'will enhance' UK wildlife laws - Gove

  19-06-2017 15:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Any Brexit changes to the UK's wildlife laws will increase - not reduce - environmental protection, Michael Gove has pledged.
  
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• Smart prosthetics aim to improve mobility for stroke patients, amputees

  19-06-2017 15:00 via cbc.ca
  
  University of Calgary kineseology professor Art Kuo is examining how to use sensors, similar to those found in activity trackers, to better capture and release energy that would otherwise be lost when walking.
  
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• African farmers’ kids conquer the marshmallow test

  19-06-2017 13:00
  
  Nso farmers in Cameroon groom kids for self-control that Western peers often lack.
  
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• World's Most Powerful Particle Collider Taps AI to Expose Hack Attacks

  19-06-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Machine learning is crucial to staying ahead of hackers trying to break into at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider’s (LHC) massive worldwide computing grid
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• X-ray eyes in the sky: Drones and WiFi for 3-D through-wall imaging

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) Researchers at UC Santa Barbara professor Yasamin Mostofi's lab have given the first demonstration of 3-D imaging of objects through walls using ordinary wireless signal. The technique, which involves two drones working in tandem, could have a variety of applications, such as emergency search-and-rescue, archaeological discovery and structural monitoring.
  
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• Unusual soybean coloration sheds a light on gene silencing

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) Today's soybeans are typically golden yellow, with a tiny blackish mark where they attach to the pod. In a field of millions of beans, nearly all of them will have this look. Occasionally, however, a bean will turn up half-black, with a saddle pattern similar to a black-eyed pea.
  
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• Unearned fun tastes just as sweet

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Association for Psychological Science) We may be inclined to think that a fun experience -- say, watching a movie or indulging in a tasty treat -- will be all the more enjoyable if we save it until we've finished our work or chores, but new research shows that this intuition may be misguided. The findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggest that leisure experiences tend to be pleasurable regardless of when we experience them.
  
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• Treating autism by targeting the gut

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Frontiers) Therapies to change the bacteria in the gut, through diet, pro-and prebiotic supplements, faecal matter transplants or antibiotics, could treat autism. A review of six decades of research linking the gut to brain development could pave the way for cheap and effective treatment.
  
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• To connect biology with electronics, be rigid, yet flexible

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Washington) Scientists have measured a thin film made of a polymer as it interacted with ions and electrons. They show how there are rigid and non-rigid regions of the film, and that these regions could accommodate electrons or ions -- but not both equally.
  
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• The Asian summer monsoon -- a smokestack to the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) The formation of Asian tropopause aerosol layer is considered to be caused by the Asian summer monsoon, which effectively pumps the Asian pollutants to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, leading to enhanced aerosol formation. Chinese and American scientists used in situ measurements combined with modeling work to show that these particles subsequently spread throughout the entire Northern Hemispheric (NH) lower stratosphe
  
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• Surgery patients placed in alternate ICUs due to crowding get less attention from doctors

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) Research has indicated that ICU boarder" patients -- for example, a brain surgery patient staying in a cardiac ICU -- have worse outcomes as a result of alternate placement, and now, a new study suggests one reason for these worse outcomes is that ICU boarders, compared to non-boarders, appear to get markedly less attention from doctors and other caregivers.
  
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• Sugar-coated nanomaterial excels at promoting bone growth

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Northwestern University) There hasn't been a gold standard for how orthopaedic spine surgeons promote new bone growth in patients, but now Northwestern University scientists have designed a bioactive nanomaterial that is so good at stimulating bone regeneration it could become the method surgeons prefer. The researchers studied in vivo the effect of the nanomaterial on the activity of the growth factor BMP-2. They found that 100 times less of the protein was needed for a successful spinal fusio
  
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• Study: Most state pension plans paper over unfunded liabilities

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (North Carolina State University) An analysis of state pension plans from across the country finds that the already troubling state of pension finances may be worse than it first appears because many pension managers are making their plan's financial condition look better by perpetually putting off payments.
  
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• Smartphone app directs first responders to cardiac arrest three minutes before ambulance

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) A novel smartphone application (app) has been developed that can direct first responders to cardiac arrest victims more than three minutes before the emergency services arrive. Each minute increases the chance of survival by 10%.
  
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• Smartphone app directs first responders to cardiac arrest 3 minutes before ambulance

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) A novel smartphone application has been developed that can direct first responders to cardiac arrest victims more than three minutes before the emergency services arrive. Each minute increases the chance of survival by 10 percent.
  
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• Six selected for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows program at NAM

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today named the 2017-2018 class of RWJF Health Policy Fellows.Beginning in September, six health professionals will spend a year in Washington, D.C., working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues with members of Congress and the executive branch.
  
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• Scientists step closer to drug treatment for hepatitis B

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of York) A major new insight into how hepatitis B virus works could pave the way for new drug treatments for the infection which is the major cause of liver cancer worldwide.
  
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• Riding a romantic roller coaster? Relationship anxiety may be to blame

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Florida State University) In a recent study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Florida State University graduate student Ashley Cooper explores how high levels of fluctuation in how secure an individual feels in his or her relationship may actually doom its success.
  
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• Results in AI for aging research and personal health data management to be presented at Bio-Taiwan

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (InSilico Medicine, Inc.)Monday, 19th of May, 2017, Baltimore, MD - Insilico Medicine, a Baltimore-based artificial intelligence company focused on drug discovery, biomarker development and aging research will present new research at Bio-Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan, June 28-29. The CEO of Insilico Medicine, Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, will present new research in deep learned multi-modal biomarkers of aging and unveil a new tool for personal health data management."We are getting ready to launch a new s
  
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• Researchers produce biofuel for conventional diesel engines

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Ruhr-University Bochum) In accordance with an EU directive, conventional automotive diesel is supplemented with seven percent biodiesel. This proportion is set to rise to ten percent by 2020. However, this presents a significant technical challenge: biodiesel vaporises at higher temperatures, which can lead to problems with electronic fuel injection systems and particulate filters. Researchers from Kaiserslautern, Bochum, and Rostock have developed a method for producing a petroleum diesel-like
  
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• Potential Atlantic Ocean Tropical Cyclone 2 examined by NASA

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA provided rainfall data and cloud height information to the forecasters monitoring the developing Tropical Cyclone 2 in the western Atlantic Ocean. The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the organizing storm on June 19. The storm has already generated a number of warnings and watches in the Caribbean and Venezuela.
  
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• Possible enhanced pesticide absorption from fresh food via nanoemulsions

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist David Julian McClements will lead a team that has received a three-year, $444,550 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the possibility that eating food nanoemulsions found in dressings, dips or sauces might increase the amount of pesticides absorbed from co-ingested fruits and vegetables, thus increasing risk of adverse health effects.
  
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• Poll: Nearly two-thirds of mothers 'shamed' by others about their parenting skills

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan) Six in 10 mothers of children ages 0-5 say they have been criticized about parenting.
  
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• New study from KKI shows feasibility of acupuncture in young children with ASD

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) A pilot feasibility study to determine if young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents would tolerate and adhere to an office- and home-based acupuncture/acupressure intervention showed completion of all 16 biweekly sessions and measurements of their effects before, during, and after the protocol.
  
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• New report looks at 6 key impact areas of shale oil and gas development in Texas

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas) A comprehensive review of the impacts of oil and gas development in Texas by a cross-disciplinary task force of top researchers -- organized by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) -- finds a wide range of both benefits and consequences for the state's environment and communities. These impacts are detailed in a new report by the TAMEST Shale Task Force, Environmental and Community Impacts of Shale Develo
  
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• New branch in family tree of exoplanets discovered

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (California Institute of Technology) In a new Caltech-led study, researchers have classified exoplanets in much the same way that biologists identify new animal species.
  
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• Medications underutilized when treating young people with opioid use disorder

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Boston University Medical Center) Only one in four young adults and teens with opioid use disorder (OUD) are receiving potentially life-saving medications for addiction treatment, according to a new Boston Medical Center (BMC) study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.
  
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• Mapping how words leap from brain to tongue

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (San Diego State University) How the brain narrows down a smorgasbord of related concepts to the one word you're truly seeking is a complicated and poorly understood cognitive task. Looking at epilepsy patients who had a grid of electrodes directly atop their brains, researchers delved into this question and found that wide, overlapping swaths of the brain work in parallel to retrieve the correct word from memory.
  
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• LSU physicist awarded top gravity research prize

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Louisiana State University) LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy Assistant Professor Ivan Agullo has received the first place award from the Gravity Research Foundation for his essay titled 'Gravity and Handedness of Photons,' which he co-authored with Adrian del Rio and Jose Navarro-Salas, from the Spain's Universidad de Valencia.
  
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• Leicester academics argue sexualised drinks advertising undermines anti-rape campaigns

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Leicester) Academics examined the effectiveness of a rape prevention campaign in bars and nightclubs in Liverpool.
  
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• Inexpensive organic material gives safe batteries a longer life

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Houston) Modern batteries power everything from cars to cell phones, but they are far from perfect -- they catch fire, they perform poorly in cold weather and they have relatively short lifecycles, among other issues. Now researchers from the University of Houston have described a new class of material that addresses many of those concerns in Nature Materials.
  
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• Implant infections could be banished thanks to scaffold breakthrough

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (IOP Publishing) Researchers in Ireland have taken a major step forward in the battle against medical implant infections.They developed a new type of implant scaffold to provide localised drug treatment and prevent infection, which has already proven effective against two types of major problem bacteria.
  
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• How viewing cute animals can help rekindle marital spark

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Association for Psychological Science) One of the well-known challenges of marriage is keeping the passion alive after years of partnership, as passions tend to cool even in very happy relationships. In a new study, a team of psychological scientists led by James K. McNulty of Florida State University has developed an unconventional intervention for helping a marriage maintain its spark: pictures of puppies and bunnies.
  
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• How often do youth with opioid use disorder get buprenorphine or naltrexone?

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (The JAMA Network Journals) Dispensing buprenorphine and naltrexone to adolescents and young adults with opioid use disorder has increased over time, although the medications appear to still be underutilized in young people and disparities exist with female, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth less likely to receive them, according to a new study published by JAMA Pediatrics.
  
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• How cells combat chromosome imbalance

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT biologists have now identified a mechanism that the immune system uses to eliminate genetically imbalanced cells from the body.
  
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• Hi-tech vest may help keep heart failure patients out of hospital

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (MediaSource) About 5.7 million adults in the US suffer from heart failure, and because of a dangerous buildup of fluid in their lungs, more than half of those patients end up back in the hospital within six months. But researchers say a high-tech vest can help doctors monitor a heart patient's symptoms remotely, which may prevent the need for rehospitalization.
  
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• Good nutrition, physical training and mental exercises can reverse physical frailty in the elderly

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (National University of Singapore) A four-year study conducted by researchers from the National University of Singapore showed that a combination of nutritional, physical and cognitive interventions can reverse physical frailty in elderly people.
  
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• GCS embarks on its 'smart exascale' decade'

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Gauss Centre for Supercomputing) In securing its next decade of funding, the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing plans to invest heavily in hardware while also further strengthening its user support programs.
  
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• Freshwater from salt water using only solar energy

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Rice University) A federally funded research effort to revolutionize water treatment has yielded a direct solar desalination technology that uses energy from sunlight alone to heat salt water for membrane distillation. The technology could provide off-grid water treatment for some of the 1 billion people who lack access to clean water.
  
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• Flights can make aircrew sick, Stirling study suggests

  19-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Stirling) Flying a plane should come with a health warning, according to research led by the University of Stirling. A new study, published in the World Health Organisation journal Public Health Panorama, is the first of its kind to look in-depth at the health of aircrew who are suspected to have been exposed to contaminated air during their careers.
  
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