Science news

• Chronic flu patients could be an early warning system for future outbreaks

  27-06-2017 22:46
  
  Cancer patients’ long-term flu infections may preview future viruses.
  
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• Facebook hits 2 billion users, doubling in size since 2012

  27-06-2017 22:10 via cbc.ca
  
  Facebook Inc. said on Tuesday that 2 billion people are regularly using its flagship service, marching past another milestone in its growth from a college curiosity in the United States to the world's largest social media network.
  
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• Viewsnight: 'Scientific research isn't immune to sexism'

  27-06-2017 20:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Journalist Angela Saini argues that it's easy for prejudice to affect scientific research.
  
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• Photoreception is not just for neurons

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Muscles in the mouse iris are intrinsically sensitive to light.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 356 (6344)

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles address the biochemistry of PKA activation, neuronal signaling that controls whether worms are awake or asleep, and how gut microbial metabolism modifies the effects of nutrients, drugs, and toxins on the host.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 546 (7659)

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe engineered exosomes for treating pancreatic cancer, the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in cancer cell apoptosis, the priming of brown fat for cold-induced thermogenesis, synapse loss in a mouse model of lupus, and communication between cells of different lineages during liver development.
  
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• Paper of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (395)

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s article describes a therapeutic target to limit fibrotic tissue remodeling in the heart.
  
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• New connections: mTORC1 matures red blood cells

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Erythrocytes need mTORC1 for mitochondrial biogenesis and hemoglobin production.
  
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• In silico modeling identifies CD45 as a regulator of IL-2 synergy in the NKG2D-mediated activation of immature human NK cells

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Natural killer (NK) cells perform immunosurveillance of virally infected and transformed cells, and their activation depends on the balance between signaling by inhibitory and activating receptors. Cytokine receptor signaling can synergize with activating receptor signaling to induce NK cell activation. We investigated the interplay between the signaling pathways stimulated by the cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) and the activating receptor NKG2D in immature (CD56bright) and mature (CD56dim) subset
  
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• Differential abundance of CK1{alpha} provides selectivity for pharmacological CK1{alpha} activators to target WNT-dependent tumors

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Constitutive WNT activity drives the growth of various human tumors, including nearly all colorectal cancers (CRCs). Despite this prominence in cancer, no WNT inhibitor is currently approved for use in the clinic largely due to the small number of druggable signaling components in the WNT pathway and the substantial toxicity to normal gastrointestinal tissue. We have shown that pyrvinium, which activates casein kinase 1α (CK1α), is a potent inhibitor of WNT signaling. However, its po
  
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• A nap a day keeps the pain away?

  27-06-2017 20:07 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Getting more sleep or increasing caffeine intake during the day may relieve chronic pain better than typical pain-killers.
  
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• 'It's like WannaCry all over again': New ransomware attack infects computers around the world

  27-06-2017 18:50 via cbc.ca
  
  A major ransomware attack on Tuesday hit computers at hospitals in the U.S., at Russia's biggest oil company, the country's banks, Ukraine's international airport as well as global shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk and global pharmaceutical company Merck.
  
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• 'It's like WannaCry all over again': new ransomware attack infects computers across Europe

  27-06-2017 18:50 via cbc.ca
  
  A major ransomware attack on Tuesday hit computers at Russia's biggest oil company, the country's banks, Ukraine's international airport as well as global shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk.
  
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• 'World's largest sleep study' seeks online volunteers

  27-06-2017 18:42 via cbc.ca
  
  Brain scientists at a Canadian university are aiming to get a better handle on how sleep affects memory, problem solving and other cognitive functions in what they are billing as the largest such study ever to be done.
  
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• Jellied sea creatures confound scientists, fishermen on U.S. Pacific Coast

  27-06-2017 16:47
  
  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Drifting throngs of jelly-like, glowing organisms native to tropical seas far from shore have invaded Pacific coastal waters from Southern California to the Gulf of Alaska this year, baffling researchers and frustrating fishing crews.
  
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• Torus nuclear fusion project gets Brexit funding pledge

  27-06-2017 16:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government pledges to pay its "fair share" towards an EU backed nuclear project after Brexit.
  
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• Floral curve test shows what’s great for a moth is not so good for a flower

  27-06-2017 16:00
  
  3-D printed flowers reveal a hidden conflict between a hawk moth and the flowers it pollinates.
  
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• Drowned wildebeests can feed a river ecosystem for years

  27-06-2017 15:00
  
  Only a small percentage of wildebeests drown as they cross the Mara River, but they provide resources for the river ecosystem for years after their deaths.
  
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• Precision Farming Increases Crop Yields

  27-06-2017 14:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Combining sensors and imaging of every plant with real-time data analytics improves farm outputs and reduces waste
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Precision Farming

  27-06-2017 14:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Combining sensors and real-time data analytics improves yields 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Nil Communication: How to Send a Message without Sending Anything at All

  27-06-2017 14:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Physicists have exploited the laws of quantum mechanics to send information without transmitting a signal. But have they, really?
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• The Human Cell Atlas

  27-06-2017 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  An international project is set to detail how every cell type in the body functions
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Human Cell Atlas Opens a New Window to Health and Disease

  27-06-2017 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  An international project is set to detail how every cell type in the body functions
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Battering storms caused Antarctic sea ice to shrink at record pace

  27-06-2017 13:00
  
  Unusually intense storms could explain why Antarctic sea ice shrank to its smallest observed extent this year.
  
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• Nuclear Weapons Site Alarms Shut Off, Scientists Inhale Uranium

  27-06-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Most scientists were not told of risks for months after 2014 incident; investigation shows more mishaps at Nevada and New Mexico nuclear sites
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• EU fines Google billions for breaching antitrust rules

  27-06-2017 12:06 via cbc.ca
  
  The European Union's competition watchdog has slapped a record 2.42 billion euro, roughly $3.6 billion Cdn, fine on internet giant Google for breaching antitrust rules with its online shopping service.
  
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• Pesticides get most blame for bee deaths, survey suggests

  27-06-2017 12:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A new poll suggests that Canadians are deeply concerned about the loss of bees, with nine out 10 blaming pesticides for the sudden bee die-off. The survey was conducted for Friends of the Earth Canada to see how worried people are about the issue and to see how much they know about bees.
  
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• Saving big cats

  27-06-2017 11:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amy Dickman has had some close shaves with big cats and humans while working with cheetahs and lions.
  
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• Africa agriculture pioneer wins 2017 World Food Prize

  27-06-2017 11:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  African Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina wins the prestigious World Food Prize for his work to boost yields and farm incomes.
  
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• Seeing the light: Oilsands, mining companies watch B.C. solar project with intrigue

  27-06-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Walk around Kimberley's SunMine solar field and you wouldn't know you're hiking above an old mining site. Solar panels fill the landscape, like 96 sunflowers tracking the sun from dusk until dawn.
  
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• Seeing the light: Mining companies look to solar power, wind for fresh revenue

  27-06-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Mining companies investing in renewable energy may seem far fetched, but those in the industry say the sector is looking for opportunities that make financial sense.
  
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• Rare 'bright nights' mystery solved by Canadian scientists

  27-06-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  It's a phenomenon that's been noted throughout history: bright nights when you could read even though there was no illumination from the moon, candles or any other form of light. Now, Canadian scientists believe they've unravelled the mystery.
  
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• With health care cuts looming, low-cost magnesium a welcome option for treating depression

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont) The cost of depression is great -- 350 million people worldwide suffer from this disorder and costs for traditional SSRI treatments are high. New clinical research results show magnesium is effective at addressing symptoms and is safer and easier on the wallet than prescription therapies.
  
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• Wayne State to develop online parent-training program for addressing challenging behaviors

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) Wayne State University received a four-year, $533,151 award from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to develop a technology-based parent-training program for addressing young children's challenging behaviors.
  
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• US renews Brown University addiction center's funding with emphasis on opioids

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Brown University) With a new $3.8 million grant, the federal government has renewed funding for Brown University's New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center for the next five years.
  
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• Universal access to water requires stronger government leadership, say researchers

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Elsevier) Access to water is worse now than it was in 1990. The world needs a consolidated voice to protect water as a human right, and this will require stronger leadership from governments, suggests research published in Water Resources and Rural Development. Study wins Elsevier's Atlas award.
  
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• UC biologist looks at butterflies to help solve human infertility

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Cincinnati) UC biologist helps decode the structural complexities of male butterfly ejaculate and co-evolving female reproductive tract. Findings from these biochemical relationships may help unlock certain mysteries of human infertility.
  
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• Transcranial stimulation and/or physical therapy improves walking speed in Parkinson's disease

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Wolters Kluwer Health) Noninvasive brain stimulation and physical therapy -- alone or in combination -- improve some measures of walking ability in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), concludes a clinical trial in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
  
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• The Bee-Zed asteroid orbits in the opposite direction to planets

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) In our solar system, an asteroid orbits the Sun in the opposite direction to the planets. It takes 12 years to make one complete orbit around the Sun. The asteroid with the retrograde co-orbit was identified by Helena Morais, a professor at São Paulo State University's Institute of Geosciences & Exact Sciences, in Brazil. In partnership with Fathi Namouni at the Côte d'Azur Observatory in France,
  
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• Tech company video ads still dominated by white males

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Springer) Consumer tech companies that are serious about attracting more women and people from minority groups into their workforce might want to revisit the video advertisements featured on their websites. Although these ads do not explicitly discourage women and girls, or people of color, from pursuing the fields of computer science, they do little to present technologies as accessible to those who do not fit the dominant white male idea.
  
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• Symbolic traces of communist legacy in post-socialist Hungary by Dr. Lisa Pope Fischer

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (The City University of New York) In what ways does societal change carry aspects of the past?  How is the past reworked and molded to fit the present? A new book published in September 2016 by Brill examines how Hungarians have adjusted their perceptions and daily activities in the transition from communism to a post-socialist society.
  
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• Slow motion makes football referees more likely to give a red card

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (KU Leuven) Video assistant refereeing in football has to be used with caution. Researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium, have shown that refs are more likely to give red when they see a foul committed in slow motion, even when a yellow card is more justifiable. This is because fouls viewed in slow motion appear to be more serious.
  
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• Shock report tells of system that turns people with learning disabilities into commodities

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Lancaster University) 'A trade in people' with learning disabilities and/or autism has been uncovered by a partnership of activists, families and Lancaster University academics.The new report from the University's Centre for Disability Research (CeDR) found that last year £477 million was forecast to be spent on keeping just 2,500 people with learning disabilities and/or autism in hospital and that 52 percent of those beds were provided by the independent sector.
  
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• Seeing the forest through the trees with a new LiDAR system

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (The Optical Society) Researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory use gated digital holography methods to develop foliage penetrating LiDAR that can survey obscured ground.
  
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• Scientists create better tools to study the processes of life

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Leeds) Scientists have developed a new biological tool for examining molecules - the building blocks of life - which they say could provide new insights and other benefits such as reducing the numbers of animals used in experiments.
  
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• Researchers examine brain region that affects drug use habits

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Iowa) University of Iowa researchers have identified a brain region involved in cocaine addiction. The findings could lead to targeted drugs or improved behavioral treatments for substance addiction, including opioid dependency. Findings published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
  
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• Remote sensing technologies key to the future of the oil palm industry

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Taylor & Francis Group) Remote sensing technologies, using satellite and aerial data, could revolutionize the management of the oil palm industry, bringing both business and environmental benefits, say environmental experts writing in the journal Geo-spatial Information Science.
  
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• Public safety department at NJIT earns law enforcement accreditation

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) Public Safety Department has received accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP), whose mission is 'to promote and enhance the highest ethical and professional standards in law enforcement at all levels throughout New Jersey.'
  
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• Proteins linked to HIV transmission could actually be beneficial for reproduction

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (Gladstone Institutes) Protein fragments found in semen, and previously only known for their ability to enhance HIV infection, also appear to play an important role in reproductive biology. A team of researchers from the Gladstone Institutes, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Ulm University in Germany discovered that these fragments could help dispose of damaged or unneeded sperm.
  
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• Population health resource to give US cities access to key data

  27-06-2017 06:00
  
  (NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine) Hundreds of United States cities will be able to identify their most pressing health needs more accurately -- thanks to a nationwide expansion of the City Health Dashboard, an innovative health data visualization tool.
  
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