Science news

• Detection for the masses

  06-07-2017 22:06
  A user-friendly mass spectrometry has been created for application in healthcare, drug detection, and food safety.
  
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• Traumatic brain injury in veterans: Differences from civilians may affect long-term care

  06-07-2017 21:59
  Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) differ from civilians with TBI in some key ways -- with potentially important implications for long-term care and support of injured service members and their families, new research outlines.
  
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• Novel PET tracer detects small blood clots

  06-07-2017 21:59
  Blood clots in veins and arteries can lead to heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, which are major causes of mortality. Now researchers show that targeting GPIIb/IIIa receptors, the key receptor involved in platelet clumping, with a fluorine-18 labeled ligand is a promising approach for diagnostic imaging.
  
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• Link between Pokémon Go and a healthier lifestyle: Is it true?

  06-07-2017 21:59
  Playing a popular physically-interactive, smartphone based game, like Pokémon GO, may actually promote exercise, a new study has concluded. The researchers suggest that while many smartphone functions may promote sedentary activity, they are hopeful that playing physically-interactive, smartphone based video games like Pokémon GO may help promote walking and reduce sitting in college students.
  
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• Falls lead to declines in seniors

  06-07-2017 21:59
  More than half of elderly patients (age 65 and older) who visited an emergency department because of injuries sustained in a fall suffered adverse events -- including additional falls, hospitalization and death -- within 6 months. The results of a study examining how risk factors predict recurrent falls and adverse events were published online yesterday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ('Revisit, Subsequent Hospitalization, Recurrent Fall and Death within 6 Months after a Fall among Elderly Emerg
  
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• A steady pulse: Ocean vital signs are stable, but bill of health isn't clean, concludes a multiyear global assessment

  06-07-2017 21:59
  For perhaps the first time ever, the world's oceans have a health record -- and it's revealing clues about what might be behind symptoms of ocean improvements or declines alike.
  
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• Rome wasn't built in a day, but its concrete has lasted centuries

  06-07-2017 21:50 via cbc.ca
  
  The way the ancient Romans made concrete could be the answer to stronger, longer-lasting structures in the modern world.
  
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• Pin-drop test pops Greek amphitheater’s acoustic claims

  06-07-2017 21:45
  
  Analysis of an ancient Greek amphitheater’s ability to carry sounds reveals overblown tour guide claims.
  
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• Mercury mission: BepiColombo gets ready to launch

  06-07-2017 20:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A mission to Mercury is getting closer to the launch pad.
  
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• Antibodies halt placental transmission of CMV-like virus in monkeys

  06-07-2017 20:45
  In monkeys, a CMV vaccine approach appears to be capable of protecting the animal's fetus from infection, scientists explain in a new report.
  
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• Lymph node metastases may not always be the source of cancer's spread to other organs

  06-07-2017 20:31
  The traditional model for the spread of carcinoma, the deadliest form of cancer -- from the primary tumor, to nearby lymph nodes, to other organs -- may not apply in all cases, say researchers.
  
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• How plants grow like human brains

  06-07-2017 20:31
  3-D scanning reveals similar statistical laws at work in both shoots and neurons, outlines a new report.
  
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• First direct look at how electrons 'dance' with vibrating atoms

  06-07-2017 20:31
  The first direct measurements, and by far the most precise ones, have been made of how electrons move in sync with atomic vibrations rippling through an exotic material, as if they were dancing to the same beat. The new way to study materials shows this 'electron-phonon coupling' can be far stronger than predicted, and could potentially play a role in unconventional superconductivity.
  
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• Computer that reads body language

  06-07-2017 20:31
  A computer has been created that understands the body poses and movements of multiple people from video in real time -- including, for the first time, the pose of each individual's fingers.
  
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• A biophysical smoking gun

  06-07-2017 20:31
  While much about Alzheimer's disease remains a mystery, scientists do know that part of the disease's progression involves a normal protein called tau, aggregating to form ropelike inclusions within brain cells that eventually strangle the neurons. Yet how this protein transitions from its soluble liquid state to solid fibers has remained unknown -- until now.
  
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• Preschoolers learn from math games, to a point

  06-07-2017 20:30
  What is the best way to help poor schoolchildren succeed at math? A study now sheds light on the ways preschool activities may -- or may not -- help children develop cognitive skills.
  
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• 'Weedy' fish species to take over our future oceans

  06-07-2017 19:50
  The ocean acidification expected in the future will reduce fish diversity significantly, with small ‘weedy’ species dominating marine environments, researchers have demonstrated for the first time.
  
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• Hormonal changes during early development limit lifespan in mice

  06-07-2017 19:50
  A new study could help inform future health care management during early life and the development of interventions aimed at improving quality of life for older individuals.
  
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• Eyewitness recollection easily distorted by the views of others

  06-07-2017 19:46
  It is human nature to give added credence to the views of family and friends. But this could lead to inaccurate eyewitness statements in court cases and therefore potential miscarriages of justice, argues an American lecturer, who is calling on police and the courts to take this factor into account.
  
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• Wild emmer genome architecture and diversity elucidate wheat evolution and domestication

  06-07-2017 19:24
  Wheat (Triticum spp.) is one of the founder crops that likely drove the Neolithic transition to sedentary agrarian societies in the Fertile Crescent more than 10,000 years ago. Identifying genetic modifications underlying wheat’s domestication requires knowledge about the genome of its allo-tetraploid progenitor, wild emmer (T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides). We report a 10.1-gigabase assembly of the 14 chromosomes of wild tetraploid wheat, as well as analyses of gene content, genome architect
  
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• Quantized electric multipole insulators

  06-07-2017 19:24
  The Berry phase provides a modern formulation of electric polarization in crystals. We extend this concept to higher electric multipole moments and determine the necessary conditions and minimal models for which the quadrupole and octupole moments are topologically quantized electromagnetic observables. Such systems exhibit gapped boundaries that are themselves lower-dimensional topological phases. Furthermore, they host topologically protected corner states carrying fractional charge, exhibitin
  
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• Origins of lymphatic and distant metastases in human colorectal cancer

  06-07-2017 19:24
  The spread of cancer cells from primary tumors to regional lymph nodes is often associated with reduced survival. One prevailing model to explain this association posits that fatal, distant metastases are seeded by lymph node metastases. This view provides a mechanistic basis for the TNM staging system and is the rationale for surgical resection of tumor-draining lymph nodes. Here we examine the evolutionary relationship between primary tumor, lymph node, and distant metastases in human colorect
  
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• Neurodevelopmental protein Musashi-1 interacts with the Zika genome and promotes viral replication

  06-07-2017 19:24
  A recent outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil has led to a simultaneous increase in reports of neonatal microcephaly. Zika targets cerebral neural precursors, a cell population essential for cortical development, but the cause of this neurotropism remains obscure. Here we report that the neural RNA-binding protein Musashi-1 (MSI1) interacts with the Zika genome and enables viral replication. Zika infection disrupts the binding of MSI1 to its endogenous targets, thereby deregulating expression of fac
  
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• Nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance with chemical resolution

  06-07-2017 19:24
  Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a key analytical technique in chemistry, biology, and medicine. However, conventional NMR spectroscopy requires an at least nanoliter-sized sample volume to achieve sufficient signal. We combined the use of a quantum memory and high magnetic fields with a dedicated quantum sensor based on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond to achieve chemical shift resolution in 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy of 20-zeptoliter sample volumes. We demonstrate the appli
  
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• Multipotent peripheral glial cells generate neuroendocrine cells of the adrenal medulla

  06-07-2017 19:24
  Adrenaline is a fundamental circulating hormone for bodily responses to internal and external stressors. Chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla (AM) represent the main neuroendocrine adrenergic component and are believed to differentiate from neural crest cells. We demonstrate that large numbers of chromaffin cells arise from peripheral glial stem cells, termed Schwann cell precursors (SCPs). SCPs migrate along the visceral motor nerve to the vicinity of the forming adrenal gland, where they de
  
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• Femtosecond electron-phonon lock-in by photoemission and x-ray free-electron laser

  06-07-2017 19:24
  The interactions that lead to the emergence of superconductivity in iron-based materials remain a subject of debate. It has been suggested that electron-electron correlations enhance electron-phonon coupling in iron selenide (FeSe) and related pnictides, but direct experimental verification has been lacking. Here we show that the electron-phonon coupling strength in FeSe can be quantified by combining two time-domain experiments into a "coherent lock-in" measurement in the terahertz regime. X-ra
  
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• Evolution of the wheat blast fungus through functional losses in a host specificity determinant

  06-07-2017 19:24
  Wheat blast first emerged in Brazil in the mid-1980s and has recently caused heavy crop losses in Asia. Here we show how this devastating pathogen evolved in Brazil. Genetic analysis of host species determinants in the blast fungus resulted in the cloning of avirulence genes PWT3 and PWT4, whose gene products elicit defense in wheat cultivars containing the corresponding resistance genes Rwt3 and Rwt4. Studies on avirulence and resistance gene distributions, together with historical data on whea
  
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• Discovery of orbital-selective Cooper pairing in FeSe

  06-07-2017 19:24
  The superconductor iron selenide (FeSe) is of intense interest owing to its unusual nonmagnetic nematic state and potential for high-temperature superconductivity. But its Cooper pairing mechanism has not been determined. We used Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference imaging to determine the Fermi surface geometry of the electronic bands surrounding the= (0, 0) and X = (/aFe, 0) points of FeSe and to measure the corresponding superconducting energy gaps. We show that both gaps are extremely anis
  
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• Cognitive science in the field: A preschool intervention durably enhances intuitive but not formal mathematics

  06-07-2017 19:24
  Many poor children are underprepared for demanding primary school curricula. Research in cognitive science suggests that school achievement could be improved by preschool pedagogy in which numerate adults engage children’s spontaneous, nonsymbolic mathematical concepts. To test this suggestion, we designed and evaluated a game-based preschool curriculum intended to exercise children’s emerging skills in number and geometry. In a randomized field experiment with 1540 children (average
  
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• Citywide effects of high-occupancy vehicle restrictions: Evidence from "three-in-one" in Jakarta

  06-07-2017 19:24
  Widespread use of single-occupancy cars often leads to traffic congestion. Using anonymized traffic speed data from Android phones collected through Google Maps, we investigated whether high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) policies can combat congestion. We studied Jakarta’s "three-in-one" policy, which required all private cars on two major roads to carry at least three passengers during peak hours. After the policy was abruptly abandoned in April 2016, delays rose from 2.1 to 3.1 minutes per kil
  
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• Dive deep to discover unexpected connections

  06-07-2017 18:45
  Readers often praise Science News for its brevity. But some ideas need more space, writes acting editor in chief Elizabeth Quill.
  
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• Readers intrigued by Mars' far-out birth

  06-07-2017 18:30
  Readers sent feedback on the Red Planet's formation, jumping genes and more
  
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• North Korea Missile Test: Best Response May Be Surprisingly Low-Tech

  06-07-2017 18:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Security expert offers a scientific perspective on realistic options for the U.S.
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• How humans (maybe) domesticated themselves

  06-07-2017 18:00
  
  Prior to taming other species, humans selected for more docile traits among fellow Homo sapiens, a slew of recent studies suggest.
  
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• DNA evidence is rewriting domestication origin stories

  06-07-2017 18:00
  
  DNA studies are rewriting the how-we-met stories of domestication.
  
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• From 2 seeds to 1,000 plants: threatened species rescue plan by Guelph lab

  06-07-2017 17:06 via cbc.ca
  
  A project by the University of Guelph’s Goslin Research Institute for Plant Preservation, also known as GRIPP, may be able to save endangered plant species in the future by using in vitro technology to generate multiple plants from just a few seeds.
  
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• From 2 seeds to 1,000 plants: Guelph lab develops threatened species rescue plan

  06-07-2017 17:06 via cbc.ca
  
  A project by the University of Guelph’s Goslin Research Institute for Plant Preservation, also known as GRIPP, may be able to save endangered plant species in the future by using in vitro technology to generate multiple plants from just a few seeds.
  
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• Physicists find new 'charm' particle

  06-07-2017 16:40 via cbc.ca
  
  ​Scientists have found an extra charming new subatomic particle that they hope will help further explain a key force that binds matter together.
  
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• Right whale freed from fishing gear in Gulf of St. Lawrence north of P.E.I.

  06-07-2017 15:32 via cbc.ca
  
  Another right whale that had been entangled in fishing gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where six of them died last month, has been freed.
  
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• BepiColombo: Joint Mercury mission ready for 'pizza oven'

  06-07-2017 14:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Europe and Japan say their joint space mission is ready to face the inferno of working at Mercury.
  
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• LHC double heavy particle to shine light on strong force

  06-07-2017 14:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have detected a new particle at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern
  
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• What to Believe in Antarctica's Great Ice Debate

  06-07-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Although not all the studies agree, most climate scientists argue that, yes, Antarctica is losing mass in a warming world 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• How to eavesdrop on kelp

  06-07-2017 12:00
  
  Sounds reverberating through a kelp bed can be linked to environmental factors, suggesting a low-key way to monitor undersea communities.
  
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• Why frogs thrived after the dinosaurs were wiped out

  06-07-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Frogs around the world should be grateful that for the event that took out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. That's according to new research from scientists in the United States and China that suggests the event paved the way for the proliferation of frogs around the world.
  
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• Take your feeders down say experts — sick birds showing signs of disease

  06-07-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  After being able to get unusually close to the birds visiting her backyard feeders, Amy Seymour of Mount Stewart, P.E.I., says she knew something was wrong.
  
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• Baby pygmy hippo takes a tumble at Chile zoo debut

  06-07-2017 09:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A two-week-old pygmy hippopotamus steps out under the care of its mum, at an animal park in Santiago.
  
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• Elephant tourism is 'fuelling cruelty'

  06-07-2017 07:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rising numbers of people want selfies riding elephants, but a new study says many are kept in "severely cruel" conditions.
  
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• Your hands may reveal the struggle to maintain self-control

  06-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Ohio State University) It takes just a few seconds to choose a cookie over an apple and wreck your diet for the day. But what is happening during those few seconds while you make the decision? In a new study, researchers watched in real time as people's hands revealed the struggle they were under to choose the long-term goal over short-term temptation. The work represents a new approach to studying self-control.
  
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• Wheat genome sequencing provides 'time tunnel' -- boosting future food production & safety

  06-07-2017 06:00
  
  (NRGene) A global team of researchers has published the first-ever Wild Emmer wheat genome sequence in Science magazine. Wild Emmer wheat is the original form of nearly all the domesticated wheat in the world, including durum (pasta) and bread wheat. Wild emmer is too low-yielding to be of use to farmers today, but it contains many attractive characteristics that are being used by plant breeders to improve wheat.
  
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• Virus-derived expression vectors as gene therapy vehicles

  06-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Bentham Science Publishers) Even as new viruses are being identified, the emerging field of virus discovery, identification of their nucleotide sequences, gene expression patterns and complexities of virus-host interactions at the molecular level are being used in recent years towards applications in the human medicine as well as veterinary, agricultural and other biotechnological purposes.
  
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