Science news

• More summer sun accelerating Greenland ice melt, study says

  07-07-2017 20:46 via cbc.ca
  
  Scientists at the University of Bristol in the U.K. have found that increasing sunshine over the past 20 years is helping to accelerate ice melt across Greenland.
  
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• Fossil tooth pushes back record of mysterious Neandertal relative

  07-07-2017 20:00
  
  A Denisovan child’s fossil tooth dates to at least 100,000 years ago, researchers say.
  
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• Diabetes complications are a risk factor for repeat hospitalizations, study shows

  07-07-2017 19:51
  For patients with diabetes, one reason for hospitalization and unplanned hospital readmission is severe dysglycemia (uncontrolled hyperglycemia -- high blood sugar, or hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar), says new research.
  
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• Study warns about the impact of the carp in shallow lakes with high ecological value for the preservation of waterbirds

  07-07-2017 19:44
  The presence of the carp, a freshwater invasive species spread worldwide, is alarmingly reducing the populations of diving ducks and waterbirds, according to a study.
  
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• Unlocking the secrets of the Sahara

  07-07-2017 19:42
  A peat bog in Romania provides a new insight into our knowledge of when the Sahara began to transform from grassland into the desert we know today, and the impact this had on dust deposition within Eastern Europe.
  
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• Tumor-targeting MRI contrast developed, based on human protein

  07-07-2017 19:38
  A human protein-based, tumor-targeting Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast has been developed that can be easily cleared by the body. The discovery holds promise for clinical application.
  
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• Taking medications as prescribed important to control health care costs

  07-07-2017 19:38
  At a time when health care costs are scrutinized more closely than ever, a new study demonstrates the importance of taking medications as prescribed to control costs.
  
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• New discovery holds potential for treating tuberculosis

  07-07-2017 19:38
  A recent discovery could lead to a new, effective treatment for persistent tuberculosis infections, report scientists.
  
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• Insulin release is controlled by the amount of Epac2A at the secretory vesicles

  07-07-2017 19:38
  Specialized beta cells in the pancreas release the hormone insulin to control our blood glucose levels, and failure of this mechanism is central to the development of type-2 diabetes. How much and when insulin is released depends on a complex system of messenger molecules and proteins that is not well understood.
  
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• How universities are fostering innovation, entrepreneurship

  07-07-2017 19:38
  Technology and Innovation 19.1 zeroes in on innovation and entrepreneurship, with a special focus on what universities are currently doing to foster growth in those areas both for their success and the success of the communities and regions to which they are connected. Novel educational programs, innovation-driving business accelerators, and ingenious makerspaces that allow users to manufacture their own objects are among the tools being employed by universities to support the entrepreneurial ac
  
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• Driving under the influence in car powered by whisky biofuel

  07-07-2017 19:34
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Alcohol and automobiles famously do not mix - but one Scottish scientist has disproved that maxim by driving a car powered by biofuel derived from making whisky.
  
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• Alberta scientist remembered as soft-spoken saviour of Canada's peregrine falcon

  07-07-2017 19:00 via cbc.ca
  
  The man credited with bringing Canada’s peregrine falcon back from the brink of extinction is being honoured for his legacy.
  
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• Energy on the rocks: Scientist makes biofuel from whisky waste

  07-07-2017 18:55 via cbc.ca
  
  Alcohol and automobiles famously do not mix — but one Scottish scientist has disproved that maxim by driving a car powered by biofuel derived from making whisky.
  
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• Newfound particle relies on its charm(s)

  07-07-2017 18:23
  
  First-of-its-kind subatomic particle is composed of two charm quarks and an up quark.
  
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• Dormant ancient fungi could help trees adapt to climate change, study says

  07-07-2017 18:03 via cbc.ca
  
  A new study from the University of British Columbia Okanagan says ancient dormant fungi could help modern tree species adapt to climate change.
  
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• Cellphone dead? This phone makes battery-free calls

  07-07-2017 17:56 via cbc.ca
  
  Researchers at the University of Washington have developed what they call the first battery-free cellphone.
  
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• Tesla to build giant battery in Australia amid energy crisis

  07-07-2017 17:12 via cbc.ca
  
  Tesla says it will build the world's largest lithium-ion battery in southern Australia, part of a bid to solve an energy crisis that has led to ongoing blackouts across the region.
  
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• China’s quantum satellite adds two new tricks to its repertoire

  07-07-2017 17:00
  
  Satellite performs quantum teleportation and securely transmits encryption keys.
  
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• Which bar patrons underestimate their inebriation the most?

  07-07-2017 16:09
  College students, males, and people drinking alcohol at restaurants, bars, and nightclubs are at particularly high risk for driving after drinking. Breath-testing devices are not usually found at these drinking establishments, so patrons generally assess their own intoxication levels using internal (feelings of intoxication) and external (number of drinks consumed) cues, say researchers
  
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• Handwritten opioid prescriptions are more prone to mistakes, researchers find

  07-07-2017 16:09
  Handwritten orders for opioids contributes heavily to a trio of prescribing and processing errors in contrast to those created electronically, researchers have concluded at the end of a small study of opioid prescriptions filled at an outpatient pharmacy.
  
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• Nanoscale forces measured in aortic smooth muscle cells tell story of disease

  07-07-2017 16:08
  Researchers have collaborated to employ a novel nanoscale fibrous system that can measure the tiny forces exerted by and upon individual cells with extreme precision. The team hopes that this platform, which investigators call nanonet force microscopy (NFM), will provide new knowledge about smooth muscle cell biology that could have implications for treating cardiovascular disease, which is still a leading cause of death in the United States.
  
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• New biosynthetic pathway unique to pathogenic microorganisms

  07-07-2017 16:07
  A new unique biosynthetic pathway for D-Glutamate has been discovered, an important cell wall component in pathogenic bacteria, which could lead to the development of medicines and agricultural chemicals.
  
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• Surveying sea floor animals for offshore renewable energy

  07-07-2017 15:58
  Chunks of sediment from the ocean floor are being used by scientists to analyze animal life and determine environmental impact from offshore energy facilities.
  
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• Golden bananas high in pro-vitamin A developed

  07-07-2017 15:58
  Ugandan bananas high in pro-vitamin A have been developed by researchers. Cooking bananas are the staple food in rural Uganda, and yet worldwide, 650,000-750,000 children die from vitamin A deficiency. Thanks to this new study, Ugandan farmers will be growing pro-vitamin A rich bananas in 2021.
  
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• New epigenomic strategies in the clinical management of cancer of unknown primary

  07-07-2017 15:57
  The invention of the EPICUP epigenetic test and its impact in the clinical management of Cancer of Unknown Primary is discussed in a new article.
  
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• Fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin identified as new biomarkers for weight loss

  07-07-2017 15:54
  A personalized diet approach could lead to greater weight loss and maintenance success, report researchers. Their study identifies fasting blood sugar and/or fasting insulin as new biomarkers for weight loss in people with prediabetes or diabetes.
  
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• Experts urge action to cut child deaths from deadly lung virus

  07-07-2017 15:54
  Vaccines to combat a virus that can lead to fatal lung infections are urgently needed to help prevent child deaths worldwide, research suggests. Experts report that more than 115,000 children under five are dying each year from complications associated with the infection, called Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Around three million are admitted to hospital each year with the virus, which causes breathing difficulties and wheezing.
  
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• Childhood obesity a major link to hip diseases

  07-07-2017 15:54
  A strong link between childhood obesity and hip diseases in childhood has been revealed by a new research study.
  
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• Recruiting manganese to upgrade carbon dioxide

  07-07-2017 15:53
  Simple catalysts have been developed based on Earth-abundant manganese to use carbon dioxide for energy storage or turn it into useful chemicals for the industry.
  
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• Promising target to protect bone in patients with diabetes

  07-07-2017 15:53
  Utilizing metabolomics research techniques, researchers investigated the underlying biochemical activity and signaling within the bone marrow of hyperglycemic mice with hopes of reducing fracture risks of diabetics.
  
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• Extreme low-oxygen eddies in the Atlantic produce greenhouse gases

  07-07-2017 15:53
  In 2014, an international research team was able to investigate in detail eddies in the Atlantic Ocean which were characterized by extremely low oxygen concentrations. The interdisciplinary analysis of the data and samples has revealed processes which were not previously known to occur in the Atlantic. This also includes the natural production of considerable amounts of greenhouse gases.
  
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• Hermaphrodite wildflower has its own battle of the sexes

  07-07-2017 14:00
  
  A new example of sexual conflict shows up in a plant with a troublesome pollinator.
  
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• When butterfly male sex-bias flaps its wings

  07-07-2017 13:05
  In butterflies, sex is determined by chromosome differences. But unlike in humans with the familiar X and Y, in butterflies, it is the females that determine the sex of offspring. Males are ZZ, while females are ZW. How do females compensate for the loss of genetic information? New research shows that, contrary to previously inconsistent findings, in all species studied, that the expression of Z-linked genes is consistently equalized between the sexes.
  
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• New approach to evaluating agricultural development programs

  07-07-2017 13:05
  Involving locals in figuring out how to improve their farming and fishing methods provides more lasting and widespread benefits than just introducing new technologies or methods, new research shows.
  
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• High efficiency perovskite PV films with meniscus-assisted technique

  07-07-2017 13:05
  A new low-temperature solution printing technique allows fabrication of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells with large crystals intended to minimize current-robbing grain boundaries. The meniscus-assisted solution printing (MASP) technique boosts power conversion efficiencies to nearly 20 percent by controlling crystal size and orientation.
  
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• Earth's magnetic field 'simpler than we thought'

  07-07-2017 13:05
  Scientists have identified patterns in the Earth's magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known.
  
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• Mindfulness-based therapy may reduce stress in overweight and obese individuals

  07-07-2017 13:04
  In a randomized clinical trial of women who were overweight or obese, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) increased mindfulness and decreased stress compared with health education. In addition, fasting blood sugar levels decreased within the MBSR group, but not within the health education group.
  
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• Night Owl? Scientists Identify a Gene That May Be Keeping People Up at Night

  07-07-2017 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A mutation found in some individuals who suffer from delayed sleep phase disorder could be interfering with their circadian clocks
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Juno will fly a mere 9,000 km above Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

  07-07-2017 13:00
  
  Juno is about to get up close and personal with Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
  
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• Stephen Hawking's daughter Lucy: 'You could ask my dad any question'

  07-07-2017 12:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Lucy Hawking describes her famous scientist father being asked - what happens if you fall into a black hole?
  
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• Hawking's daughter: 'You could ask dad any question'

  07-07-2017 12:46 via bbc.co.uk
  Lucy Hawking describes her famous scientist father being asked - what happens if you fall into a black hole?
  
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• LHC Physicists Unveil a Charming New Particle

  07-07-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
   The discovery could offer fresh insight into how fundamental forces bind together subatomic particles
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Merkel’s climate mission at the G20

  07-07-2017 11:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Germany is battling to stop the US undermining a united front on climate change at the G20 summit.
  
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• Want to spend less time on your phone? Consider an old-fashioned analog watch

  07-07-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  In a world where people turn to their smartphones for the time, the resurgence of the analog watch is dulling the stress of digital distractions for some.
  
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• Misusing your phone charger could spark a fire, warn officials

  07-07-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Halifax firefighters believe more fires are being caused by people using cheap, mismatched chargers for their electronics.
  
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• Zero gravity: Graphene for space applications

  07-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Graphene Flagship) Researchers and students in the Graphene Flagship are preparing for two exciting experiments in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to test the viability of graphene for space applications. The microgravityparabolic flightdrop tower experiments will launch between November 6-17, 2017, testing graphene in zero-gravity conditions to determine its potential in space applications including light propulsion and thermal management.
  
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• Why does prenatal alcohol exposure increase the likelihood of addiction?

  07-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University at Buffalo) One of the many negative consequences when fetuses are exposed to alcohol in the womb is an increased risk for drug addiction later in life. Neuroscientists in the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions are discovering why.
  
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• What factors contribute to academic success in students living in poverty?

  07-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Wiley) High-achieving, low-income 12- and 13-year-old students report that several protective factors contribute to their academic success despite the presence of adversity: reciprocal peer relationships, teachers who care, family and community assets, and multiple sources of motivation.
  
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• Well-being in later life: The mind plays an important role

  07-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health) Well-being in later life is largely dependent on psychosocial factors. Physical impairments tend to play a secondary role, as scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have discovered. The results of their recent study are published in BMC Geriatrics.
  
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• UMMS researcher, colleagues develop tumor-targeting MRI contrast based on human protein

  07-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Massachusetts Medical School) A team led by Gang Han, PhD, has designed a human protein-based, tumor-targeting Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast that can be easily cleared by the body. The discovery holds promise for clinical application.
  
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