Science news

• Former astronaut Julie Payette to be Canada's next governor general

  12-07-2017 23:33 via cbc.ca
  
  Former astronaut Julie Payette will be the Queen’s new representative in Canada, CBC has confirmed.
  
  Read more

• 1st close-up images of Jupiter's Great Red Spot released

  12-07-2017 22:12 via cbc.ca
  
  Images from NASA's Juno spacecraft have begun to arrive less than two days after it flew just 9,800 kilometres above the cloud tops of Jupiter's raging storm, dubbed the Great Red Spot.
  
  Read more

• Edmonton palaeontologist solves pterosaur pelvis puzzle

  12-07-2017 21:48 via cbc.ca
  
  Two years after the unearthing of a puzzling fossil in southern Alberta, an Edmonton paleontologist has finally identified the mysterious bone, showing in the process that the winged reptile it belonged to rarely got off the ground.
  
  Read more

• NASA probe grazes Jupiter's clouds in brush with Great Red Spot

  12-07-2017 21:44
  
  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter began transmitting data and images on Tuesday from humanity's closest brush with the Great Red Spot, a flyby of the colossal, crimson storm that has fascinated Earthbound observers for hundreds of years.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Scientists simplify the incorporation of nitrogen into molecules

  12-07-2017 20:56
  Scientists generalize the synthesis of aminating agents to simplify the design and manufacture of drugs and other fine chemicals in which nitrogen atoms play key roles. Each of these agents contains an active electrophilic nitrogen atom to help chemists forge carbon-nitrogen bonds more easily than ever.
  
  Read more

• Function of cerebellar interneurons probed with new technique

  12-07-2017 20:56
  Researchers have developed a technique for selectively targeting and controlling the interneurons of the cerebellar molecular layer relying on a genetically engineered mouse model that exploits a unique gene encoding c-Kit to differentiate interneurons from other cell types. By using the c-kit mice in this study, the team was able to specifically access molecular layer interneurons and manipulate their activity using both optogenetic and chemogenetic methods in vitro.
  
  Read more

• Discovery of brain-like activity in immune system promises better disease treatments

  12-07-2017 20:56
  Brain-like activity has been discovered in the immune system, which promises better treatments for lymphoma, autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiency disorders, which collectively affect millions of people globally.
  
  Read more

• Diabetes causes shift in oral microbiome that fosters periodontitis, Penn study finds

  12-07-2017 20:56
  People with diabetes are susceptible to periodontitis, a gum infection that can result in tooth loss. New research helps explain why: Diabetes triggers changes in the oral microbiome that enhance inflammation and the risk of bone loss
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Here are Juno’s first close-ups of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

  12-07-2017 19:22
  
  The Juno spacecraft swooped just 9,000 kilometers above Jupiter’s Great Red Spot on July 10. Here are the first pictures.
  
  Read more

• Online sites across U.S. take part in protest to support net neutrality

  12-07-2017 18:43 via cbc.ca
  
  Thousands of websites across the United States are taking part in an online protest of the government's proposal to roll back rules over net neutrality.
  
  Read more

• Giant iceberg breaks off Antarctica

  12-07-2017 18:40
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - One of the biggest icebergs on record has broken away from Antarctica, scientists said on Wednesday, creating an extra hazard for ships around the continent as it breaks up.
  
  Read more

• Swansea tidal lagoon review head Charles Hendry 'hopeful'

  12-07-2017 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It is six months since an independent review backed a planned £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.
  
  Read more

• Delaware-sized iceberg breaks off Antarctic ice shelf

  12-07-2017 17:14
  
  An iceberg about the size of Delaware splintered from the Larsen C ice shelf in one of the largest calving events ever recorded.
  
  Read more

• Release of treated wastewater from hydraulic fracturing contaminates lake

  12-07-2017 17:06
  Hydraulic fracturing has enabled a domestic oil and gas boom in the US, but its rapid growth has raised questions about what to do with the billions of gallons of wastewater that result. Researchers now report that treating the wastewater and releasing it into surface waters has led to the contamination of a Pennsylvania watershed with radioactive material and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
  
  Read more

• Splitting the atom

  12-07-2017 14:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government is about to set out its position on membership of Europe's nuclear regulator after Brexit.
  
  Read more

• 'Seemingly unbelievable' temperatures becoming more common in Arctic winters

  12-07-2017 14:00 via cbc.ca
  
  The warm periods are linked with storms that penetrate into the Arctic from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and bring the temperature up by as much as 30 C in the middle of winter.
  
  Read more

• Giant iceberg the size of P.E.I. breaks off Antarctica

  12-07-2017 13:41 via cbc.ca
  
  One of the biggest icebergs on record has broken away from Antarctica, scientists said on Wednesday, creating an extra hazard for ships around the continent as it breaks up.
  
  Read more

• Do the oceans need new rules?

  12-07-2017 13:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Why are scientists are worried about the open seas?
  
  Read more

• Teeny-weeny star vies for title of smallest known

  12-07-2017 13:00
  
  A Saturn-sized star is one of the smallest yet discovered.
  
  Read more

• Are Colors Innate or Learned?

  12-07-2017 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Babies’ perception of hues sheds light on culture vs. biology question
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Sweating the Small Stuff: CubeSats Swarm Earth Orbit

  12-07-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  A boom in nanosatellites could revolutionize space science and industry, but also dramatically increase the hazards of space junk
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Don't drain the swamp: report says wetlands help avert flood damage

  12-07-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  After severe spring flooding in central Canada and B.C., Canadians were again reminded of the heavy costs of natural disasters linked to climate change. New research from the University of Waterloo, says protecting Canada's diminishing wetlands is one way to protect Canadians from the rising cost of floods.
  
  Read more

• Giant iceberg splits from Antarctic

  12-07-2017 10:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A block of ice a quarter the size of Wales calves from the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
  
  Read more

• WikiLeaks gave Trump edge in campaign race, Twitter study finds

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Edinburgh) Viral tweets relating to Hillary Clinton's WikiLeaks scandal played a part in her failure to win the US presidential election, according to computer-led analysis of social media.
  
  Read more

• Why you might trust a quantum computer with secrets -- even over the internet

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore) Writing in Physical Review X on 11 July, researchers in Singapore and Australia propose a way you could use a quantum computer securely, even over the internet.
  
  Read more

• Watch 3-D movies at home, sans glasses

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL ) While 3-D movies continue to be popular in theaters, they haven't made the leap to our homes just yet -- and the reason rests largely on the ridge of your nose.
  
  Read more

• Visual illusion could help you read smaller font

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Association for Psychological Science) Exposure to a common visual illusion may enhance your ability to read fine print, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
  
  Read more

• UTA-linked startup TissueGen wins 'Medical Device Engineering Breakthrough' award

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) TissueGen won the award for its patented ELUTE® fiber, which provides pharmaceutical, therapeutic and medical device companies with topical and implantable drug delivery from biodegradable polymer-based fibers. Medical devices incorporating these fibers have the potential to revolutionize tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications including spinal cord injury repair, nerve regeneration, orthopedic soft tissue repair, and many more.
  
  Read more

• UTA Institute of Urban Studies to help with Dallas Love Field study on north entrance

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) The city of Dallas has awarded the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs' Institute of Urban Studies a grant to execute a study exploring what a northern entrance/exit to Love Field would do to the surrounding community.
  
  Read more

• UTA engineering professor earns lifetime achievement award from ICCES

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Texas at Arlington) The International Conference on Computational and Experimental Engineering and Sciences honored Kenneth Reifsnider of the UTA Research Institute for lifetime achievement.
  
  Read more

• To attract more students to STEM, highlight communal aspects of STEM careers

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Society for Personality and Social Psychology) New research highlights the importance of showing students the communal aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers in order to attract more students to STEM classes and careers. The research is published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
  
  Read more

• This week from AGU: Greenland's summer ocean bloom likely fueled by iron

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (American Geophysical Union) This week from AGU: Greenland's summer ocean bloom likely fueled by iron, new technique could help scientists track nitrous oxide sources, and more.
  
  Read more

• The wiser brain: Insights from healthy elders

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Oxford) The archetype of old wise elders distinguished for their wisdom and sound judgement continues to inspire dreams of reaching a bright and enlightened old age.
  
  Read more

• The number of illustrations in storybooks influences children's word learning

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Wiley) New research shows that the number of illustrations presented in a storybook can influence preschool children's ability to learn words from shared reading.
  
  Read more

• The Al Mayadeen news network gives voice to left-wing Arabs

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Humanities) Frustrated with Al Jazeera's coverage of the Arab Spring and the popular uprising in Syria, former Al Jazeera broadcasters and journalists established the pan-Arab satellite network Al Mayadeen in 2012 with support from Iran. The new satellite network has attracted a large audience in the Arab world, particularly among the political left who want an alternative to Islamist and Saudi Arabian dominance in the region, new research from the Universi
  
  Read more

• Sussex physicists unveil pop-up lab at Spitalfields Market

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Sussex) University of Sussex physicists display a model quantum laboratory in central London to show the public how they are developing a quantum computer.
  
  Read more

• Study: Diet not connected to GI problems in children with autism

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Missouri-Columbia) Many children with autism spectrum disorder experience significant gastrointestinal issues, but the cause of these symptoms is unknown. Professionals in the medical community have suggested a potential link between diet and gastrointestinal issues related to autism. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that diet is not a contributing factor in these individuals. The researchers hope the findings could help lead to improv
  
  Read more

• Study: After watching disturbing video, CPAP usage soars

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (MediaSource) More than 20 million Americans are diagnosed with sleep apnea, yet more than half of those prescribed a CPAP mask to keep their airways open at night don't use it. So, National Jewish Health conducted a study where researchers recorded the patients sleeping without the CPAP mask and those who watched the video were more likely to wear it in the end.
  
  Read more

• Soft and stretchy fabric-based sensors for wearable robots

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard) Wearable technologies are exploding in popularity, but most of the electronic sensors that detect and transmit data from wearables are made of hard, inflexible materials that can restrict both the wearer's natural movements and the accuracy of the data collected. Now, a team of researchers at the Wyss Institute and SEAS at Harvard University has created a highly sensitive soft sensor that leverages textiles in its construction, se
  
  Read more

• Slow earthquakes occur continuously in the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of California - Riverside) Seismologists at the University of California, Riverside studying earthquakes in the seismically and volcanically active Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone have found that 'slow earthquakes' are occurring continuously, and could encourage damaging earthquakes. Slow earthquakes are quiet, can be as large as magnitude 7, and last days to years.Taking place mainly at the boundary between tectonic plates, they happen so slowly that people don't feel them.
  
  Read more

• Sinus disease symptoms improve 10 years after patients quit smoking

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) who quit smoking will see their condition improve over a period of about 10 years, according to the results of a new study led by the Sinus Center at Mass. Eye and Ear.
  
  Read more

• Scientists replay movie encoded in DNA

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (NIH/National Institute of Mental Health) For the first time, a primitive movie has been encoded in -- and then played back from -- DNA in living cells. Scientists say it's a major step toward a 'molecular recorder' that may someday make it possible to access an archive of the changing internal states of a developing cell by sequencing its genome. The ability to record such sequential events as a movie at the molecular level is key to this reinventing of recording.
  
  Read more

• Rice team developing flat microscope for the brain

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Rice University) Rice University engineers are working with DARPA to develop a high-resolution neural interface to provide an alternate path for sight and sound to be delivered directly to the brain.
  
  Read more

• Rice scientists simplify the incorporation of nitrogen into molecules

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Rice University) Rice University scientists generalize the synthesis of aminating agents to simplify the design and manufacture of drugs and other fine chemicals in which nitrogen atoms play key roles. Each of these agents contains an active electrophilic nitrogen atom to help chemists forge carbon-nitrogen bonds more easily than ever.
  
  Read more

• Researchers study factors predicting school corporal punishment

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Penn State) The number of Southern natives and the average education level in a county are the most influential factors on the odds of a US public school using corporal punishment, according to new Penn State research.
  
  Read more

• Registry identifies early onset of heart failure and lack of defibrillators in Asia

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) For the first time this year a late breaking clinical trials session will be held at the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology (APSC) Congress to highlight world-class research coming out of the region.
  
  Read more

• Programs that teach emotional intelligence in schools have lasting impact

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of British Columbia) Social and emotional learning programs for youth not only immediately improve mental health, social skills, and learning outcomes but also continue to benefit children years later.
  
  Read more

• Predictive model may help forecast migraine attacks

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Wiley) A new model based on measuring stress from daily hassles may help forecast future migraine headache attacks in those who develop them frequently.
  
  Read more

• Predicting heart events after liver transplant

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Northwestern University) The first app and score to determine the one-year risk of a liver transplant patient dying or being hospitalized for a heart attack or other cardiovascular complication has been developed. The new risk score app may guide preventive treatment and who gets a donor organ. One-third of transplant patients will have serious cardiac complication within first year of transplant. The current method of risk scoring is no better than flipping a coin.
  
  Read more

• Online climate data benefits producers

  12-07-2017 06:00
  
  (American Society of Agronomy) A group from the USDA Agricultural Research Station (ARS) has introduced a web-based application to help farmers. It allows users to access important historical information about the past climate in their area. This could allow them to better plan for the current year.
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!