Science news

• Vibrant northern lights forecast across Canada on weekend

  14-07-2017 23:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Look up at the night sky this weekend for a chance to see the northern lights.
  
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• Northern lights forecast across Canada this weekend

  14-07-2017 23:51 via cbc.ca
  
  Look up at the night sky this weekend for a chance to see the northern lights.
  
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• Teen girls at higher risk OK with emergency department offering pregnancy prevention info

  14-07-2017 22:49
  Adolescent girls receiving a wide range of medical care in the Emergency Department (ED) are receptive to receiving information about preventing pregnancy.
  
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• Source of cell-specific change in Alzheimer's disease

  14-07-2017 22:49
  Researchers have identified altered expression of a gene called ANK1, which only recently has been associated with memory robbing Alzheimer's disease, in specific cells in the brain. Following sequencing of each of these cell types, the scientists found that altered ANK1 expression originates in microglia, a type of immune cell found in the brain and central nervous system.
  
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• Fighting forest fires with technology: How drones and infrared cameras could be game-changers

  14-07-2017 22:28 via cbc.ca
  
  As wildfires threaten B.C., astrophysicist Carlton Pennypacker has a plan to stop them before they start — with the same technology he uses to search for supernovas.
  
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• Earthquakes rumble central Oklahoma, a new seismic hot spot

  14-07-2017 21:48 via cbc.ca
  
  The U.S. Geological Survey says several earthquakes struck central Oklahoma Friday morning, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2. Scientists have linked some oil and gas production to increased earthquakes in the state.
  
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• First genomic biomarkers in extracellular vesicles in veterinary patients

  14-07-2017 20:04
  Important biomarkers have been found in extracellular vesicles in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease and congestive heart failure. This is the first biomarker discovery based on extracellular vesicles in a veterinary disease. These findings could provide important insight into the molecular basis, diagnosis and therapies for myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs, as well as mitral valve prolapse, a similar disease in humans.
  
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• Climate change: Biodiversity rescues biodiversity in a warmer world

  14-07-2017 20:04
  Climate change leads to loss of biodiversity worldwide. However, ecosystems with a higher biodiversity in the first place might be less affected a new study. Scientists found that when they experimentally warmed meadows, the diversity of nematode worms living in the soil went down in monocultures, whereas the opposite was true for meadows with many different herbaceous plant species.
  
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• One of the brightest galaxies ever discovered

  14-07-2017 20:03
  Thanks to an amplified image produced by a gravitational lens, and the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS, a team of scientists has discovered one of the brightest galaxies known from the epoch when the universe had 20 percent of its present age.
  
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• Study identifies new target to preserve nerve function

  14-07-2017 20:02
  An enzyme that plays a crucial role in the degeneration of axons, the threadlike portions of a nerve cell that transmit signals within the nervous system, has now been identified by researchers. Axon loss occurs in all neurodegenerative diseases, so this discovery could open new pathways to treating or preventing a wide array of brain diseases.
  
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• Potentially safer substitutes for BPA identified

  14-07-2017 20:02
  A group of potential substitutes for bisphenol A (BPA) have been identified that lack the adverse effects typically associated with BPA, report scientists.
  
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• Mica provides clue to how water transports minerals

  14-07-2017 20:02
  Chemists have been able to look at the interface between water and muscovite mica, a flat mineral commonly found in granite, soils and many sediments. In particular, the researchers looked at the capture and release of rubidium - a metal closely related to but more easily singled out than common elements like potassium and sodium.
  
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• Immunosuppression underlies resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy

  14-07-2017 20:02
  A novel mechanism behind resistance to angiogenesis inhibitors has now been identified -- drugs that fight cancer by suppressing the formation of new blood vessels.
  
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• First laboratory generation of astrophysical shock waves created

  14-07-2017 20:02
  The first laboratory generation of an astrophysical shock wave has been reported by scientists. To produce the wave, scientists used a laser to create a high-energy plasma -- a form of matter composed of atoms and charged atomic particles -- that expanded into a pre-existing magnetized plasma. The interaction created, within a few billionths of a second, a magnetized shock wave that expanded at a rate of more than 1 million miles per hour, congruent with shocks beyond the solar system.
  
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• Deep-sea coral reefs discovery in depths of the North-Pacific

  14-07-2017 20:02
  Scientists had long believed that the waters of the Central and Northeast Pacific Ocean were inhospitable to certain species of deep-sea corals, but a marine biologist's discovery of an odd chain of reefs suggests there are mysteries about the development and durability of coral colonies yet to be uncovered.
  
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• Decline in financing could undermine malaria efforts

  14-07-2017 20:02
  Global malaria elimination funding is declining at a time when it remains crucial to eliminating the disease worldwide, according to a study.
  
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• Giant mud balls roamed the early solar system

  14-07-2017 20:00
  
  The first asteroids may have been great balls of mud, which would solve some puzzling features of meteorites.
  
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• GM moth trial gets a green light from USDA

  14-07-2017 19:11
  
  GM diamondback moths will take wing in New York field trial.
  
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• Farewell Dippy the dinosaur - London museum installs whale skeleton

  14-07-2017 18:41
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - London's Natural History Museum has installed a four-and-a-half-tonne blue whale skeleton to tower over the heads of visitors, replacing the remains of a much-loved diplodocus known as Dippy.
  
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• Water bears will survive the end of the world as we know it

  14-07-2017 17:40
  
  Water bears have a till-death-do-us-part pact with the sun, study suggests.
  
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• 'Beam me up, Scotty'

  14-07-2017 17:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Chinese scientists have "teleported" a photon particle to a satellite - could humans be next?
  
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• Smarter than the average 4-year-old? Raven intelligence at heart of new study

  14-07-2017 17:14 via cbc.ca
  
  More than 170 years after Edgar Allan Poe's fictional raven croaked, 'Nevermore,' scientists are reporting that real-life ravens think about the future.
  
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• Ravens can plan for the future, finds study of the intelligent bird species

  14-07-2017 17:14 via cbc.ca
  
  More than 170 years after Edgar Allan Poe's fictional raven croaked, 'Nevermore,' scientists are reporting that real-life ravens think about the future.
  
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• When life gives you lemons, make bioplastics

  14-07-2017 15:38
  An environmentally friendly method to produce BPA-free polycarbonate from limonene and carbon dioxide has been developed by a team of researchers.
  
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• New gene therapy treatment routes for motor neurone disease uncovered in new study

  14-07-2017 15:38
  Scientists investigating the genetic causes and altered functioning of nerve cells in motor neurone disease (MND) have discovered a new mechanism that could lead to fresh treatment approaches for one of the most common forms of the disease.
  
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• COPD: Changes in the lungs, changes in the microbiome

  14-07-2017 15:38
  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can result in structural changes within the lungs over time. Scientists have now been able to show that these changes not only affect the organ itself, but also the bacteria that live in the lung.
  
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• Scientists expect 'significant' algae bloom on Lake Erie

  14-07-2017 14:31 via cbc.ca
  
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and research partners released their annual algae forecast for the shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes, where massive algae formations are a recurring threat to the environment and the economy.
  
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• Poor thyroid function may affect dialysis patients' quality of life and daily living

  14-07-2017 13:22
  In hemodialysis patients, hypothyroidism was linked with impairments across multiple areas of health-related quality of life, including lower energy and greater fatigue, poorer physical function, and greater pain.
  
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• Lung benefits of caffeine therapy in preemies persists into mid-childhood

  14-07-2017 13:22
  Premature babies treated with caffeine have better lung function in mid-childhood than preemies not treated with caffeine, according to a randomized controlled trial.
  
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• Here's an ugly truth about attractiveness

  14-07-2017 13:22
  The attractiveness of a romantic partner can influence a person's desire to diet and seek a slim body, though that motivation contrasts sharply between men and women, new research has found.
  
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• Big-data analysis points toward new drug discovery method

  14-07-2017 13:22
  A computational method has been created to systematically probe massive amounts of open-access data to discover new ways to use drugs, including some that have already been approved for other uses.
  
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• Long working hours increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation

  14-07-2017 13:21
  People who work long hours have an increased risk of developing an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, according to a study of nearly 85,500 men and women.
  
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• FOXI3 gene is involved in dental cusp formation

  14-07-2017 13:21
  Hairless dog breeds differ from other dogs not only by lacking a coat, but also in the number and nature of their teeth. Scientists studied the skulls and teeth of pedigreed hairless dogs from the collection of the Phyletisches Museum of the University of Jena. Thus, they furthered our understanding of the involvement of the FOXI3 gene in the development of teeth - not only in hairless dogs, but potentially also in other mammals including humans.
  
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• Cretaceous Tanaidaceans took care of their offspring more than 105 million years ago

  14-07-2017 13:21
  The first evidence of parental care in Tanaidaceans has been found by scientists, dating back to more than 105 million years, according to a new study. These new findings are based on the study of three small crustaceans from different species of the Cretaceous -- Alavatanais carabe, Alavatanais margulisae and Daenerytanais maieuticus -- preserved in amber pieces from the sites in  Peñacerrada (Álava, Spain) and La Buzinie (Charente, France), reference models in the study of f
  
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• How protein interactions drive cellular death

  14-07-2017 13:20
  Researchers use a simplified model of a protein network to explain how apoptosis is regulated, whose malfunction is linked to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
  
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• Side effects not a major problem for new class of breast cancer drugs

  14-07-2017 13:19
  A ground-breaking new class of oral drugs for treating breast cancer, known as cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, are generally well-tolerated, with a manageable toxicity profile for most patients. This is the conclusion of a comprehensive review of toxicities and drug interactions related to this class of drugs.
  
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• How statins could be more effective in treatment of ovarian cancer

  14-07-2017 13:19
  Statins may be used as a potentially effective treatment against ovarian cancer, suggests evidence from a new study.
  
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• The last survivors on Earth may well be the tardigrade

  14-07-2017 13:14
  The world's most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the sun dies, according to a new study.
  
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• Copper in Ötzi the Iceman’s ax came from surprisingly far away

  14-07-2017 13:00
  
  Copper for the ancient Iceman’s blade traveled about 500 kilometers to his northern Italian home region.
  
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• How Fake News Goes Viral--Here's the Math

  14-07-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Models similar to those used to track disease show what happens when too much information hits social media networks
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Forget cockroaches — these little guys will live until the sun begins to die

  14-07-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  It's often believed that cockroaches will live until the end of time. But new research suggests they've met their match in the tardigrade. This tiny creature will likely be the last one standing after all other complex life on Earth is gone.
  
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• High-speed Hyperloop project ready for key test in Nevada

  14-07-2017 09:03
  
  (Reuters) - Engineers will soon conduct a crucial test of a futuristic technology championed by entrepreneur Elon Musk that seeks to revolutionize transportation by sending passengers and cargo packed into pods through an intercity system of vacuum tubes.
  
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• Walking like ants gives spiders a chance

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Cornell University) To avoid being eaten, some jumping spiders pretend to be ants.
  
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• The last survivors on Earth

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Oxford) The world's most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the sun dies, according to a new Oxford University collaboration.
  
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• The end of aging? Targeting the underlying mechanisms for enhancing human healthspan

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (American Federation for Aging Research) Innovators in biotechnology targeting aging will share insights and be honored at luncheon symposium on July 25 at Westin St. Francis, San Francisco, organized by the American Federation for Aging Research.
  
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• Synchrotron light used to show human domestication of seeds from 2000 BC

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Diamond Light Source) Scientists from UCL have used the UK's synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, to document for the first time the rate of evolution of seed coat thinning, a major marker of crop domestication, from archaeological remains.
  
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• Strong friendships among women in the workplace reduce conflict, according to new study

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) According to a new study in the INFORMS journal Organization Science, when employers foster an office environment that supports positive, social relationships between women coworkers, especially in primarily male dominated organizations, they are less likely to experience conflict among women employees.
  
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• Spark Therapeutics announces publication in The Lancet of pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial data for investigational voretigene neparvovec

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Ten Bridge Communications) Spark Therapeutics, a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to challenging the inevitability of genetic disease, today announced The Lancet, a highly ranked peer-reviewed journal, has published Phase 3 clinical trial data of voretigene neparvovec, an investigational, potential one-time gene therapy candidate for the treatment of patients with vision loss due to confirmed biallelic RPE65-mediated inherited retinal disease (IRD).
  
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• Shh! Proven security for your secrets

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Kyoto University) Researchers show the security of their cipher based on chaos theory.
  
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• Scientists discovered one of the brightest galaxies known

  14-07-2017 06:00
  
  (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)) Thanks to an amplified image produced by a gravitational lens, and the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS a team of scientists from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias have discovered one of the brightest galaxies known from the epoch when the universe had 20 percent of its present age.
  
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