Science news

• Name that scotch: Colorimetric recognition of aldehydes and ketones

  21-07-2017 22:40
  Vodka tastes different from brandy, and connoisseurs can distinguish among different brands of whiskeys. The flavors of spirits result from a complex bouquet of volatile compounds. New colorimetric sensor arrays on disposable test-strips read by hand-held devices allow for their rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive identification by their chemical 'fingerprints'. They are based on novel sensor arrays that detect and differentiate among a diverse range of aldehydes and ketones.
  
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• Fire ants build towers with three simple rules

  21-07-2017 20:54
  
  Fire ants use the same set of simple rules to produce static rafts and perpetually moving towers.
  
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• Rare discovery of three new toad species in Nevada's Great Basin

  21-07-2017 17:34
  Three new species of toads have been discovered living in Nevada's Great Basin in an expansive survey of the 190,000 square mile ancient lake bottom, report investigators.
  
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• In saliva, clues to a 'ghost' species of ancient human

  21-07-2017 17:34
  In saliva, scientists have found hints that a 'ghost' species of archaic humans may have contributed genetic material to ancestors of people living in sub-Saharan Africa today. The research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that sexual rendezvous between different archaic human species may not have been unusual.
  
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• Scanning the surface of lithium titanate

  21-07-2017 16:55
  Researchers have applied advanced scanning methods to visualize the previously unexplored surface of a superconductor: lithium titanate.
  
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• Tough robots making an ImPACT

  21-07-2017 16:46
  New and improved rescue robots tough enough to function in extreme and hostile environments were unveiled recently at a demonstration at Tohoku University, Japan.
  
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• Seagrass meadows: Critical habitats for juvenile fish and dugongs in the east coast Johor islands

  21-07-2017 16:45
  Seagrass meadows in Johor harbor have three times more juvenile fish than coral reefs, scientists have found. They also found that the dugong herds there prefer certain types of meadows over others.
  
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• Who learns foreign language better, introverts or extroverts?

  21-07-2017 16:42
  Extravert Chinese students learning English as a second language are likely to perform better in speaking and reading, but less proficient in listening than their introvert counterparts, according to a study.
  
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• Why sugary drinks and protein-rich meals don't go well together

  21-07-2017 16:13
  Having a sugar-sweetened drink with a high-protein meal may negatively affect energy balance, alter food preferences and cause the body to store more fat.
  
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• Most impactful neuroscience research

  21-07-2017 16:13
  A study of the 100 most-cited neuroscience articles has revealed that 78 of these papers cover five topics, including neurological disorders, the prefrontal cortex, brain connectivity, brain mapping and methodology studies.
  
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• Flashes of light on dark matter

  21-07-2017 16:13
  A web that passes through infinite intergalactic spaces, a dense cosmic forest illuminated by very distant lights and a huge enigma to solve. These are the picturesque ingredients of a scientific research that adds an important element for understanding one of the fundamental components of our Universe: dark matter.
  
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• Spatial orientation: New model for the origin of grid cells

  21-07-2017 15:54
  Neurobiologists present a new theory for the origin of the grid cells required for spatial orientation in the mammalian brain, which assigns a vital role to the timing of trains of signals they receive from neurons called place cells.
  
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• Sparkling springs aid quest for underground heat energy sources

  21-07-2017 15:54
  Studies of naturally carbonated mineral water have given scientists insight on how to locate hot water springs -- potential sources of sustainable geothermal energy.
  
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• Native leech preys on invasive slug?

  21-07-2017 15:54
  Citizen science has revealed the spread of the invasive giant slug Limax maximus and its potential native predator in Japan, providing new insights into predator-prey dynamics between introduced prey and native predators.
  
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• Mountain glaciers recharge vital aquifers

  21-07-2017 15:54
  Small mountain glaciers play a big role in recharging vital aquifers and in keeping rivers flowing during the winter, according to a new study. The study also suggests that the accelerated melting of mountain glaciers in recent decades may explain a phenomenon that has long puzzled scientists -- why Arctic and sub-Arctic rivers have increased their water flow during the winter even without a correlative increase in rain or snowfall.
  
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• Most precise measurement of the proton's mass

  21-07-2017 15:54
  By means of precision measurements on a single proton, scientists have been able to improve the precision of the measurement of the mass of the proton by a factor of three and also corrected the existing value, finding it is significantly lighter than previously believed.
  
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• Elephant seals have rhythm and they know how to use it

  21-07-2017 15:50 via cbc.ca
  New research published in the journal Current Biology finds that elephant seals identify breeding rivals by the rhythm of their vocal calls, much the way humans can discern accents and vocal tone.
  
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• Police ran 2nd dark web marketplace as sting to spot drug deals

  21-07-2017 15:26 via cbc.ca
  In an innovative blow against illicit internet commerce, cyberpolice shut down the world's leading "dark net" marketplace, AlphaBay — then quietly seized a second bazaar, the Hansa Market, to amass intelligence on illicit drug merchants and buyers.
  
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• Pharmacology: Probing the pores in membrane vesicles

  21-07-2017 15:01
  Ion channels in the membrane vesicles that mediate intracellular protein transport play a crucial role in cell physiology. A method now allows them to be studied with greater specificity than ever before.
  
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• On the path to vitamin A in rice

  21-07-2017 15:01
  Biochemists have elucidated the structure of an enzyme that supplies carotenoid, investigators report. The lack of vitamin A in food is a major cause of health problems worldwide and can lead to blindness and even death. This is especially a problem in threshold or third-world countries, where children are likely to suffer from a lack of vitamin A or its precursor beta-carotene due to malnourishment.
  
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• New Kingdom Egypt: The goldsmith’s tomb

  21-07-2017 15:01
  Archeologists are studying the impact of intercultural contacts in Ancient Egypt. New excavations in Sudan have uncovered a tomb dating to around 1450 BC on the island of Sai in the Nile.
  
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• How physical exercise prevents dementia

  21-07-2017 15:01
  Physical exercise seems beneficial in the prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia in old age, numerous studies have shown. Now researchers have explored in one of the first studies worldwide how exercise affects brain metabolism.
  
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• Temperature, solar radiation, wind: Three parameters to predict a vehicle’s cabin air temperature

  21-07-2017 15:00
  Parked vehicles can quickly become a life-threatening environment for unattended children or dogs during the summer months. Dangerous cabin temperatures can be reached in a matter of minutes. Researchers not only calculated the temperature rise but also developed a dynamic model that requires only three readily available parameters to predict this increase: outdoor air temperature, wind velocity and solar radiation. All three values are available on an hourly basis from standard meteorological s
  
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• Earth might once have resembled a hot, steamy doughnut

  21-07-2017 15:00
  
  Newly proposed space objects called synestias are large, spinning hunks of mostly vaporized rock. They look like a jelly-filled doughnut.
  
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• Patients can expect to stay active, enjoy high quality of life 10 years after ACL surgery

  21-07-2017 14:47
  In the first prospective ACL reconstruction cohort with over 80 percent follow-up at 10 years, researchers demonstrated that patients could perform sports-related functions and maintain a high knee-related quality of life a decade after surgery, though activity levels decline over time.
  
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• Different approaches offer patients improved quality of life after ACL reconstruction

  21-07-2017 14:47
  The most common surgical techniques used to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) offer patients improved quality of life five years after injury, according to new research.
  
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• Athletic trainers have a positive economic impact on sports coverage for health systems

  21-07-2017 14:47
  The cost-effectiveness of certified outreach athletic trainers (ATC) as a type of physician extender in an orthopaedic provider and/or hospital system setting has many benefits, both financially and with patient care, say researchers.
  
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• Assessing concussion symptom presentation may provide insight into rise in rates

  21-07-2017 14:47
  How physicians and athletic trainers assess symptoms may give insight into why concussion rates are on the rise, say researchers.
  
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• Causes of severe antisocial behavior may differ for boys and girls

  21-07-2017 14:46
  The causes of severe antisocial behavior may differ between boys and girls, which could pave the way for new sex-specific treatments, according to a major new study.
  
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• Baby-led weaning won’t necessarily ward off extra weight

  21-07-2017 13:00
  
  Babies allowed to feed themselves gained similar amounts of weight as babies spoon-fed by caretakers.
  
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• Attention Passengers: Your Flight Will Arrive 20 Years behind Schedule

  21-07-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Robopocalypse creator Daniel Wilson sets aside his dystopian tendencies to help the XPRIZE’s Sci-fi collection and writing contest find a silver lining in our obsession with intelligent...
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Farm subsidies 'must be earned' - Michael Gove

  21-07-2017 11:41 via bbc.co.uk
  Environment Secretary Michael Gove plans to pay farmers for protecting the environment and creating rural jobs.
  
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• Vortex photons from electrons in circular motion

  21-07-2017 06:00
  
  (National Institutes of Natural Sciences) Researchers at IMS and their coworkers have shown theoretically and experimentally that a high energy electron in circular/spiral motion radiates vortex photons in the entire wavelength range from the radio-wave to the gamma-rays. This greatly broadens application spectra of the vortex photons in the field of physical science. Moreover, the finding indicates that vortex photons are ubiquitous in the universe. It paves a way to a completely new research f
  
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• University of Cincinnati creates new model to support workers with disabilities

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (University of Cincinnati) The University of Cincinnati's Advancement and Transition Services trained Aramark dining services employees on evidence-based practices used by job coaches to support workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or I/DD. The result: the independence levels and social capital of workers with I/DD drastically improved over the course of a semester. The new model of support could help workers with I/DD in other workplaces.
  
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• Ultrathin device harvests electricity from human motion

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Vanderbilt University) A new electrochemical energy harvesting device developed at Vanderbilt University can generate electrical current from the full range of human motions and is thin enough to embed in clothing.
  
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• The way of change is important!

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Bentham Science Publishers) However, a new research mind has to emerge in our minds from recent research article 'The Relationship Between Green Building and Regional Economy: A Case Study in Guangdong, China,' published in The Open Civil Engineering Journal.
  
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• The moon is front and center during a total solar eclipse

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) In the lead-up to a total solar eclipse, most of the attention is on the sun, but Earth's moon also has a starring role.
  
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• Superluminous supernova marks the death of a star at cosmic high noon

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (University of California - Santa Cruz) The death of a massive star in a distant galaxy 10 billion years ago created a rare superluminous supernova, one of the most distant ever discovered. The brilliant explosion, more than three times as bright as the 100 billion stars of our Milky Way galaxy combined, occurred about 3.5 billion years after the big bang at a period known as 'cosmic high noon,' when the rate of star formation in the universe reached its peak.
  
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• Study reveals most impactful neuroscience research

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Frontiers) A study of the 100 most-cited neuroscience articles has revealed that 78 of these papers cover five topics, including neurological disorders, the prefrontal cortex, brain connectivity, brain mapping and methodology studies. The study allows scientists, policy-makers and investors to quickly identify the most-cited articles and impactful research in neuroscience.
  
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• Special focus on formation control of unmanned systems

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Science China Press) 2017 No.7 issue of SCIENCE CHINA Information Sciences published a special issue focus on formation control of unmanned Systems.
  
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• Social media: Simplifying surveillance

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) The controversial Snap Map app enables Snapchat users to track their friends. This is the latest in a series of monitoring tools to be built on social media platforms. A new Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich study assesses the benefits and risks associated with their use.
  
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• Sleep disorders may increase cognitive problems particularly in those at risk for Alzheimer's

  21-07-2017 06:00
  
  (American Thoracic Society) People who carry a genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease appear to be at greater risk of diminished cognition from sleep-disordered breathing than those without the susceptibility, according to new research published online, ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
  
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• Sixth volume of the German Surname Atlas released

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz) The now available sixth volume of the German Surname Atlas contains 49 sets of maps with a total of 253 detailed maps showing the distribution of surnames derived from given names.
  
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• Scientists announce the quest for high-index materials

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) A team of physicists featuring researchers from MIPT and ITMO University has conducted a comparative analysis of a range of materials to determine if they are applicable to dielectric nanophotonics. Their systematic study produced results that can optimize the use of known materials for building optical nanodevices, as well as encourage the search for new materials with superior properties.
  
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• Satellite sees Tropical Storm Greg after 'eating' a depression

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm Greg is intensifying after absorbing the moisture from the remnants of former Tropical Depression 8E. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an image of Greg as it moves west in the Eastern Pacific.
  
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• Rush hour pollution may be more dangerous than you think

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Duke University) Everyone knows that exposure to pollution during rush hour traffic can be hazardous to your health, but it's even worse than previously thought. In-car measurements of pollutants that cause oxidative stress found exposure levels for drivers to be twice as high as previously believed.
  
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• Research shows that refugee image in Lithuanian, British and US press is mainly negative

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Kaunas University of Technology) Ieva Senkute, Kaunas University of Technology graduate and a professional translator researched more than 200 articles published in Lithuanian, American and British online media in order to determine conceptualization of discourse on refugees. For the work, which was her bachelor's studies project, Ieva received an award from Lithuanian Academy of Science.
  
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• New study reveals that causes of severe antisocial behavior may differ for boys and girls

  21-07-2017 06:00
  
  (University of Bath) The causes of severe antisocial behavior may differ between boys and girls, which could pave the way for new sex-specific treatments, according to a major new study published today.
  
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• New 3-D scanning service for applications in the naval sector

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Elhuyar Fundazioa) Tecnalia has set up a new 3-D Laser Scanning Service for applications in the naval sector; it allows companies in the sector to obtain mass measurements of large-sized volumes with great accuracy and resolution.
  
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• Neural nets model audience reactions to movies

  21-07-2017 06:00
  (Disney Research) Disney Research used deep learning methods to develop a new means of assessing complex audience reactions to movies via facial expressions and demonstrated that the new technique outperformed conventional methods.
  
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