Science news

• U.S. says Iran rocket test breaches U.N. resolution

  27-07-2017 23:50
  DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran successfully tested a rocket that can deliver satellites into orbit, state television reported on Thursday, an action the United States said breaches a U.N. Security Council resolution because of its potential use in ballistic missile development.
  
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• Signal may be from first 'exomoon'

  27-07-2017 21:30 via bbc.co.uk
  A team of astronomers has potentially discovered the first known moon located beyond the Solar System.
  
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• DNA links male, female butterfly thought to be distinct species

  27-07-2017 20:45
  Researchers recently discovered what was thought to be a distinct species of butterfly is actually the female of a species known to science for more than a century.
  
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• Slug slime inspires new kind of surgical glue

  27-07-2017 20:35
  LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have developed an experimental surgical glue inspired by the mucus secreted by slugs that could offer an alternative to sutures and staples for closing wounds.
  
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• Genome-wide cancer 'dependency map' now revealed

  27-07-2017 20:20
  In one of the largest efforts to build a comprehensive catalog of genetic vulnerabilities in cancer, researchers have identified more than 760 genes upon which cancer cells from multiple types are strongly dependent for their growth and survival. While many of these dependencies are specific to certain cancer types, about 10 percent are common across multiple cancers, suggesting that a relatively small number of therapies may combat multiple cancer types. Mutations accounted for only a small per
  
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• Social influences can override aggression in male mice, study shows

  27-07-2017 20:18
  A cluster of nerve cells in the male mouse's brain have been identified that, when activated, triggers territorial rage in a variety of situations. Activating the same cluster has no such effect on female mice.
  
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• Seeing in the dark: Minus sunlight, a general theory reveals universal patterns in ecology

  27-07-2017 20:18
  By omitting mechanistic drivers such as sunlight, a statistical theory accurately describes broad ecological patterns in a Panama forest, as well as other natural systems and communities.
  
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• MKTP surgery has long-term benefit for restoring skin pigmentation in vitiligo patients

  27-07-2017 20:18
  Skin transplant surgery has long-term benefit for restoring skin pigmentation caused by the skin disease vitiligo, new research shows. In a retrospective study, researchers found that a majority of areas of the skin treated with surgery still had 'very good to excellent' color match pigmentation five years later.
  
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• Errors made by 'DNA spellchecker' revealed as important cause of cancer

  27-07-2017 20:18
  Important processes that create mutations that cause cancer have been identified by researchers studying the genomes of more than 1,000 tumors. Many mutations in human cancers are caused by mistakes made by a repair mechanism or 'DNA spellchecker' rather than the actual damage to DNA caused by the environment. Sunlight and alcohol consumption increase the rate at which this happens, resulting in more mutations in the most important parts of our genomes, add the investigators.
  
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• Co-infection with two common gut pathogens worsens malnutrition in mice

  27-07-2017 20:18
  Two gut pathogens commonly found in malnourished children combine to worsen malnutrition and impair growth in laboratory mice, according to new research.
  
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• Which type of cell to become: Decision through indecision

  27-07-2017 20:16
  From the moment of fertilization, building a human body involves a series of choices where cells generated by cell division must elect which of the myriad types of cell they will become. How does this decision occur? New research suggests that fate decision is not a unique programmed event, as was believed, but the outcome of a very dynamic process.
  
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• Lab-created mini-brains reveal how growing organ maintains neuronal balance

  27-07-2017 20:16
  Scientists can now explore in a laboratory dish how the human brain develops by creating organoids -- distinct, three-dimensional regions of the brain. Scientists coaxed early stage stem cells to create and fuse two types of organoids from different brain regions to show how the developing brain maintains proper balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons.
  
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• Sticky when wet: Strong adhesive for wound healing

  27-07-2017 20:15
  A super-strong 'tough adhesive' has been created that is non-toxic and binds to biological tissues with a strength comparable to the body's own resilient cartilage, even when they're wet. Inspired by the glue produced by a slug, the double-layered hydrogel material demonstrates both high adhesion strength and strain dissipation, making it useful in a variety of medical applications.
  
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• Secrets of the amazing tardigrades revealed by their DNA

  27-07-2017 20:15
  New genome sequences shed light on both the origins of the tardigrades (also known as water bears or moss piglets), and the genes that underlie their extraordinary ability to survive in extreme conditions.
  
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• Scientists block evolution's molecular nerve pruning in rodents

  27-07-2017 20:15
  Researchers investigating why some people suffer from motor disabilities report they may have dialed back evolution's clock a few ticks by blocking molecular pruning of sophisticated brain-to-limb nerve connections in maturing mice.
  
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• Longstanding biological mystery of DNA organization now solved

  27-07-2017 20:15
  Stretched out, the DNA from all the cells in our body would reach Pluto. So how does each tiny cell pack a two-meter length of DNA into its nucleus, which is just one-thousandth of a millimeter across? The answer to this daunting biological riddle is central to understanding how the three-dimensional organization of DNA in the nucleus influences our biology, from how our genome orchestrates our cellular activity to how genes are passed from parents to children.
  
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• Long-sought mechanism of metastasis is discovered in pancreatic cancer

  27-07-2017 20:15
  An important discovery establishes a cause of metastasis in pancreatic cancer. Using organoids grown from patient tissues and transplanted in mouse models of the illness, the team pinpoints an epigenetic re-programming of gene enhancers that returns cancerous cells to a more primitive developmental state, dating back to the formation of the pancreas, in which cells multiply rapidly and are not yet anchored in tissue.
  
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• Hunting-related pathogen exposure not just for adult males

  27-07-2017 20:15
  Hunting and slaughtering wild animals in Western and Central Africa can put humans at risk of contracting zoonotic infections, including Ebola virus and Lassa virus. While previous studies have suggested that this risky hunting behavior is mostly limited to adult males, a new study finds that women and children also participate.
  
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• Bronze Age Iberia received fewer Steppe invaders than the rest of Europe

  27-07-2017 20:15
  The genomes of individuals who lived on the Iberian Peninsula in the Bronze Age had minor genetic input from Steppe invaders, suggesting that these migrations played a smaller role in the genetic makeup and culture of Iberian people, compared to other parts of Europe.
  
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• A new picture emerges on the origins of photosynthesis in a sun-loving bacteria

  27-07-2017 20:15
  Biologists have gained important new insights by resolving with near-atomic clarity, the very first core membrane protein structure in the simplest known photosynthetic bacterium, called Heliobacterium modesticaldum (Helios was the Greek sun god). By solving the heart of photosynthesis in this sun-loving, soil-dwelling bacterium, the research team has gained a fundamental new understanding of the early evolution of photosynthesis, and how this vital process differs between plants systems.
  
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• Tardigrades aren’t champion gene swappers after all

  27-07-2017 20:06
  
  Genetic studies reveal more secrets of the bizarre creatures known as tardigrades.
  
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• The thinnest films of copper look flat, but they aren’t

  27-07-2017 20:00
  
  It turns out that thin films of copper don’t lay flat, a discovery that has implications for computers and handheld electronics.
  
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• Slug slime inspires a new type of surgical glue

  27-07-2017 20:00
  
  A new glue that mimics a slug’s mucus secretions sticks well, even when wet. The adhesive could be used in place of sutures or staples in surgeries.
  
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• Pace of cord-cutting in Canada slowed last year: CRTC

  27-07-2017 19:35 via cbc.ca
  The pace at which Canadians are switching from conventional television services to internet-based TV appears to be slowing after three years of accelerated growth, according to the country's broadcast regulator.
  
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• Tough adhesives for diverse wet surfaces

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Adhesion to wet and dynamic surfaces, including biological tissues, is important in many fields but has proven to be extremely challenging. Existing adhesives are cytotoxic, adhere weakly to tissues, or cannot be used in wet environments. We report a bioinspired design for adhesives consisting of two layers: an adhesive surface and a dissipative matrix. The former adheres to the substrate by electrostatic interactions, covalent bonds, and physical interpenetration. The latter amplifies energy di
  
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• Synthesis of FeH5: A layered structure with atomic hydrogen slabs

  27-07-2017 19:21
  High pressure promotes the formation of polyhydrides with unusually high hydrogen-to-metal ratios. These polyhydrides have complex hydrogenic sublattices. We synthesized iron pentahydride (FeH5) by a direct reaction between iron and H2 above 130 gigapascals in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. FeH5 exhibits a structure built of atomic hydrogen only. It consists of intercalated layers of quasicubic FeH3 units and four-plane slabs of thin atomic hydrogen. The distribution of the valence electron
  
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• Spectral narrowing of x-ray pulses for precision spectroscopy with nuclear resonances

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Spectroscopy of nuclear resonances offers a wide range of applications due to the remarkable energy resolution afforded by their narrow linewidths. However, progress toward higher resolution is inhibited at modern x-ray sources because they deliver only a tiny fraction of the photons on resonance, with the remainder contributing to an off-resonant background. We devised an experimental setup that uses the fast mechanical motion of a resonant target to manipulate the spectrum of a given x-ray pul
  
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• Seismic evidence for partial melting at the root of major hot spot plumes

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Ultralow-velocity zones are localized regions of extreme material properties detected seismologically at the base of Earth's mantle. Their nature and role in mantle dynamics are poorly understood. We used shear waves diffracted at the core-mantle boundary to illuminate the root of the Iceland plume from different directions. Through waveform modeling, we detected a large ultralow-velocity zone and constrained its shape to be axisymmetric to a very good first order. We thus attribute it to partia
  
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• Second-scale nuclear spin coherence time of ultracold 23Na40K molecules

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Coherence, the stability of the relative phase between quantum states, is central to quantum mechanics and its applications. For ultracold dipolar molecules at sub-microkelvin temperatures, internal states with robust coherence are predicted to offer rich prospects for quantum many-body physics and quantum information processing. We report the observation of stable coherence between nuclear spin states of ultracold fermionic sodium-potassium (NaK) molecules in the singlet rovibrational ground st
  
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• Reconfiguration of DNA molecular arrays driven by information relay

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Information relay at the molecular level is an essential phenomenon in numerous chemical and biological processes, such as intricate signaling cascades. One key challenge in synthetic molecular self-assembly is to construct artificial structures that imitate these complex behaviors in controllable systems. We demonstrated prescribed, long-range information relay in an artificial molecular array assembled from modular DNA structural units. The dynamic DNA molecular array exhibits transformations
  
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• Nanocrystalline copper films are never flat

  27-07-2017 19:21
  We used scanning tunneling microscopy to study low-angle grain boundaries at the surface of nearly planar copper nanocrystalline (111) films. The presence of grain boundaries and their emergence at the film surface create valleys composed of dissociated edge dislocations and ridges where partial dislocations have recombined. Geometric analysis and simulations indicated that valleys and ridges were created by an out-of-plane grain rotation driven by reduction of grain boundary energy. These resul
  
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• Mismatch repair deficiency predicts response of solid tumors to PD-1 blockade

  27-07-2017 19:21
  The genomes of cancers deficient in mismatch repair contain exceptionally high numbers of somatic mutations. In a proof-of-concept study, we previously showed that colorectal cancers with mismatch repair deficiency were sensitive to immune checkpoint blockade with antibodies to programmed death receptor–1 (PD-1). We have now expanded this study to evaluate the efficacy of PD-1 blockade in patients with advanced mismatch repair–deficient cancers across 12 different tumor types. Object
  
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• Kynurenines: Tryptophans metabolites in exercise, inflammation, and mental health

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Kynurenine metabolites are generated by tryptophan catabolism and regulate biological processes that include host-microbiome signaling, immune cell response, and neuronal excitability. Enzymes of the kynurenine pathway are expressed in different tissues and cell types throughout the body and are regulated by cues, including nutritional and inflammatory signals. As a consequence of this systemic metabolic integration, peripheral inflammation can contribute to accumulation of kynurenine in the bra
  
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• Eutrophication will increase during the 21st century as a result of precipitation changes

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Eutrophication, or excessive nutrient enrichment, threatens water resources across the globe. We show that climate change–induced precipitation changes alone will substantially increase (19 ± 14%) riverine total nitrogen loading within the continental United States by the end of the century for the "business-as-usual" scenario. The impacts, driven by projected increases in both total and extreme precipitation, will be especially strong for the Northeast and the corn belt of the Unit
  
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• Direct optical lithography of functional inorganic nanomaterials

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Photolithography is an important manufacturing process that relies on using photoresists, typically polymer formulations, that change solubility when illuminated with ultraviolet light. Here, we introduce a general chemical approach for photoresist-free, direct optical lithography of functional inorganic nanomaterials. The patterned materials can be metals, semiconductors, oxides, magnetic, or rare earth compositions. No organic impurities are present in the patterned layers, which helps achieve
  
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• Control of species-dependent cortico-motoneuronal connections underlying manual dexterity

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Superior manual dexterity in higher primates emerged together with the appearance of cortico-motoneuronal (CM) connections during the evolution of the mammalian corticospinal (CS) system. Previously thought to be specific to higher primates, we identified transient CM connections in early postnatal mice, which are eventually eliminated by Sema6D-PlexA1 signaling. PlexA1 mutant mice maintain CM connections into adulthood and exhibit superior manual dexterity as compared with that of controls. Las
  
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• ChromEMT: Visualizing 3D chromatin structure and compaction in interphase and mitotic cells

  27-07-2017 19:21
  The chromatin structure of DNA determines genome compaction and activity in the nucleus. On the basis of in vitro structures and electron microscopy (EM) studies, the hierarchical model is that 11-nanometer DNA-nucleosome polymers fold into 30- and subsequently into 120- and 300- to 700-nanometer fibers and mitotic chromosomes. To visualize chromatin in situ, we identified a fluorescent dye that stains DNA with an osmiophilic polymer and selectively enhances its contrast in EM. Using ChromEMT (C
  
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• CAT-tailing as a fail-safe mechanism for efficient degradation of stalled nascent polypeptides

  27-07-2017 19:21
  Ribosome stalling leads to recruitment of the ribosome quality control complex (RQC), which targets the partially synthesized polypeptide for proteasomal degradation through the action of the ubiquitin ligase Ltn1p. A second core RQC component, Rqc2p, modifies the nascent polypeptide by adding a carboxyl-terminal alanine and threonine (CAT) tail through a noncanonical elongation reaction. Here we examined the role of CAT-tailing in nascent-chain degradation in budding yeast. We found that Ltn1p
  
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• Atomic-layered Au clusters on {alpha}-MoC as catalysts for the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction

  27-07-2017 19:21
  The water-gas shift (WGS) reaction (where carbon monoxide plus water yields dihydrogen and carbon dioxide) is an essential process for hydrogen generation and carbon monoxide removal in various energy-related chemical operations. This equilibrium-limited reaction is favored at a low working temperature. Potential application in fuel cells also requires a WGS catalyst to be highly active, stable, and energy-efficient and to match the working temperature of on-site hydrogen generation and consumpt
  
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• Effects of a major drug target regulated through molecular 'codes'

  27-07-2017 19:06
  For the first time, researchers reveal components of a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) named rhodopsin bound to a signaling molecule called arrestin, both crucial pieces of the body's intricate cellular communication network. The new discovery further refines a landmark 2015 Nature article that first described the structure of the two molecules in complex together.
  
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• Ancient DNA offers clues to the Canaanites’ fate

  27-07-2017 18:31
  
  DNA is painting a more detailed portrait of the ancient Canaanites, who have largely been studied through the secondhand accounts of their contemporaries.
  
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• Non-LCD technology shows promise for return to work/school for postconcussion syndrome sufferers

  27-07-2017 18:27
  Using a non-LCD screen for computer tasks may decrease the risk of exacerbating symptoms in sufferers of post-concussion syndrome (PCS), suggests a new pilot project.
  
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• CRISPR sheds light on rare pediatric bone marrow failure syndrome

  27-07-2017 18:26
  Using the gene editing technology CRISPR, scientists have shed light on a rare, sometimes fatal syndrome that causes children to gradually lose the ability to manufacture vital blood cells. The research suggests new lines of investigation into how to treat this condition — dyskeratosis congenita — which is characterized by shortened telomeres. Short telomeres lead to progressive DNA damage that accumulates over time.
  
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• Cancer-death button gets jammed by gut bacterium

  27-07-2017 18:26
  A type of bacterium is associated with the recurrence of colorectal cancer and poor outcomes, research show. Scientists found that Fusobacterium nucleatum in the gut can stop chemotherapy from causing a type of cancer cell death called apoptosis.
  
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• Who were the Canaanites? Ancient human DNA evidence yields answers

  27-07-2017 18:20
  Thousands of years ago, the Canaanite people lived in a part of the world we now recognize as Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, establishing a culture that became influential in the Middle East and beyond. The Canaanites created the first alphabet, established colonies throughout the Mediterranean, and were mentioned many times in the Bible. But who were they and what ultimately happened to them? Were they annihilated like the Bible says?
  
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• Five vascular diseases linked to one common genetic variant

  27-07-2017 18:20
  Genome-wide association studies have implicated a common genetic variant in chromosome 6p24 in coronary artery disease, as well as four other vascular diseases: migraine headache, cervical artery dissection, fibromuscular dysplasia, and hypertension. However, it has not been clear how this polymorphism affects the risk for so many diseases. Researchers show how this DNA variant enhances the activity of a gene called endothelin-1, which is known to promote vasoconstriction and hardening of the ar
  
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• Concerns that sleep apnea could impact healthspan

  27-07-2017 18:20
  The number of people with obstructive sleep apnea has steadily increased over the past two decades. Obesity and advanced age, which have been reported as risk factors, are also on the rise. Scientists are concerned because sleep apnea may diminish healthspan by aggravating several cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
  
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• Very preterm birth not associated with mood, anxiety disorders

  27-07-2017 17:56
  Do very-preterm or very-low-weight babies develop anxiety and mood disorders later in life? Researchers have concluded a study to answer this question.
  
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• Solar eclipse science along the path of totality

  27-07-2017 17:56
  A number of research projects will take place across the country during the upcoming Aug. 21 solar eclipse. The research will advance our knowledge of the sun's complex and mysterious magnetic field and its effects on Earth's atmosphere and land.
  
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• Infants know what we like best

  27-07-2017 17:56
  Behind the chubby cheeks and bright eyes of babies as young as 8 months lies the smoothly whirring mind of a social statistician, logging our every move and making odds on what a person is most likely to do next, suggests new research.
  
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