Science news

• Cybersecurity researcher Marcus Hutchins remains jailed in Las Vegas

  07-08-2017 21:54 via cbc.ca
  An official says a British cybersecurity researcher remains jailed in Nevada, a day before he's due to face charges in federal court in Milwaukee that he created and distributed malicious software designed to steal banking passwords.
  
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• Nostalgic Voyager documentary relives first exploration of the solar system

  07-08-2017 21:00
  
  A new TV documentary is a tender tribute to Voyagers 1 and 2, which launched 40 years ago and were the first spacecraft to visit the outer solar system.
  
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• Report outlines steps to keep Asian carp out of Great Lakes

  07-08-2017 19:42 via cbc.ca
  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlined its tentative plan in a report that had been scheduled for release in February but was delayed by the Trump administration, drawing criticism from members of Congress and environmental groups.
  
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• To combat cholera in Yemen, one scientist goes back to basics

  07-08-2017 19:00
  
  As the cholera epidemic rages on in war-torn Yemen, basic hygiene is the first line of defense.
  
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• Google employee's anti-diversity memo prompts company rebuke

  07-08-2017 17:29 via cbc.ca
  Google executives over the weekend rushed to denounce an engineer's memo that ascribed gender inequality in the technology industry to biological differences, a view that sparked outrage at the internet giant and inflamed tensions over sexual harassment and discrimination in Silicon Valley.
  
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• Google CEO slams memo on gender as employee reportedly fired

  07-08-2017 17:29 via cbc.ca
  A memo written by a male engineer at Google that ascribed gender inequality in the industry to biological differences sparked a quick rebuttal from the tech giant after it circulated widely online.
  
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• New grass snake identified in the UK

  07-08-2017 16:03 via bbc.co.uk
  There are now four species of wild snake native to the UK, not three as scientists first thought.
  
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• Emojis help software spot emotion and sarcasm

  07-08-2017 14:15 via bbc.co.uk
  The algorithm learned to recognise sarcasm, allowing it to spot hate speech faster than humans.
  
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• Sacrificed dog remains feed tales of Bronze Age ‘wolf-men’ warriors

  07-08-2017 13:00
  
  Canine remnants of a possible Bronze Age ceremony inspire debate.
  
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• Drug-Carrying "Nanoswimmers" Could Slither Past the Brain's Cellular Defenses

  07-08-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  A transport vehicle the size of a virus may ferry chemotherapies and other molecular cargo through the imposing blood–brain barrier
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Monarchs make the most of a mild summer, biologist says

  07-08-2017 11:01 via cbc.ca
  There are more monarch butterflies in Ontario this summer, but University of Guelph population biologist Tyler Flockhart says that shouldn't stop people from reporting sightings, especially as the butterflies travel further north.
  
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• Scientists find new way to attack antibiotic-resistant lung infections

  07-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Canadian scientists have discovered a possible way to break through the defences of some antibiotic-resistant respiratory infections.
  
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• Burning policy puts pressure on recycling targets

  07-08-2017 07:02 via bbc.co.uk
  A rash of new incinerators could make it impossible for the UK to meet future recycling targets.
  
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• Women have more active brains than men

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (IOS Press) In the largest functional brain imaging study to date, the Amen Clinics (Newport Beach, CA) compared 46,034 brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging studies provided by nine clinics, quantifying differences between the brains of men and women. The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
  
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• UB research shows how pronouns can be used to build confidence in stressful situations

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University at Buffalo) Before any potentially stressful event, people often engage in self-talk, an internal dialogue meant to moderate anxiety. This kind of self-reflection is common, according to Mark Seery, a UB psychologist whose new study suggests that taking a 'distanced perspective,' or seeing ourselves as though we were an outside observer, leads to a more confident and positive response to upcoming stressors than seeing the experience through our own eyes.
  
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• The Sun's core makes a complete rotation in one week

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (CNRS) Researchers have determined that the Sun's core makes a complete rotation once per week. Using the GOLF instrument, orbiting around the Sun on board the SOHO space observatory, to measure solar oscillations, they developed a novel approach that enabled them to unambiguously detect gravity oscillation modes within our star. This work, which will certainly stimulate a new era of research into the physics of the solar core, is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
  
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• The good, the bad and the algae

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (DOE/Sandia National Laboratories) Sandia National Laboratories is testing whether one of California's largest and most polluted lakes can transform into one of its most productive and profitable. Southern California's 350-square-mile Salton Sea has well-documented problems related to elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff. Sandia intends to harness algae's penchant for prolific growth to clean up these pollutants and stop harmful algae blooms while creating a renewa
  
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• Texting while parenting: Mobile program improves safety of sleeping infants

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Yale University) Mother's latest little helper is already in her pocket: A new educational intervention delivered in the form of texts and emails has been found to increase adherence to safe sleep practices for infants, concluded researchers at the Yale, University of Virginia, and Boston University schools of medicine in a joint study published July 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
  
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• Teen brains may not be as hard-wired for crime as previously thought

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Penn State) Spikes in crime rates for teens and young adults suggest that biology may primarily drive risk-taking and law breaking, but Penn State criminologists studying crime statistics in other countries indicate that culture may also play a role in shaping teen criminal behavior.
  
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• SwRI-built CYGNSS satellites gathering unprecedented hurricane data

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Southwest Research Institute) NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is peering down through clouds to get an unprecedented view of this year's hurricane activity. Already this season, five tropical storms have formed over the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean has had 20 tropical storms, five hurricanes, and two typhoons.
  
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• Sunshield layers fully integrated on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The five sunshield layers responsible for protecting the optics and instruments of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are now fully installed.
  
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• Successful guide dogs have 'tough love' moms, study finds

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Arizona) Much has been written on the pitfalls of being a helicopter parent, one who insulates children from adversity rather than encouraging their independence. A new study seems to back up this finding -- in dogs.
  
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• Success in enhancing performance of the cryogenic adsorption pump used in the divertor

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (National Institutes of Natural Sciences) At the National Institutes of Natural Sciences National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), we have succeeded in enhancing the high-performance of the cryogenic adsorption pump used for the evacuation of the Large Helical Device's (LHD) divertor1). It became possible by the selection of appropriate carbon (charcoal) and the development of methods that do not require the organic adhesion. Due to the improved performance the evacuation ability has improve
  
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• Study links unhealthy segregated neighborhoods to childhood asthma

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) Researchers have had trouble explaining why black children are much more likely than other children to suffer from asthma. A new study by Princeton University strongly suggests that much of the answer lies in persistent residential segregation, which traps minority children in unhealthy, polluted neighborhoods.
  
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• Study examines social connections and impacts of financial fraud

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Dallas) A new study from UT Dallas shows the ripple effects of the loss of trust in the investment advisory industry induced by the Bernie Madoff fraud.
  
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• Stress heightens fear of threats from the past

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Austin) Recognizing threats is an essential function of the human mind -- think 'fight or flight' -- one that is aided by past negative experiences. But when older memories are coupled with stress, individuals are likely to perceive danger in harmless circumstances, according to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  
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• Scientists probe the conditions of stellar interiors to measure nuclear reactions

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Most of the nuclear reactions that drive the nucleosynthesis of the elements in our universe occur in very extreme stellar plasma conditions. This intense environment found in the deep interiors of stars has made it nearly impossible for scientists to perform nuclear measurements in these conditions -- until now.
  
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• Researchers set record for fastest light pulse

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Central Florida) A research team from the University of Central Florida led by Professor Zenghu Chang demonstrated a 53-attosecond X-ray flash, opening the door to shoot slow-motion video of electrons and atoms in living cells.
  
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• Researchers get $1.4 million to study novel therapeutic approaches to treat intestinal inflammation

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Georgia State University) Researchers in Georgia State University's Institute for Biomedical Sciences have received a four-year, $1.4 million federal grant to study novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of intestinal inflammation.
  
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• Researchers find pathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in aged chimpanzee brains

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Georgia State University) The brains of aged chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, show pathology similar to the human Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, according to a new, multi-institution research study.
  
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• Registration open for Wyss Institute's 8th annual international symposium

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard) The 8th Annual Wyss International Symposium will focus on innovations in Therapeutic Organ Engineering, with the goal of sharing recent advances in 3D Organ Engineering, Materials Fabrication, and Vascular Integration that are leading to new approaches for therapeutic organ replacement and regenerative medicine. Join us to meet and learn from leading researchers who will share promising new directions and practical insights that a
  
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• Pro-vaccine messages can boost belief in MMR myths, study shows

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Edinburgh) Current strategies for correcting misinformation about the dangers of vaccinations have the opposite effect and reinforce ill-founded beliefs, a study suggests.
  
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• Penn's actionable intelligence for social policy project to launch new training program

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania) Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, or AISP, a joint effort between the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice and Graduate School of Education, will launch a training and technical assistance program for state and local governments interested in developing integrated data systems, or IDS.
  
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• Opto-mechanical technique circumvents mechanical losses using the action of light

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Illinois College of Engineering) A research collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the University of Maryland has revealed a new technique by which scattering of sound waves from disorder in a material can be suppressed on demand. All of this, can be simply achieved by illuminating with the appropriate color of laser light. The result, which is published in Nature Communications, could have a wi
  
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• Optimizing e-mobility use for everyday life

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) ) Each activity in daily life might require a different form of mobility, and sometimes it makes sense to link some appointments. In the future, the optimum solution could be suggested by a mobility app. A prototype of an electronic assistant for mobility customers and other tools for providers of mobility services were recently presented by the BiE project.
  
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• New technique to suppress sound waves from disorder to improve optical fiber communication

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Illinois College of Engineering) A research collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the University of Maryland has revealed a new technique by which scattering of sound waves from disorder in a material can be suppressed on demand. All of this, can be simply achieved by illuminating with the appropriate color of laser light. The result, which is published in Nature Communications, could have a wi
  
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• New study generates more accurate estimates of state opioid and heroin fatalities

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Elsevier) A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine presents a correction procedure to refine data reporting opioid and heroin deaths per US state, which results in significant shifts in state-by-state mortality rates. This truer picture helps to remove an important barrier to formulating effective policies to address this serious drug epidemic.
  
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• New paper lays out framework for understanding 'institutional corruption'

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Brown University) A new research paper shows how legal, systemic corruption takes many forms and raises many pertinent questions, not the least of which is what can be done about it.
  
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• New CubeSat propulsion system uses water as propellant

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Purdue University) A new type of micropropulsion system for miniature satellites called CubeSats uses an innovative design of tiny nozzles that release precise bursts of water vapor to maneuver the spacecraft.
  
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• New antibiotic class found effective against gonorrhea in the laboratory

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Imperial College London) Closthioamide, discovered in 2010, might eventually offer an alternative for current drugs that are becoming less effective against gonorrhoea.
  
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• New AI algorithm monitors sleep with radio waves

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have devised a new way to monitor sleep without any kind of sensors attached to the body. Their sensor uses low-power radio waves that detect small changes in body movement caused by the patient's breathing and pulse, then translates those measurements into sleep stages: light, deep, or rapid eye movement (REM).
  
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• NCI study identifies essential genes for cancer immunotherapy

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NIH/National Cancer Institute) A new study identifies genes that are necessary in cancer cells for immunotherapy to work, addressing the problem of why some tumors don't respond to immunotherapy or respond initially but then stop as tumor cells develop resistance to immunotherapy.
  
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• NASA tracking Tropical Storm Franklin

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm Franklin formed in the Caribbean Sea late on August 6. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the Atlantic Ocean basin's seventh tropical depression as it organized. NOAA's GOES-East satellite provided an image the next day that showed the storm approaching landfall.
  
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• NASA tests autopilot sensors during simulations

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD) team successfully completed the latest testing of three rendezvous and proximity operations sensors for the Restore-L project.
  
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• NASA Spots extra-Tropical Depression Nalgae near Kuril Islands

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) On August 7, NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and captured an image of extra-tropical storm Nalgae near the Kuril Islands north of Japan.
  
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• NASA sees Typhoon Noru over southern Japan

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Typhoon Noru was moving over Honshu, Japan when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead on August 7. Noru made landfall in the central prefecture of Wakayama early in the day.
  
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• NASA instrument key to understanding solar powered planet arrives at Kennedy Space Center

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) A new instrument that will monitor our planet's biggest power source, the Sun, arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It has a targeted November 2017 launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. The Total Solar and Spectral Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1) instrument was built by the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
  
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• NASA and Norway to develop Arctic laser-ranging station

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA and the Norwegian Mapping Authority are partnering to develop a state-of-the-art satellite laser ranging station 650 miles from the North Pole that will produce high-precision locations of orbiting satellites, help track changes in the ice sheets and improve the efficiency of marine transportation and agriculture.
  
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• MRI contrast agents accumulate in the brain

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Case Western Reserve University) The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) has provided new guidance in the use of contrast agents during MRI scans. Emerging research suggests gadolinium-based contrast agents, injected in a patient's veins to brighten tissues in MRI images, accumulate in the brain. More than 300 million doses of such drugs have been administered since their introduction in 1987.
  
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• Modern domestic dog has a single geographic origin

  07-08-2017 06:00
  (Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz) By analyzing the DNA of two prehistoric dogs from Germany, an international research team has determined that their genomes were the probable ancestors of modern European dogs. The study also suggests that all contemporary dogs have a common origin and emerged through a single domestication process of wolves 20,000 to 40,000 years ago.
  
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