Science news

• Seismologists get to the bottom of how deep Earth’s continents go

  15-08-2017 23:46
  
  Scientists may have finally pinpointed the bottoms of the continents.
  
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• High-powered scans and X-rays give glimpse into T. rex ancestor

  15-08-2017 23:27 via cbc.ca
  Researchers at a top U.S. laboratory announced Tuesday that they have produced the highest resolution scan ever done of the inner workings of a fossilized tyrannosaur skull using neutron beams and high-energy X-rays, resulting in new clues that could help paleontologists piece together the evolutionary puzzle of the monstrous T. rex.
  
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• Deadly summer puts endangered right whales at risk

  15-08-2017 22:56 via cbc.ca
  A high number of accidental deaths this year among the endangered North Atlantic right whale threaten the survival of the species, according to conservation groups and marine scientists.
  
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• Total solar eclipse 2017: Read CBC's complete coverage

  15-08-2017 22:43 via cbc.ca
  Read CBC's complete coverage of the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 for the science behind the rare event and tips on how to watch.
  
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• Here's when to start watching the solar eclipse

  15-08-2017 22:13 via cbc.ca
  The countdown is on: it's less than a week to the solar eclipse and you likely want to know when to look up. Here are some times for cities across Canada.
  
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• Cassini says goodbye to a true Titan

  15-08-2017 21:02
  Mere weeks away from its dramatic, mission-ending plunge into Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has a hectic schedule, orbiting the planet every week in its Grand Finale. On a few orbits, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has been near enough to tweak Cassini's orbit, causing the spacecraft to approach Saturn a bit closer or a bit farther away. A couple of those distant passes even pushed Cassini into the inner fringes of Saturn's rings.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (402)

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe a way to prevent a major side effect of chemotherapy, paths of endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer, and a new treatment for type 1 diabetes.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 357 (6351)

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe a second messenger that coordinates CRISPR-Cas immunity in bacteria and show how metabolism mediates protective crosstalk between the gut and resident microbes.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 548 (7666)

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe the consequences of preserving pluripotency in cultured stem cells, how glutamate metabolism in T cells contributes to autoimmune disease, and how inactivating BRAF mutations promote tumor growth.
  
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• New connections: From understanding to targeting S1P1 on endothelial cells

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Understanding how the S1P receptor S1P1 is specifically activated in endothelial cells may lead to drugs with fewer side effects.
  
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• Loss of SPDEF and gain of TGFBI activity after androgen deprivation therapy promote EMT and bone metastasis of prostate cancer

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) targeting the androgen receptor (AR) is a standard therapeutic regimen for treating prostate cancer. However, most tumors progress to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after ADT. We identified the type 1, 2, and 4 collagen–binding protein transforming growth factor–β (TGFβ)–induced protein (TGFBI) as an important factor in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and malignant progression of prostate cancer. In pr
  
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• Interleukin-36 cytokines may overcome microbial immune evasion strategies that inhibit interleukin-1 family signaling

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Pathogens deploy immune evasion strategies to successfully establish infections within their hosts. Naturally, the host responds by acquiring mechanisms to counter these strategies. There is increasing evidence that the three interleukin-36 (IL-36) cytokines, IL-36α, IL-36β and IL-36, play important roles in host immunity. With a focus on the skin as a target for microbial and viral invasion, the current knowledge of IL-36 functions is reviewed. Furthermore, the hypothesis that the IL
  
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• An engineered S1P chaperone attenuates hypertension and ischemic injury

  15-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Endothelial dysfunction, a hallmark of vascular disease, is restored by plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL). However, a generalized increase in HDL abundance is not beneficial, suggesting that specific HDL species mediate protective effects. Apolipoprotein M–containing HDL (ApoM+HDL), which carries the bioactive lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), promotes endothelial function by activating G protein–coupled S1P receptors. Moreover, HDL-bound S1P is limiting in several inflammator
  
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• Numbers show fewer people being struck by lightning

  15-08-2017 18:39 via cbc.ca
  Lightning — once one of nature's biggest killers — is claiming far fewer lives in the United States, mostly because people have learned to get out of the way.
  
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• The Daily Stormer is offline after Google, GoDaddy disable the Neo-Nazi site's account

  15-08-2017 18:05 via cbc.ca
  The tech industry is trying to more actively police online hate speech and incitements to violence.
  
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• Pen Hadow sets sail for North Pole as Arctic ice melts

  15-08-2017 17:28 via bbc.co.uk
  Can 10 men and a dog, led by British explorer Pen Hadow, become the first to sail to the North Pole?
  
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• Amazon warns about counterfeit eclipse glasses

  15-08-2017 17:15 via cbc.ca
  Amazon is contacting customers who may have bought defective knockoff glasses on its website thinking they could protect their eyes during the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.
  
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• Put down the phone and experience the eclipse, Neil deGrasse Tyson says

  15-08-2017 17:03 via cbc.ca
  ​Prominent astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has a suggestion for anyone with a view of next week's solar eclipse: Put down your smartphone and take in the phenomenon yourself.
  
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• These spiders crossed an ocean to get to Australia

  15-08-2017 15:00
  
  The nearest relatives of an Australian trapdoor spider live in Africa. They crossed the Indian Ocean to get to Australia, a new study suggests.
  
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• B.C. realtor pulls plan to give away 1,200 eclipse glasses over fears they're fake

  15-08-2017 14:00 via cbc.ca
  Vancouver's Candace Rohrick planned to give away 1,200 coveted glasses for safely viewing the solar eclipse, but is now 'heartbroken' they could be fake.
  
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• Can the eclipse tell us if Einstein was right about general relativity?

  15-08-2017 13:00
  
  During the eclipse, astronomers will reproduce the 1919 experiment that confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
  
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• 'Donald Trump forest' climate change project gains momentum

  15-08-2017 12:57 via bbc.co.uk
  Campaigners plan to plant enough trees to counteract the climate impact of the US President.
  
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• Plants 'hijacked' to make polio vaccine

  15-08-2017 11:14 via bbc.co.uk
  A breakthrough could lead to easier, faster and cheaper vaccines.
  
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• Updating 'briefcase law': defence lawyers try to end warrantless smartphone searches at border

  15-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Do you have a reasonable expectation of privacy at the border? The government has consistently argued no, but court cases across Canada dispute that.
  
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• Sports hype of platelet-rich plasma 'powerful marketing tool' but distorts the science

  15-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  When injured elite athletes talk about using platelet-rich plasma, the coverage rarely discusses the limitations or efficacy of the technique, a new study suggests.
  
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• Boundaries set for Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada's largest area of protected ocean

  15-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  The Lancaster Sound national marine conservation area will protect 110,000 square kilometres of the Arctic, which is almost two per cent of Canada's oceans.
  
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• Will ketamine treat your depression? Check your activity monitor

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Elsevier) During a depressive episode, people often report having reduced energy, feeling slowed down and having reduced interest in activities. As their mood lifts, energy and activity return to their usual levels. A new study in Biological Psychiatry reports altered measures of daily activity in patients whose depressive symptoms improved in response to the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine.
  
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• White matter connectome with cortical lesion map clarifies temporal auditory comprehension

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Medical University of South Carolina) An article published online August 3, 2017 by Brain reports a novel mapping methodology adapted for stroke brains at the Medical University of South Carolina. Researchers combined connectome-lesion symptom mapping with traditional voxel-based cortical lesion symptom mapping to assess brain networks supporting auditory comprehension. Results confirm the middle, inferior and posterior temporal regions are the most important for speech comprehension and shed l
  
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• What does it take to thrive in elite sports?

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Portsmouth) Those at the top of their sporting game put their heart and soul into doing their best, but new research has shed light on why thriving at elite sports is far more complex than it appears.In the first study to examine thriving in elite sports performers, Dr. Daniel Brown, a sports scientist at the University of Portsmouth, and colleagues at the University of Bath, have identified internal and external factors which contribute to a sportsman or woman being -- and feelin
  
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• Water agencies' funded pipe research could lead to standards used in future infrastructure

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Ali Abolmaali, the chair of the UTA Department of Civil Engineering, and co-investigators Arash Emami and Himan Jalali will use a one-year, $200,000 Tarrant Regional Water District and Water Research Foundation tailored-collaboration grant to gain an understanding of the best method of modeling large water pressure pipes reaction when laid in various backfill materials with differing depths of soil above them.
  
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• UTA researcher developing airborne computer network computing platform for UAVs

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Yan Wan, an associate professor in UTA's Department of Electrical Engineering, is the team lead on a three-year, $998,803 grant from the National Science Foundation that will develop a networked airborne computing platform for multiple unmanned aerial systems.
  
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• UTA professor awarded Talanta Medal for outstanding contributions to analytical chemistry

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Purnendu 'Sandy' Dasgupta, the Hamish Small Chair of Ion Analysis in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington, has been named recipient of the 2017 Talanta Medal, an international award that recognizes world leaders in the analytical chemistry field.
  
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• University of Delaware professor named American Society of Civil Engineers Fellow

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Delaware) The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has named University of Delaware professor Christopher Meehan to its 2017 class of Fellows. This honor is given to ASCE members who have made significant contributions to the field of civil engineering and enhanced lives in the process.
  
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• University of Delaware partners with Russian institution on orphan project

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Delaware) A University of Delaware researcher has developed an intervention to help at-risk children that will be implemented in Russia through a partnership with St. Petersburg University. Researchers at St. Petersburg will study its effectiveness with children who have been living in orphanages.
  
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• Understanding alternative reasons for denying climate change could help bridge divide

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Kansas) An early look at ongoing work by a University of Kansas researcher examines alternative reasons for climate change denial, specifically economic, social or cultural influences on why individuals or entire communities remain skeptical of climate change.
  
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• UCI study uncovers possible roots of schizophrenia

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of California - Irvine) An abundance of an amino acid called methionine, which is common in meat, cheese and beans, may provide new clues to the fetal brain development that can manifest in schizophrenia, University of California, Irvine pharmacology researchers report in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
  
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• Transporting spin: A graphene and boron nitride heterostructure creates large spin signals

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Graphene Flagship) Graphene Flagship scientists based at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, have created a device based on a blilayer of graphene and boron nitride which shows unprecedented spin transport efficiency at room temperature. Highlighting the potential of creating devices containing graphene and related materials, the spin signal measured here is so large that it can be used in real life applications such as spin based logic and transistors.
  
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• Tracking a solar eruption through the solar system

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (American Geophysical Union) Ten spacecraft, from ESA's Venus Express to NASA's Voyager-2, felt the effect of a solar eruption as it washed through the solar system while three other satellites watched, providing a unique perspective on this space weather event.
  
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• Study examines quality of evidence for drugs granted accelerated FDA approval

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (The JAMA Network Journals) Among drugs granted accelerated approval by the FDA in 2009-2013, efficacy was often confirmed in subsequent trials a minimum of three years after approval, and the use of nonrandomized studies and surrogate measures, instead of clinical outcomes, was common, according to a study published by JAMA.
  
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• Soft and spherical: Researchers study dynamics of drop impact

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (American Institute of Physics) Within the study of fluid dynamics, the effect of curved, convex or compliant surfaces on the dynamics of impacting drops is still relatively unknown, despite its extreme relevance to modern-day applications, such as 3-D ink-jet printing and the delivery of pesticides on leaves. Researchers in the United Kingdom have now detailed these effects by investigating the impact of water droplets on spherical soft surfaces. They present their research in this week's Physi
  
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• Smartphone app may help older adults manage serious mental illness and chronic health conditions

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Elsevier) The use of new technologies in geriatric psychiatry shows promise for advancing personalized medicine and improving patient care. A new study in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry describes the successful adaptation of an integrated medical and psychiatric self-management intervention to a smartphone application for middle-aged and older adults with serious mental illness.
  
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• Skewing the aim of targeted cancer therapies

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Georgia Institute of Technology) The aim of targeted gene-based cancer therapies could often be skewed from the start. A widespread concept about how cells produce proteins proved incorrect 62 percent of the time in a new study in ovarian cancer cells on the relationship between RNA and protein levels.
  
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• Signs of distracted driving -- pounding heart, sweaty nose

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Houston) Distracted driving -- texting or absent-mindedness -- claims thousands of lives a year. Researchers from the University of Houston and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute have produced an extensive dataset examining how drivers react to different types of distractions, part of an effort to devise strategies for making driving safer.
  
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• Same-sex couples do not influence their adoptive children's gender identity

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Springer) There is no major difference in the gender identity development of children raised by same-sex parents compared to those adopted by heterosexual couples. These are the findings of a new study in Springer's journal Sex Roles. Lead author Rachel Farr of the University of Kentucky says that the toys that children prefer to play with in their preschool years are much more tell-tale about whether they will grow up to conform to typical gender norms.
  
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• Rhapsody in red violet

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Weizmann Institute of Science) A new study conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, has now opened the way to numerous potential uses of betalains, the highly nutritious red-violet and yellow pigments known for their antioxidant properties and commonly used as food dyes.
  
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• Researcher chosen for American Geophysical Union's 2017 Class of Fellows

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Delaware) University of Delaware Prof. Wei-Jun Cai, who has done pioneering work on carbon biogeochemistry in estuaries and coastal waters, has been named to the American Geophysical Union's 2017 Class of Fellows.
  
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• Relativistic self-focusing gives mid-IR driven electrons a boost

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (The Optical Society) For the first time, scientists have observed the production of relativistic electrons driven by low-energy, ultrashort mid-infrared laser pulses.
  
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• Precision medicine opens the door to scientific wellness preventive approaches to suicide

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Indiana University) Researchers have developed a more precise way of diagnosing suicide risk, by developing blood tests that work in everybody, as well as more personalized blood tests for different subtypes of suicidality that they have newly identified, and for different psychiatric high-risk groups. The work, led by the Indiana University School of Medicine, is reported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
  
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• Plant-produced polio vaccines could help eradicate age old disease

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (John Innes Centre) Plants have been used to produce a new vaccine against poliovirus in what is hoped to be a major step towards global eradication of the disease.
  
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• Partial eclipse of the sun visible across UK

  15-08-2017 06:00
  (Royal Astronomical Society) If the weather is good, viewers across the UK will be treated to a partial solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, just before sunset. In a partial eclipse, a small bite out of the sun can be seen at the mid-eclipse point, as it is covered by the moon.
  
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