Science news

• How to tell if you have eye damage from the eclipse

  21-08-2017 22:35 via cbc.ca
  Some optometrists are reporting a spike in calls from people who looked at the sun during the solar eclipse.
  
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• Did you peek? Optometrist sees spike in calls following solar eclipse

  21-08-2017 22:35 via cbc.ca
  Some optometrists are reporting a spike in calls from people who looked at the sun during the solar eclipse.
  
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• Solar eclipse: See it in 60 seconds

  21-08-2017 21:45 via bbc.co.uk
  A Nasa telescope captures the total solar eclipse as it passes over the western US state of Oregon.
  
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• Solar eclipse 2017: Americans gaze at sky spectacular

  21-08-2017 21:22 via bbc.co.uk
  Skywatchers in the US are treated to a spectacular coast-to-coast eclipse.
  
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• Rare solar eclipse astounds sky gazers: 'Like nothing else you'll ever see'

  21-08-2017 20:09 via cbc.ca
  Millions view a rare celestial phenomenon - the first total solar eclipse to sweep across the U.S. in almost a century, with Canadian sky gazers soaking in a partial eclipse of as much as 90 per cent.
  
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• Solar eclipse: Watch it happen

  21-08-2017 19:48 via bbc.co.uk
  The US witnesses the spectacular effects of its first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in 100 years.
  
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• Solar eclipse 2017: US public in thrall to sky show

  21-08-2017 19:16 via bbc.co.uk
  Skywatchers in the US are taking in the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse since 1918.
  
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• Quantum physics for babies — a different bedtime story

  21-08-2017 18:10 via cbc.ca
  Chris Ferrie writes books about rocket science... for babies. The quantum theorist and alumnus of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo describes himself as a ‘theorist by day, father by night.'
  
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• Airlines rush to capitalize on eclipse interest with special flights

  21-08-2017 17:37 via cbc.ca
  Airlines are just some of the businesses cashing in on the flurry of interest from sky-watchers for a first class seat to Monday's once in a lifetime solar event.
  
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• Mars has nighttime snow storms

  21-08-2017 17:00
  
  When clouds of water-ice particles cool at night, snow starts to fall rapidly on Mars, simulations suggest. The squalls could explain observations made by the Phoenix lander in 2008.
  
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• Guelph researcher turning 'Back to the Future' fuel into reality

  21-08-2017 15:12 via cbc.ca
  Professor Animesh Dutta has never seen the movie Back to The Future, but his latest project bears a striking resemblance to the film. The University of Guelph engineer is finding a way to turn food waste into fuel.
  
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• How Washington Gridlock Delays High-Speed Broadband to Rural U.S.

  21-08-2017 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  Former Congressman Rick Boucher talks about how Congress and electric power lines could break the federal government’s net neutrality deadlock
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Today is the day! A last-minute guide for watching the Great American Eclipse

  21-08-2017 12:00
  
  You’ve probably heard this already, but there’s a total solar eclipse traversing the United States today, August 21. Here’s what you need to know.
  
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• RRS Sir David Attenborough's stern on the move

  21-08-2017 11:58 via bbc.co.uk
  A section of the UK's new polar research ship will get an early taste of the sea this week.
  
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• While millions watch the eclipse from Earth, NASA observes from the sky

  21-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  While millions watch the eclipse from Earth, NASA will be watching from the sky. Data gleamed from the eclipse may help us understand and predict solar weather patterns.
  
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• 'Once-in-a-lifetime' eclipse could help NASA unlock the sun's great mystery

  21-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  While millions watch the eclipse from Earth, NASA will be watching from the sky. Data gleamed from the eclipse may help us understand and predict solar weather patterns.
  
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• Millions prepare to watch rare total solar eclipse

  21-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  For a few moments on Monday, millions will experience a rare total eclipse across the continental U.S., and millions more in Canada will get a chance to witness a partial eclipse.
  
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• When fish swim in the holodeck

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Vienna) Standard behavior experiments to investigate behavior in popular lab animals only incompletely mimic natural conditions. The understanding of behavior and brain function is thus limited. Virtual Reality helps in generating a more natural experimental environment but requires immobilization of the animal, disrupting sensorimotor experience and causing altered neuronal and behavioral responses. Researchers have now developed a VR system for freely moving animals to overcome
  
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• VTT developed cold-tolerant yeast strains for cider and wine makers to improve product quality

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) The new cold-tolerant hybrid strains developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland enable fermentation at lower and higher temperatures than before.
  
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• Using machine learning to improve patient care

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL ) In a new pair of papers, researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) explore ways for computers to help doctors make better medical decisions.
  
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• Understanding brittle crack behaviors to design stronger materials

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Northeastern University College of Science) In a paper published in Nature Physics, Northeastern University Department of Physics Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Alain Karma, in collaboration with his postdoctoral research associate Chih-Hung Chen and Professor Eran Bouchbinder of the Weizmann Institute of Science's Chemical Physics Department, discovered the mechanism that causes cracks to behave strangely when they spread very rapidly in brittle materials.
  
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• Systematically studying slippery surfaces

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Kyushu University, I2CNER) Polymer brushes are polymers grown on surfaces, and are attractive for use in lubrication and anti-fouling applications. Kyushu University researchers varied the length of the chain separating negatively and positively charged functional groups in polymer brushes to investigate how chain length affected the interaction of the polymer brushes with water. They found that the chain length influenced the ionic strength sensitivity for the hydration of the polymer brushes
  
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• Spaser can detect, kill circulating tumor cells to prevent cancer metastases, study finds

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Georgia State University) A nanolaser known as the spaser can serve as a super-bright, water-soluble, biocompatible probe capable of finding metastasized cancer cells in the blood stream and then killing these cells, according to a new research study.
  
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• Sedentary behavior increases risk of death for frail, inactive adults

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Canadian Medical Association Journal) Sedentary time, for example, time spent sitting, increases the risk of death for middle-aged and older people who are frail and inactive, but does not appear to increase the risk for non-frail people who are inactive, according to a new study published in CMAJ.
  
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• Scientists create 'diamond rain' that forms in the interior of icy giant planets

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) In an experiment designed to mimic the conditions deep inside the icy giant planets of our solar system, scientists were able to observe 'diamond rain' for the first time as it formed in high-pressure conditions. Extremely high pressure squeezes hydrogen and carbon found in the interior of these planets to form solid diamonds that sink slowly down further into the interior.
  
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• Satellite watches remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey near Honduras

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NOAA's GOES-East satellite has been watching the remnants for former Tropical Storm Harvey as it tracks west across the Caribbean Sea. Early on Aug. 21 the remnants were just off the coast of eastern Honduras.
  
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• Researchers produce new map of seismic hazards

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) Builders of hydroelectric dams are required to perform seismic hazard studies before their designs are approved.
  
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• Research reveals potential target for alcohol liver disease

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) Drinking too much alcohol can damage the liver, but investigators have discovered a protective response in the organ that might be targeted to help treat alcoholic liver disease. The team -- led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania -- also found that the same protective response may be involved in aversion to alcohol and could therefore help in the treatment of alcoholism.
  
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• Research reveals 'exquisite selectivity' of neuronal wiring in the cerebral cortex

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) In a study appearing today in Nature Neuroscience, a team from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory uses advanced technologies to illuminate the connectivity pattern of chandelier cells, a distinctive kind of inhibitory cell type in the mammalian brain.They reveal for the first time how this candelabra-shaped cell interacts in a highly selective way with hundreds of excitatory cells in its neighborhood, receiving information from some, imparting information to others.
  
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• Racial stereotypes influence perception of NFL quarterbacks

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Colorado at Boulder) Racial stereotypes affect the public's perception of NFL quarterbacks and may, in some cases, become a self-fulfilling prophecy for black athletes, new University of Colorado Boulder research shows.
  
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• Polarization for controversial scientific issues increases with more education

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Carnegie Mellon University) A commonly proposed solution to help diffuse the political and religious polarization surrounding controversial scientific issues like evolution or climate change is education.However, Carnegie Mellon University researchers found that the opposite is true: people's beliefs about scientific topics that are associated with their political or religious identities actually become increasingly polarized with education, as measured by years in school, science classes, and
  
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• People favor highly reviewed products, even when they shouldn't

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Association for Psychological Science) When we're trying to decide which cell phone case to buy or which hotel room to book, we often rely on the ratings and reviews of others to help us choose. But new research suggests that we tend to use this information in ways that can actually work to our disadvantage.
  
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• Our hairy insides

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT engineers have predicted how tiny hairs lining blood vessels and intestines bend to flowing fluid. The results may help to design microfluidic devices such as hydraulic valves and diodes.
  
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• Our brains do change from early to mid-adulthood

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Frontiers) Scientists in China have been able to accurately estimate an individual's age from their brain structure. The researchers found that significant microstructural changes occur in the brain from early to mid-adulthood. Until now, scientists thought that brain structure was relatively stable during this period of life, and this is one of the first studies to show that our brains continue to change throughout our early and mid-adulthood.
  
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• NNI and NTU to develop new technologies to diagnose and treat neurological diseases

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Nanyang Technological University) Singapore's National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) are collaborating to develop innovative technologies to better diagnose and treat patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and brain injuries.
  
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• New report proposes framework to identify vulnerabilities posed by synthetic biology

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) Given the possible security vulnerabilities related to developments in synthetic biology -- a field that uses technologies to modify or create organisms or biological components -- a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine proposes a framework to identify and prioritize potential areas of concern associated with the field.
  
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• New meta-analysis shows peer influence doubles smoking risk for adolescents

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania) Having friends who smoke doubles the risk that youth ages 10 to 19 will pick up the habit, finds new meta-analysis of 75 longitudinal teen smoking studies. This influence is more powerful in collectivistic cultures than in individualistic ones.
  
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• NASA sees major Hurricane Kenneth in Eastern Pacific

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Former Tropical Depression 13E has strengthened into a Major Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. NASA's Terra satellite passed over Kenneth and captured an image that showed a well-developed storm with a visible eye.
  
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• Nagoya physicists resolve long-standing mystery of structure-less transition

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Nagoya University) Nagoya University researchers probe a mysterious phase transition in an organic molecular conductor using synchrotron X-ray radiation.
  
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• Mechanism that impairs production of bovine embryos is revealed

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) A longstanding obstacle to the market for bovine embryos is about to be removed. Researchers have described a hitherto unknown mechanism of lipid accumulation in oocytes that limits the success of in vitro production of bovine embryos.
  
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• McLean researchers uncover security issues with health apps for dementia patients

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (McLean Hospital) In a recent paper, a team of McLean Hospital researchers reported that many health apps designed to assist dementia patients and their caregivers have inadequate security policies or lack security policies altogether.
  
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• Link between cells associated with aging and bone loss

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Mayo Clinic) Mayo Clinic researchers have reported a causal link between senescent cells -- the cells associated with aging and age-related disease -- and bone loss in mice. Targeting these cells led to an increase in bone mass and strength. The findings appear online in Nature Medicine.
  
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• Into the wild for plant genetics

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew) A new paper by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew reveals the opportunities for portable, real-time DNA sequencing in plant identification and naming. Using a handheld DNA sequencing device they conducted the first genomic plant sequencing in the field at a fraction of the speed of traditional methods, offering exciting possibilitiesto conservationists and scientists the world over.
  
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• In Neptune, it's raining diamonds

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf) Researchers at HZDR have managed to demonstrate 'diamond showers' forming in the ice giants of our solar system. Using the ultra-strong X-ray laser and other facilities at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, they simulated the conditions inside the cosmic giants. For the first time ever, they were able to observe the fission of hydrocarbon and the conversion of carbon into diamonds in real time. They published their results in the journal Nature Astrono
  
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• HRL receives NASA award to 3-D print ceramic rocket engine components

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (HRL Laboratories) HRL Laboratories has received an award as part of NASA's Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion program to develop additive manufactured (3-D printed) ceramic rocket engine components.
  
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• How a non-coding RNA encourages cancer growth and metastasis

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Medical University of South Carolina) A pro-tumor environment in the cell can encourage a gene to produce an alternative form of RNA that enables cancer to spread, report researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Nature Cell Biology.
  
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• Harvard-Osher integrative medicine's mind-body partnership with JACM

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital has engaged a partnership with JACM, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine to highlight the best new research in the mushrooming field of mind-body medicine.
  
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• Global group to investigate genetic causes of cerebral palsy

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Adelaide) A new international research group has been established to investigate the underlying genetic causes of cerebral palsy, spurred on by the discoveries of University of Adelaide researchers.
  
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• 'Electronic skin' takes wearable health monitors to the next level

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)) Korean researchers developed a new, electronic skin which can track heart rate, respiration, muscle movement and other health data. The electronic skins offers several improvements over existing trackers, including greater flexibility, portability, and the ability to stick the self-adhesive patch.
  
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• Do video game players make the best unmanned pilots?

  21-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Liverpool) New research from the University of Liverpool highlights the usefulness of video game players as unmanned aircraft operators.
  
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