Science news

• New species of sauropod dinosaur discovered in Tanzania

  25-08-2017 22:39
  Paleontologists have identified a new species of titanosaurian dinosaur.
  
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• Microbes compete for nutrients, affect metabolism, development in mice

  25-08-2017 22:39
  If our microbiome overindulges, we might not have access to the nutrients we need. That's the suggestion from new research that shows mice that harbor high levels of microbes that eat choline are deprived of this essential nutrient.
  
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• Ghostly fish in Mariana Trench in the Pacific is deepest ever recorded

  25-08-2017 22:16 via cbc.ca
  A ghostly white fish likely had no idea it was breaking a record when it swam past a camera more than eight kilometres below the surface of the ocean.
  
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• Shark fins sold for soup include many at-risk species

  25-08-2017 21:29 via cbc.ca
  Shark fins and manta ray gills for sale in stores and markets in Vancouver and in China just a few years ago belonged mainly to species that are now listed as at-risk and banned for trade, DNA testing shows.
  
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• Shark fins sold for soup in Canada include many at-risk species

  25-08-2017 21:29 via cbc.ca
  Shark fins and manta ray gills for sale in stores and markets in Vancouver and in China just a few years ago belonged mainly to species that are now listed as at-risk and banned for trade, DNA testing shows.
  
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• Rumors swirl that LIGO snagged gravitational waves from a neutron star collision

  25-08-2017 21:14
  
  Telescopes seem to be following up on a potential gravitational wave sighting.
  
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• Augmented reality technology may help guide plastic and reconstructive surgery

  25-08-2017 20:43
  A plastic surgery research group has developed an augmented reality system that enables them to create 3D simulations of the desired results of facial reconstructive procedures and project them over the patient's face during surgery.
  
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• Genes linked to better immune response to flu vaccine identified

  25-08-2017 20:06
  Scientists have identified several genes and gene clusters associated with the immune response to flu vaccination. The findings point to the prospect of using genetic profiles to predict individual responses to the flu vaccine.
  
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• Fragile X syndrome: Early detection important

  25-08-2017 20:06
  New insights into the long-lasting effects of Fragile X syndrome on connections in the brain during early development highlight the importance of early detection and treatment.
  
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• Conformal metasurface coating eliminates crosstalk, shrinks waveguides

  25-08-2017 20:06
  The properties of materials can behave in funny ways. Tweak one aspect to make a device smaller or less leaky, for example, and something else might change in an undesirable way, so that engineers play a game of balancing one characteristic against another. Now a team of electrical engineers has a way to simultaneously control diverse optical properties of dielectric waveguides by using a two-layer coating, each layer with a near zero thickness and weight.
  
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• If you’re 35 or younger, your genes can predict whether the flu vaccine will work

  25-08-2017 20:00
  
  A set of nine genes predicted an effective response to the flu vaccine in young people, no matter the strains.
  
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• Sea wheatgrass as new source of wheat virus resistance?

  25-08-2017 19:57
  Resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus is one of the characteristics researchers hope to transfer from sea wheatgrass, a distant relative of wheat, into bread wheat.
  
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• New milestone in development of Kinase Chemogenomic Set

  25-08-2017 19:07
  A new milestone has been reached in the development of the Kinase Chemogenomic Set, a potent group of inhibitors which allow deeper exploration of the human kinome, a family of enzymes critical to understanding human disease and developing new therapies.
  
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• Ringing in ears keeps brain more at attention, less at rest, study finds

  25-08-2017 18:49
  Tinnitus, a chronic ringing or buzzing in the ears, has eluded medical treatment and scientific understanding. A new study found that chronic tinnitus is associated with changes in certain networks in the brain, and furthermore, those changes cause the brain to stay more at attention and less at rest. The finding provides patients with validation of their experiences and hope for future treatment options.
  
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• New steel beats the strength-ductilitiy trade-off

  25-08-2017 18:49
  Automotive, aerospace and defence applications require metallic materials with ultra-high strength. However, in some particular high-loading structural applications, metallic materials shall also have large ductility and high toughness to facilitate the precise forming of structural components and to avoid the catastrophic failure of components during service. Unfortunately, increasing strength often leads to the decrease in ductility, which is known as the strength-ductility trade-off.
  
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• High tunability of 2-D material

  25-08-2017 18:48
  A science team has precisely measured some previously obscured properties of a 2-D semiconducting material known as moly sulfide, which opens up a new avenue to applications.
  
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• Wild yeasts are brewing up batches of trendy beers

  25-08-2017 18:30
  
  Wild beer studies are teaching scientists and brewers about the tropical fruit smell and sour taste of success.
  
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• Hormonal IUDs have no effect on lactation or breastfeeding, suggests research

  25-08-2017 17:46
  Early placement of a hormonal IUD is a safe, long-term birth control method that does not negatively affect women who want to breastfeed their baby, research shows.
  
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• Adding radiation treatments to inoperable lung cancer increases survival by up to one year

  25-08-2017 17:31
  Patients with unresectable, or inoperable, lung cancer are often given a dismal prognosis, with low rates of survival beyond a few years. Researchers exploring combination therapies have recently discovered improved survival rates by up to one year when patients treated with a newly formulated chemotherapy regimen are also given radiation therapy.
  
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• Cheaper, greener biofuels processing catalyst

  25-08-2017 17:28
  Fuels that are produced from nonpetroleum-based biological sources may become greener and more affordable, thanks to new research that examines the use of a processing catalyst made from palladium metal and bacteria.
  
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• A Galápagos seabird's population expected to shrink with ocean warming

  25-08-2017 17:28
  Within the next century, rising ocean temperatures around the Galápagos Islands are expected to make the water too warm for a key prey species, sardines, to tolerate. A new study uses decades of data on the diet and breeding of a tropical seabird, the Nazca booby, to understand how the future absence of sardines may affect the booby population.
  
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• Magic enzymes in 'magic' mushrooms analyzed

  25-08-2017 16:39
  Little fungi pack a punch: 'Magic mushrooms' of the Psilocybe species produce psychoactive compounds that alter perception when ingested. Recently, the effects on the neuronal system caused by their ingredient psilocybin have attracted the interest of pharmacologists. Scientists have now identified four of the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of psilocybin. Researchers describe the biosynthetic pathway and introduce a synthetic route that could form the basis of biotechnological producti
  
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• Faster, more precise, more stable: Study optimizes graphene growth

  25-08-2017 16:39
  Each atomic layer thin, tear-resistant, and stable. Graphene is seen as the material of the future. It is ideal for e.g. producing ultra-light electronics or highly stable mechanical components. But the wafer-thin carbon layers are difficult to produce. Scientists have manufactured self-supporting graphene membranes, and at the same time systematically investigated and optimized the growth of the graphene crystals.
  
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• Mothers with pre-eclampsia may encounter challenges later in life

  25-08-2017 16:24
  A condition that threatens the lives of some pregnant women and the fetus may continue to put the mother at risk later in life, new research indicates.
  
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• Millions of novel genetic variants found in 1000 Swedish individuals

  25-08-2017 16:24
  An extensive exercise to map genetic variation in Sweden has found 33 million genetic variants, 10 million of which are novel. Large-scale DNA sequencing methods were used to analyse the whole genome of 1000 individuals from different parts of the country.
  
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• Heart hormones protect against obesity and insulin resistance

  25-08-2017 16:24
  By fleshing out how one signaling receptor contributes to causing obesity through its activity in fatty tissue but not in muscle cells, scientists have zeroed in on an important new avenue of exploration for combating metabolic disease. More than one-third of American adults are considered to be obese, which dramatically increases their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, and multiple inflammatory conditions.
  
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• From plant odorant detection to sex pheromone communication

  25-08-2017 16:24
  Biologists are now able to show that the receptors enabling the primitive moth species, Eriocrania semipurpurella, find an individual of the opposite sex, probably evolved from receptors which help the moth perceive the fragrances of plants.
  
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• Pleiades star cluster: Surprising variability

  25-08-2017 15:13
  The Seven Sisters, as they were known to the ancient Greeks, are now known to modern astronomers as the Pleiades star cluster – a set of stars which are visible to the naked eye and have been studied for thousands of years by cultures all over the world. Now astronomers have demonstrated a powerful new technique for observing stars such as these, which are ordinarily far too bright to look at with high performance telescopes.
  
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• Recipe for safer lithium batteries -- Just add diamonds

  25-08-2017 15:12
  While lithium-ion batteries, widely used in mobile devices from cell phones to laptops, have one of the longest lifespans of commercial batteries today, they also have been behind a number of recent meltdowns and fires due to short-circuiting in mobile devices. In hopes of preventing more of these hazardous malfunctions researchers have developed a recipe that can turn electrolyte solution -- a key component of most batteries -- into a safeguard against the chemical process that leads to battery
  
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• Endangered sharks, rays further threatened by global food markets

  25-08-2017 15:12
  A majority of shark fins and manta ray gills sold around the globe for traditional medicines come from endangered species, a study has revealed. Using cutting-edge DNA barcoding technology, researchers found 71 per cent of dried fins and gills collected from markets in Canada, China and Sri Lanka came from species listed as at-risk and therefore banned from international trade.
  
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• The pancreas provides a potential drug candidate for brain disease

  25-08-2017 15:11
  Researchers show FGF21, a factor secreted by the pancreas, promotes remyelination in the central nervous system after injury.
  
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• Measles vaccine: Some developed countries should target adolescents and adults

  25-08-2017 15:06
  Even if measles infection incidence has decreased by at least 90% all over the world since the introduction of the vaccine, measles is still one of the major causes of death in children among vaccine-preventable diseases. Regular measles epidemics are reported in developing countries and recurrent episodic outbreaks occur in the developed world.
  
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• Rare double waterspout caught on camera

  25-08-2017 14:48 via bbc.co.uk
  The sight, off the coast of Florida's Anna Maria Island, was filmed on Thursday afternoon.
  
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• What's really the point of wasps?

  25-08-2017 14:18 via bbc.co.uk
  A new citizen science survey aims to shed light on that fixture of summertime in the outdoors: the wasp.
  
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• Hollywood to Witless Bay: The double life of the Puffin Man

  25-08-2017 14:01 via cbc.ca
  When he wasn't rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars, Juergen Schau was enjoying a totally different type of night life - searching for stranded chicks as head of the Puffin Patrol in Witless Bay, N.L.
  
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• "The Farthest" Brings NASA's Voyager Missions Back to Earth

  25-08-2017 14:00 via rss.sciam.com
  A new documentary marks the 40th anniversary of humanity’s most audacious interplanetary spacecraft
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Alps melting?

  25-08-2017 13:53 via bbc.co.uk
  A huge rockfall in Val Bondasca raises questions about how climate change is affecting the Alps.
  
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• Map reveals the invisible universe of dark matter

  25-08-2017 13:00
  
  The Dark Energy Survey reports a new tally of the dark universe.
  
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• Canadians design fish ladder that even little fishies can climb

  25-08-2017 13:00 via cbc.ca
  A P.E.I. wildlife group is experimenting with a new way to help small fish make their way upstream — a made-on-P.E.I. fish ladder.
  
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• Sex Battle in the Sky: Genetically Modified Moths to Take Flight in New York

  25-08-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Male bugs with time bomb gene could sire sterile females in a possible alternative to chemical pesticides
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Sex Battle in the Sky: Genetically Modified Moths Take Flight in New York

  25-08-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Male bugs with time bomb gene could sire sterile females in a possible alternative to chemical pesticides
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Sudbury woman threatened after refusing to send online scammer 15K

  25-08-2017 12:00 via cbc.ca
  A Sudbury woman is out thousands of dollars, and confidence, after being the victim of an online romance scam.
  
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• Ocean temperatures around Nova Scotia hit record highs: DFO report

  25-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Ocean temperatures in the Scotian Shelf and the Gulf of St. Lawrence reached record or near-record highs in 2016, according to a federal report on Atlantic Canada's marine ecosystem.
  
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• 'Data is the new oil': Your personal information is now the world's most valuable commodity

  25-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Data has surpassed oil as the world's most valuable resource, much of it controlled by just five mega-companies — and jurisdictions are struggling with how to contain, regulate and protect all those ones and zeros.
  
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• Billionaire Samsung heir convicted in bribery scandal that brought down president

  25-08-2017 08:53 via cbc.ca
  A South Korean court has found Jay Y. Lee guilty of multiple crimes, including bribery, and sentenced him to five years in prison.
  
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• Tweaking thermoelectric voltage across atomic-scale gold junction by mechanical force

  25-08-2017 06:00
  (Tokyo Institute of Technology) Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology achieved precise and fully reversible switching of the polarity of voltage produced by the thermoelectric effect across a gold junction with an atomic-scale contact. The control of thermoelectric voltage was achieved by mechanically elongating the contact. This technology is expected to find applications in thermopower generation, measurement techniques in materials science, and solid-state electronic devices.
  
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• The losses that come after the earthquake: Devastating and costly

  25-08-2017 06:00
  (Frontiers) The study, titled, 'Losses Associated with Secondary Effects in Earthquakes,' published by Frontiers in Built Environmen, looks at the devastation resulting from secondary disasters, such as tsunamis, liquefaction of sediments, fires, landslides, and flooding that occurred during 100 key earthquakes that occurred from 1900 to the present. And unlike previous studies, Daniell et al put a dollar value to the devastation from these secondary causes.
  
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• Researchers predicted when cholera epidemic in Yemen would peak

  25-08-2017 06:00
  (Hokkaido University) Hokkaido University scientists has developed a new mathematical model which accurately forecast that a devastating cholera epidemic in Yemen would peak by early July, the 26th week of 2017 and the cumulative incidence would be the order of 700-800 thousand cases.
  
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• Researchers identify cheaper, greener biofuels processing catalyst

  25-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Fuels that are produced from nonpetroleum-based biological sources may become greener and more affordable, thanks to research performed at the University of Illinois' Prairie Research Institute that examines the use of a processing catalyst made from palladium metal and bacteria.
  
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• Recipe for safer batteries -- Just add diamonds

  25-08-2017 06:00
  (Drexel University) While lithium-ion batteries, widely used in mobile devices from cell phones to laptops, have one of the longest lifespans of commercial batteries today, they also have been behind a number of recent meltdowns and fires due to short-circuiting in mobile devices. In hopes of preventing more of these hazardous malfunctions researchers at Drexel University have developed a recipe that can turn electrolyte solution -- a key component of most batteries -- into a safeguard against t
  
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