Science news

• Climate change likely helped fuel Harvey's strength

  28-08-2017 23:40 via cbc.ca
  Is climate change guilty of making Harvey the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in 50-plus years? Researchers report what science says.
  
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• Cattle cowed into munching nasty weed that's taking over Manitoba pastures

  28-08-2017 23:00 via cbc.ca
  Is it possible to teach cattle to like nasty tasting noxious weeds? Researchers with Manitoba Agriculture are hoping they can train livestock to mow down a invasive species that is causing millions in damage to pastures in the western part of the province.
  
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• Ancient mud documents the legacy of Rome’s lead pipes

  28-08-2017 22:36
  
  Researchers used lead levels in Rome’s ancient harbors to track lead pipe use and urbanization.
  
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• Molecules face the big chill

  28-08-2017 18:41
  
  Scientists have cooled molecules below a previously impassable limit.
  
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• Farmed and Dangerous? Pacific Salmon Confront Rogue Atlantic Cousins

  28-08-2017 17:15 via rss.sciam.com
  Northwest fish escape highlights concerns—and dearth of research—over aquaculture 
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• Hurricane Harvey: Why Is It So Extreme?

  28-08-2017 15:40 via rss.sciam.com
  How did the storm rapidly blow up from Category 1 to 4, why is it so stuck over Houston, how can it possibly produce so much rain? And more
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• How horses lost their toes

  28-08-2017 15:00
  
  Fossils reveal that as horses evolved to have fewer toes, they also got stronger and faster.
  
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• Beach popular with Londoners hit with chemical haze

  28-08-2017 14:58 via cbc.ca
  A mysterious chemical haze that left scores of people on the English coast with streaming eyes, sore throats and breathing problems has dissipated, but its cause remains a mystery, police and emergency services said Monday.
  
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• Floating Treasure: Space Law Needs to Catch Up with Asteroid Mining

  28-08-2017 14:00 via rss.sciam.com
  A number of companies are getting closer to extracting resources from space rocks
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• Food fishery not just for humans: Watch this shark try to snatch a cod right off a fishing line

  28-08-2017 13:12 via cbc.ca
  Roger Myette thought he'd take his cousins from New York City out to catch a few cod. But someone else had an eye on their fish.
  
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• Scientists create the most cubic form of ice crystals yet

  28-08-2017 13:00
  
  Ice has taken on a strange structure, with its water molecules arranged in nearly perfect cubes.
  
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• Are Some Psychiatric Disorders a pH Problem?

  28-08-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Increased acidity found in schizophrenia and bipolar patients’ brains raises treatment questions
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• 'Sea dragon' fossil is 'largest on record'

  28-08-2017 12:06 via bbc.co.uk
  A 200-million-year-old fossil 're-discovered' in a museum is something special, say scientists.
  
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• Minerals found on Mars suggest crater once contained right elements for habitability

  28-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  New research led by a team of Canadian scientists suggests that a large area on Mars not only once contained water, but had other conditions that would have allowed microbes to thrive.
  
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• German students beat Newfoundland/Boston team to win Hyperloop competition

  28-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  A team from the Technical University of Munich won Elon Musk's Hyperloop competition over the weekend, beating a team made up of students from Boston and Newfoundland.
  
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• Canadian regulators taking a closer look at murky world of cryptocurrency ICOs

  28-08-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Canadian securities regulators are taking a closer look at technology companies that offer digital currencies such as bitcoin to raise funds, to make sure they abide by the right set of rules.
  
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• VLA reveals distant galaxy's magnetic field

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) A chance combination of a gravitational lens and polarized waves coming from a distant quasar gave astronomers the tool needed to make a measurement important to understanding the origin of magnetic fields in galaxies.
  
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• Using artificial intelligence to understand the human brain and mind

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (The Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University) On Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 9 a.m., pioneers in cognitive science, neuroscience and machine learning will come together at Columbia University to address a fundamental question: how can artificial intelligence help us understand the brain's most complex abilities?
  
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• US opioid epidemic reaches new level of crisis in overdoses, hospitalizations and cost

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) 'We found a 34 percent increase in overdose-related ICU admissions while ICU opioid deaths nearly doubled during that same period,' according to Dr. Lena Novack, Ph.D., a lecturer in BGU's School of Public Health. The mortality rates of these patients climbed at roughly the same rate, on average, with a steeper rise in deaths of patients admitted to the ICU for overdose after 2012.
  
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• Unifying statistics, computer science, and applied mathematics

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Lehigh University) The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced its support of a Lehigh University-led research team that will advance machine learning by tying together techniques drawn from the fields of statistics, computer science, and applied mathematics.
  
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• Undergraduates develop tools to diagnose Alzheimer's disease before patients show symptoms

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Maryland) A team of seven University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering undergraduates earned the top prize in this year's National Institutes of Health (NIH) Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge for their efforts to develop low-cost tools to diagnose Alzheimer's disease before patients show symptoms.
  
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• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation safe and effective in nonagenarians

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is safe and effective in nonagenarians, according to research presented at ESC Congress today.1 The observational study found that nonagenarians who underwent TAVI had worse short-term outcomes but similar one-year outcomes as patients younger than 90 years.
  
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• Study suggests statins associated with lower rates of breast cancer and mortality

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) A 14 year study in more than one million people has found that women with high cholesterol have significantly lower rates of breast cancer and improved mortality. The research, presented today at ESC Congress, suggests that statins are associated with lower rates of breast cancer and subsequent mortality.
  
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• Study reveals clinical benefit of LDL cholesterol lowering depends on how it is lowered

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) The benefit of lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol depends on how it is lowered, according to late-breaking results from a naturally randomised genetic trial presented today in a Hot Line -- LBCT Session at ESC Congress1 and published in JAMA.
  
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• Study identifies methods for preventing overcrowding in emergency rooms

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Oregon Health & Science University) A new study identifies four key strategies to reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms. The study concludes that engaged executive leadership can alleviate the problem when combined with a data-driven approach and coordination across the hospital from housekeepers to the CEO. Crowding in emergency rooms has been associated with decreased patient satisfaction and even death.
  
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• Study finds the burdens of spousal caregiving alleviated by appreciation

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (University at Buffalo) The fact that spouses often become caregivers for their ailing partners is quite common in American life -- and few roles are more stressful. But Michael Poulin, a UB psychologist, is part of a research team that has published a study suggesting that spending time attempting to provide help can be beneficial for a caregiver's well-being, but only under certain circumstances.
  
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• Study finds romance and affection top most popular sexual behaviors

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Indiana University) Researchers at Indiana University have published a new US nationally representative study of sexual behavior, the first of its kind to capture a wide range of diverse sexual behaviors not previously examined in the general population.
  
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• Study: After Hurricane Katrina, personal debt fell for those worst hit -- but at a cost

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Case Western Reserve University) After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans a dozen years ago, there was a sharp and immediate drop in personal debt among residents living in city's most flooded blocks, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study.
  
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• SPRINT post-hoc analysis: Food for thought on defining the ideal blood pressure target

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Adding to the debate on optimal blood pressure control, new findings presented at ESC Congress today suggest there may be variations in the ideal target depending on baseline pressure and overall cardiovascular risk.
  
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• Solar hydrogen production by artificial leafs: Scientists analysed how a special treatment improves cheap metal oxide photoelectrodes

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie) Metal oxides are promising candidates for cheap and stable photoelectrodes for solar water splitting, producing hydrogen with sunlight. Unfortunately, metal oxides are not highly efficient in this job. A known remedy is a treatment with heat and hydrogen. An international collaboration has now discovered why this treatment works so well, paving the way to more efficient and cheap devices for solar hydrogen production.
  
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• Single-nucleus RNA sequencing, droplet by droplet

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard) Researchers describe a new single-cell expression profiling technique. CalledDroNc-Seq, it merges an earlier platform with microfluidics, allowing massively parallel measurement of gene expression in structurally-complicated tissues.
  
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• Sildenafil should be avoided in valve disease with residual pulmonary hypertension

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Sildenafil should not be used to treat residual hypertension in patients with valvular heart disease, according to late-breaking results from the SIOVAC trial presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress. The off-label use of the drug led to worse clinical outcomes including a doubled risk of hospitalization compared to placebo.
  
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• Shedding consistent pounds each week linked to long-term weight loss

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Drexel University) Those whose weights fluctuated the most during the first few weeks of a weight loss program had poorer weight loss outcomes one and two years later, compared to the men and women who lost a consistent number of pounds each week.
  
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• Self-identifying as disabled and developing pride in disability aid overall well-being

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Oregon State University) Experiencing stigma, the severity of a disability and a person's age and income level help determine whether someone with an impairment considers themselves to be a person with a disability, and experiencing stigma predicts whether those individuals will ultimately develop disability pride, new research from Oregon State University shows.
  
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• Screening for vascular disease saves one life for every 169 patients assessed (VIVA)

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) A novel screening program for vascular disease saves one life for every 169 men assessed, according to late-breaking results from the VIVA trial presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress and published in the Lancet. The combined screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, and hypertension gained more living years for lower costs than European cancer screening programs.
  
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• Renal denervation lowers blood pressure in hypertensive patients

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Renal denervation lowers blood pressure in hypertensive patients not taking medication, according to late-breaking results from the SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED study presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress and published in the Lancet.
  
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• Record-breaking galaxy 5 billion light-years away shows we live in a magnetic universe

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics) A team of astronomers has observed the magnetic field of a galaxy five billion light-years from Earth. The galaxy is the most distant in which a coherent magnetic field has been observed and provides important insight into how magnetism in the universe formed and evolved.
  
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• PPPL physicists essential to new campaign on world's most powerful stellarator

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory) Physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are providing critical expertise for the first full campaign of the world's largest and most powerful stellarator, a magnetic confinement fusion experiment, the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) in Germany. The fusion facility resumes operating on August 28, 2017, and will investigate the suitability of its optimized magnetic fields to create steady state plasmas and to
  
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• PCSK9 inhibition could ameliorate cardiovascular disease by immune mechanisms

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) PCSK9 inhibition could ameliorate atherosclerosis and thus cardiovascular disease by immune mechanisms that are unrelated to lowering of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, according to research presented today at ESC Congress.
  
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• PATHWAY-2 uncovers main cause of drug-resistant hypertension, finds old drugs work best

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Salt retention is the main culprit behind drug-resistant hypertension (RHTN), with older diuretic medications being the most effective treatment, according to new results from the PATHWAY-2 study.
  
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• Oxygen therapy does not improve survival (DETO2X-AMI)

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Oxygen therapy does not improve survival in patients with heart attack symptoms, according to late-breaking research presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress and published in the NEJM.
  
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• Optical control of magnetic memory -- New insights into fundamental mechanisms

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie) A research team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has shown for the first time how laser modulation of magnetic properties in materials is influenced by thermal effects and how the process occurs under moderate experimental parameters. At the same time, the scientists discovered a previously unknown dependence on the thickness of the magnetic layer.
  
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• Oil and water may combine if conditions are right, study suggests

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Edinburgh) They say that oil and water do not mix...but now scientists have discovered that -- under certain circumstances -- it may be possible.
  
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• NJIT Oil spill expert assesses use of deep-sea dispersants in Deepwater Horizon cleanup

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) In a groundbreaking study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, collaborators from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology pooled their scientific and technical expertise to provide some of the first answers to policy questions regarding the use of deep-sea dispersants.
  
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• NIPPON follow-up: Shorter dual antiplatelet therapy stands the test of time (DAPT)

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Three year follow-up of patients who received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after placement of a drug-eluting stent (DES) shows that a short course of the therapy continues to be as beneficial as a longer course.
  
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• New technique to aid IVF embryo selection

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Adelaide) Australian researchers have successfully developed an advanced new imaging technique, which can help assess the quality of early-stage embryos.
  
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• New liquid-metal membrane technology may help make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles viable

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) While hydrogen fuel cell cars offer advantages over electric vehicles, they have yet to take off. One reason is the high cost and complexity of producing hydrogen fuel, which can be reduced by using membranes to separate hydrogen from other byproducts. Conventional palladium membranes are expensive and fragile. A new study at Worcester Polytechnic Institute shows that membranes made from less-expensive liquid metals appear to be more efficient at separating hydr
  
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• New app uses smartphone selfies to screen for pancreatic cancer

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Washington) A new app from University of Washington researchers could lead to earlier detection of pancreatic cancer simply by snapping a smartphone selfie. Thedisease kills 90 percent of patients within five years, in part because there are no telltale symptoms or non-invasive screening tools to catch a tumor before it spreads.
  
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• New analysis examines how low cholesterol can safely go (FOURIER)

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Very aggressive reduction of LDL-cholesterol to ultra-low levels was associated with progressively fewer cardiovascular events and appears to pose no safety concerns in patients with stable atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease over 2.2 years of follow-up, according to a new analysis of the FOURIER trial.
  
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• NASA takes potential Tropical Cyclone 10's temperature

  28-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Cloud top temperatures are an important factor when it comes to determining the strength of storms. NASA's Aqua satellite gathered cloud top temperature data from potential tropical cyclone 10, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the South Carolina coast.
  
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