Science news

• FDA approves gene therapy to treat a rare cancer

  30-08-2017 23:17
  
  The Food and Drug Administration has approved Kymriah to treat a rare cancer. It’s the first-ever gene therapy approved in the United States.
  
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• Muscle pain in people on statins may have a genetic link

  30-08-2017 22:55
  
  Many people stop taking cholesterol drugs because of aches, but it has been unclear if the drugs are at fault.
  
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• Invasive earthworms may be taking a toll on sugar maples

  30-08-2017 21:00
  
  Sugar maple trees in the Upper Great Lakes region are more likely to have dying branches when there are signs of an earthworm invasion, a new study finds.
  
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• First cancer 'living drug' gets go-ahead

  30-08-2017 20:47 via bbc.co.uk
  US authorities approve a treatment which re-designs a patient's own immune system to attack cancer.
  
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• Alexa, Cortana talk to each other in Amazon-Microsoft deal

  30-08-2017 20:20 via cbc.ca
  Microsoft and Amazon are pairing their voice assistants together in a collaboration announced Wednesday.
  
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• Astronomers solve mystery of 'new star' spotted in 1437 AD

  30-08-2017 19:40 via cbc.ca
  On a spring night in 1437 AD, something unusual happened - Korean astronomers spotted a new star in the sky above Seoul that later disappeared. Now researchers have figured out what happened, offering a new glimpse into the hidden lives of stars.
  
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• Latest distressed whale may have escaped fishing ropes on its own

  30-08-2017 19:26 via cbc.ca
  A North Atlantic right whale spotted earlier this week entangled in ropes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence may have freed itself and joined a pod in the area, the federal government said Wednesday.
  
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• Brazil court blocks Amazon mining decree

  30-08-2017 19:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The order prevents the government from exploiting a protected area bigger than Denmark.
  
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• Star that exploded in 1437 tracked to its current position

  30-08-2017 19:00
  
  Astronomers have hunted down a star seen exploding in the year 1437 and traced it since, offering clues to the stages of a white dwarf.
  
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• "Movement Maps" Found Deep Inside Brain

  30-08-2017 18:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Watching neurons guide live mouse activities may help understand diseases like Parkinson’s 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Spot a frog, send an email, save a species?

  30-08-2017 16:37 via cbc.ca
  The northern leopard frog is considered a species at risk in Alberta, but conservationists hope it will make a comeback in the Waterton lakes area, with a little help.
  
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• Biggest-ever spam list found with 711 million emails, passwords

  30-08-2017 16:35 via cbc.ca
  Internet security researchers have found what they believe is the biggest list of email addresses and passwords used to deliver spam and malware to victims around the world.
  
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• Uber probed by DOJ for possible bribery of foreign officials

  30-08-2017 15:11 via cbc.ca
  Uber Technologies Inc. said on Tuesday it was cooperating with a preliminary investigation led by the U.S. Department of Justice into possible violations of bribery laws.
  
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• Hurricane Harvey: Houston Has No Quick Way to Get Rid of Floodwater 

  30-08-2017 15:00 via rss.sciam.com
  The city is limited by reliance on slow-draining bayous to carry out the rain
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Are Tesla's batteries up to snuff? It's this Canadian startup's job to check

  30-08-2017 13:23 via cbc.ca
  The future of lithium-ion battery longevity — a key component in a world without fossil fuels — may lie in an unassuming, bunker-style building in a Halifax-area industrial park.
  
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• Pumas React to Humans like Prey

  30-08-2017 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Even though we do not hunt them for food, the big cats have reason to fear us
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Famed T. rex 'Sue' getting a makeover at Field Museum in Chicago

  30-08-2017 12:16
  (Reuters) - The world's biggest T. rex is getting ready for a cutting-edge makeover.
  
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• Cassini hints at young age for Saturn's rings

  30-08-2017 07:27 via bbc.co.uk
  New data gathered by the Cassini probe suggests Saturn's icy bands formed relatively recently.
  
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• When it comes to looking for jobs, it's not how many you know, but how well you know them

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) CATONSVILLE, MD, August 30, 2017 - While online networking sites enable individuals to increase their professional connections, to what extent do these ties actually lead to job opportunities? A new study in the INFORMS journal Management Science finds that, despite the ability to significantly increase the number of professional connections and identify more job leads with limited effort on these sites, unless the connection is a s
  
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• Wanted: A new way to find pilots for US Navy unmanned aircraft

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Office of Naval Research) The Office of Naval Research is sponsoring the development of new specialized tests to assess the cognitive abilities and personality traits of potential Navy and Marine Corps unmanned aviation systems (UAS) operators. It's called the Selection for UAS Personnel, or SUPer.
  
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• Virus that causes mono may increase risk of MS for multiple races

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (American Academy of Neurology) Like whites, Hispanic and black people who have had mononucleosis, commonly known as mono, which is caused by Epstein-Barr virus, may have an increased risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a new study published in the Aug. 30, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
  
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• US investors shun Quebec firms

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of British Columbia) A new study led by the UBC Sauder School of Business has found significant US institutional investor bias against firms located in Quebec relative to firms located in the rest of Canada due to language differences.
  
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• University of Toronto astrophysicists convert moons and rings of Saturn into music

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Toronto) After centuries of looking with awe and wonder at the beauty of Saturn and its rings, they can now be heard, thanks to the efforts of astrophysicists at the University of Toronto. They have created two pieces of music from the orbits of the planet's ring system and several of its moons, finding natural harmony occurring throughout.
  
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• UNIST embarks on developing next-generation artificial intelligence

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology has embarked on developing the next-generation artificial intelligence technology.
  
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• Understanding perceptions of reputation and identity offers opportunity, study shows

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Notre Dame) Research by Brittany Solomon found that, regardless of how people personally view another person, they also are aware of how that person sees themselves, as well as how they are generally perceived by others.
  
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• UMass Amherst environmental chemist flashes warning light on new nanoparticle

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) The UMass Amherst and Chinese research team found that layered BP's cytotoxicity is based on the fact that it generates reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are among the most potent cell-damaging agents known. Layered BP also disrupts cell membrane integrity in a particle-size-dependent manner.
  
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• UChicago Medicine working to offer breakthrough CAR T-cell gene therapy approved by FDA

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Chicago Medical Center) The University of Chicago Medicine is one of a limited number of US sites working to offer a breakthrough gene therapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which was just approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
  
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• U study provides new insight toward reducing racial bias in courtroom

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Minnesota) The study, titled 'Minority Mens Rea' and published in the Hastings Law Journal, offers positive news for a criminal justice system that has become keenly aware of the need for improved responses to race biases. Ultimately, Shen hopes further research will help the legal system better understand how implicit racial biases lead, or don't lead, to unjust outcomes.
  
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• Two distinct brain regions have independent influence on decision-making

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine) Mount Sinai research finds that when making decisions, monkeys use different brain areas to weigh value and availability.
  
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• Successful completion of 2017 Rotman-UNIST Trading Competition

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) Two student teams from South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology have been awarded first and second place in prestigious 2017 Rotman-UNIST Trading Competition, took place at UNIST from Aug. 10-11, 2017.
  
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• Stroke patient improvement with a brain-computer interface

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Adelaide) Australian researchers have shown that it is possible for stroke patients to improve motor function using special training involving connecting brain signals with a computer.
  
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• Spectroscopy: Simple solution for soil sample

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (American Society of Agronomy) Traditional ways of analyzing soil texture are slow. Danish researchers have shown a new, high-tech method that is fast, cost-effective, and portable. This technique could make it much easier to understand the soil texture of a particular area -- or even large areas across the globe.
  
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• Soybean rust develops 'rolling' epidemics as spores travel north

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) Although Midwestern soybean growers have yet to experience the brunt of soybean rust, growers in the southern United States are very familiar with the disease. Every year, the fungus slowly moves northward from its winter home in southern Florida and the Gulf Coast states, and eventually reaches Illinois soybean fields -- often just before harvest.
  
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• Smart tomographic sensors control industrial processes of tomorrow

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf) Modern parallel computer architectures are capable of processing huge amounts of data at high speed. This allows for the increasing use of imaging techniques as sensors to control machines and process plants. In the new European collaborative project TOMOCON twelve research institutions and 15 renowned industrial companies work together on the development of imaging-based industrial process control. The network is coordinated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresde
  
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• Silicon solves problems for next-generation battery technology

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Eastern Finland) Silicon -- the second most abundant element in the earth's crust -- shows great promise in Li-ion batteries, according to new research from the University of Eastern Finland. By replacing graphite anodes with silicon, it is possible to quadruple anode capacity.
  
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• Sharks with frickin' lasers: Gold nanoparticles fry cancer on glowing mice

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus) A University of Colorado Cancer Center study takes a new approach to killing cancer: Why not fry it into oblivion with vibrating gold nanoparticles? Results are published online ahead of print in the journal Bladder Cancer.
  
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• Shared custody equals less stress for children

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Stockholm University) Children who live full time with one parent are more likely to feel stressed than children in shared custody situations. The benefit holds regardless of the level of conflict between the parents or between parent and child. These are the results of a new study from Stockholm University's Demography Unit.
  
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• Sequencing all 24 human chromosomes uncovers rare disorders

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute) Non-invasive prenatal screening is one of the great success stories of genomics research. Now, a new NHGRI study has found that extending noninvasive prenatal screening to all 24 human chromosomes can detect genetic disorders that may explain miscarriage and abnormalities in fetal growth. This approach may also reduce false positive results for Down syndrome and other common conditions.
  
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• Scientists recover nova first spotted 600 years ago by Korean astrologers

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (American Museum of Natural History) A new study pinpoints the location of a nova first spotted by Korean astrologers almost 600 years ago that now undergoes smaller-scale 'dwarf nova' eruptions. The work supports that idea that novae go through a very long-term life cycle after erupting, fading to obscurity for thousands of years, and then building back up to become full-fledged novae once more.
  
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• Robots on the move: How to better track movement

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Chinese Association of Automation) Pop culture promises a wide array of robots to aid humans, from the Jetsons' housekeeper, Rosie, to the adorable and helpful R2D2 and BB8 in the Star Wars universe. They may not yet be capable of washing dishes or smuggling holograms, but the robots of our time are getting better at moving. Professor Mou Chen at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has proposed a method to better control the tracking of self-balancing mobile robots.
  
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• Robotic system monitors specific neurons

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT engineers have devised a way to automate the process of patch-clamping, using a computer algorithm that analyzes microscope images and guides a robotic arm to the target cell to record its electrical activity.
  
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• Researchers propose how the universe became filled with light

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Iowa) University of Iowa researchers have a new explanation for how the universe changed from darkness to light. They propose that black holes within galaxies produce winds strong enough to fling out matter that punctures holes in galaxies, allowing light to escape.
  
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• Research on the meaning of ancient geometric earthworks in southwestern Amazonia

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (University of Helsinki) Researchers examine pre-colonial geometric earthworks in the southwestern Amazonia from the point of view of indigenous peoples and archaeology. The study shows that the earthworks were once important ritual communication spaces.
  
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• Protein turnover could be clue to living longer

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Salk Institute) Overactive protein synthesis found in premature aging disease may also play role in normal aging.
  
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• Onward to open science

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (McGill University) A new partnership between The Neuro and F1000 will create a publishing platform for researchers that will speed the progress of neuroscience discovery. The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University (The Neuro) is partnering with F1000, a provider of support services for researchers, institutes and funders, to create a new open research publishing platform called MNI Open Research.
  
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• New robot rolls with the rules of pedestrian conduct

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Engineers at MIT have designed an autonomous robot with 'socially aware navigation,' that can keep pace with foot traffic while observing these general codes of pedestrian conduct.
  
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• New clue may reveal the fate of famous French explorer

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (Australian National University) An anthropologist at The Australian National University (ANU) may have stumbled across a clue to resolving one of the most enduring mysteries of Pacific history - the fate of famous French navigator, Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse who disappeared in 1788.
  
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• NASA shows how Harvey saturated areas in Texas

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA analyzed the soil moisture in southeastern Texas before and after Harvey made landfall and found the ground was already somewhat saturated. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP Satellite provided a night-time look at Harvey after it moved into the Gulf of Mexico, and NOAA's GOES East satellite provided a look at the storm after it made its final landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border on Aug. 30.
  
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• NASA sees strengthening Tropical Cyclone Sanvu develop a tail

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm Sanvu is strengthening and imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed what looks like a thick tail to the storm. The infrared data actually showed a thick feeder band of thunderstorms wrapping into the low-level center of circulation.
  
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• NASA sees 14th eastern Pacific Ocean potential tropical cyclone

  30-08-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Potential tropical cyclone 14E of the Eastern Pacific Ocean hurricane season appeared to be coming together off the southwestern coast of Mexico. NASA's Aqua satellite captured temperature data on the storm that is producing torrential rains over southwestern Mexico.
  
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