Science news

• A bioactive molecule may protect against congestive heart failure after heart attacks

  06-09-2017 23:01
  Researchers show that giving mice a form of the fatty acid-derived bioactive molecule called lipoxin improved heart function after a heart attack, as the lipoxin prompted early activation of the resolving phase of the immune response without altering the acute phase.
  
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• Just How Strong Is Hurricane Irma?

  06-09-2017 23:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Here’s how Irma compares with Katrina, Patricia, Haiyan and other record holders
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• Balls of bitumen: Calgary breakthrough could bypass pipeline problem, researcher says

  06-09-2017 22:54 via cbc.ca
  A Calgary engineer thinks an invention he stumbled upon in the laboratory could transform the way Alberta gets its heavy oil to market.
  
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• Facebook says likely Russian influence operation spent $100K on ads promoting polarizing posts

  06-09-2017 22:52 via cbc.ca
  Facebook says it has found that an influence operation likely based in Russia spent $100,000 on ads promoting divisive social and political messages in a two-year-period through May.
  
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• How Hurricane Irma became so enormously powerful

  06-09-2017 22:05 via cbc.ca
  Hurricane Irma is the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, with sustained wind speeds of up to 295 km/h. How does a hurricane get so big? Scientists explain.
  
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• Sun unleashes most powerful solar flare since 2006

  06-09-2017 21:35 via cbc.ca
  Two powerful solar flares erupted from the surface of the sun Wednesday, disrupting radio communications on Earth's day side. And we may see some other effects in the coming days, mainly in the form of northern lights.
  
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• 'Vampires' may have been real people with this blood disorder

  06-09-2017 20:49
  A newly discovered genetic mutation triggers erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). This discovery illuminates a novel biological mechanism potentially responsible for stories of 'vampires' and identifies a potential therapeutic target for treating EPP.
  
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• Sleep may help eyewitnesses from choosing innocent suspects

  06-09-2017 20:49
  Sleep may influence an eyewitness's ability to correctly pick a guilty person out of a police lineup, indicates a new study.
  
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• New device accurately identifies cancer in seconds

  06-09-2017 20:49
  A team of scientists and engineers has invented a powerful tool that rapidly and accurately identifies cancerous tissue during surgery, delivering results in about 10 seconds. The MasSpec Pen is an innovative handheld instrument that gives surgeons precise diagnostic information about what tissue to cut or preserve, helping improve treatment and reduce the chances of cancer recurrence.
  
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• Synthetic version of popular anticoagulant poised for clinical trials

  06-09-2017 20:32
  A synthetic version of low molecular weight heparin is poised for clinical trials and development as a drug for patients with clotting disorders, and those undergoing procedures such as kidney dialysis, heart bypass surgery, stent implantation, and knee and hip replacement.
  
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• Improved vaccine that protects against nine types of HPV is highly effective

  06-09-2017 20:32
  Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with almost 300,000 deaths occurring each year. More than 80 percent of these deaths occur in developing nations. The advent of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines has significantly reduced the number of those who develop and die from cervical cancer.
  
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• Concussions in women: Rates, symptoms and recovery are different than men

  06-09-2017 20:32
  Females tend to report more symptoms -- and more severe ones -- and may also take longer to recover from brain injuries than their male counterparts.
  
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• Everything you need to know about Hurricane Irma

  06-09-2017 20:23 via cbc.ca
  Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding and devastation in Texas and parts of Louisiana. Now Hurricane Irma — a powerful Category 5 storm that has already made its first landfall in the northeast Caribbean— seems to have its sights set on Florida.
  
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• Pollen hitches a ride on bees in all the right spots

  06-09-2017 20:00
  
  Flower reproduction depends on the pollen that collects in hard-to-reach spots on bees, a new study shows.
  
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• Readers were curious about rogue planets, exomoons and more

  06-09-2017 19:30
  Readers had questions about rogue planets, human arrival in Australia, and exomoons.
  
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• Learning is a ubiquitous, mysterious phenomenon

  06-09-2017 19:15
  Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill talks about the science of learning and how our brains process new knowledge.
  
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• Machines are getting schooled on fairness

  06-09-2017 19:00
  
  Machine-learning programs are introducing biases that may harm job seekers, loan applicants and more.
  
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• How retractions significantly hurt scientists

  06-09-2017 17:46
  Life scientists who have published papers that are retracted by journals subsequently suffer a 10 percent drop in citations of their remaining work, compared to similar but unaffected scientists, according to a new study.
  
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• Russia-linked hackers infiltrated U.S. and European energy companies, security firm finds

  06-09-2017 17:39 via cbc.ca
  It's the latest in a string of campaigns that have targeted energy companies around the world.
  
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• Substance in coffee delays onset of diabetes in laboratory mice

  06-09-2017 16:37
  Substances in coffee have been identified that could help quash the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But few of these have been tested in animals. Now, scientists report that one of these previously untested compounds appears to improve cell function and insulin sensitivity in laboratory mice. The finding could spur the development of new drugs to treat or even prevent the disease.
  
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• New strategy for vaccinating pregnant mothers against malaria holds promise for protecting infants

  06-09-2017 16:37
  A mother and infant in Malawi have the same repertoire of antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria parasite. That suggests that boosting the mother's immune response to malaria, as via vaccination, will result in better protection for the infant.
  
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• Blindness study shows how gene causes middle-age sight loss

  06-09-2017 16:37
  Chemical changes in the eye that can lead to blindness have been identified by scientists, report investigators.
  
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• Unraveling a major cause of sea ice retreat in the Arctic Ocean

  06-09-2017 16:36
  Quantitative analysis has evidenced the acceleration system of melting ice: dark water surfaces absorb more heat than white ice surfaces, thus melting ice and making more water surfaces in the Arctic Ocean.
  
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• Quantum tech has its sights set on human biochemistry

  06-09-2017 16:36
  Scientists have developed a new tool for imaging life at the nanoscale that will provide new insights into the role of transition metal ions such as copper in neurodegenerative diseases.
  
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• Gut microbiota of larvae has an impact on mosquito's ability to transmit human pathogens

  06-09-2017 16:36
  Researchers have demonstrated that differential bacterial exposure during the development of mosquito larvae (Aedes aegypti) can have carry-over effects on adult traits related to an insect's ability to be a successful vector of arboviruses. This study represents an important step toward a more comprehensive understanding of how the environment shapes the risk of vector-borne disease.
  
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• Colon of patients with IBS reacts differently to bacteria

  06-09-2017 16:36
  The intestinal barrier of patients with the gastrointestinal disease IBS allows bacteria to pass more freely than in healthy people, according to a study. The study is the first to investigate IBS using living bacteria.
  
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• Cloud formation suppressed by biogenic organic emissions

  06-09-2017 16:36
  Evidence has been found that near-ground biogenic emissions of organics suppress cloud formation in cool-temperate forests in autumn, providing clues to how global warming will affect cloud formation and the overall climate.
  
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• Accretion-powered pulsar reveals unique timing glitch

  06-09-2017 16:36
  The discovery of the largest timing irregularity yet observed in a pulsar is the first confirmation that pulsars in binary systems exhibit the strange phenomenon known as a 'glitch.'
  
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• Will mallards hybridize their cousins out of existence?

  06-09-2017 16:35
  Mallards -- the familiar ducks of city parks -- are one of a group of closely related species, many of which are far less common. Interbreeding can threaten the genetic distinctiveness of those other species and cause concern for their conservation. A new study investigates hybridization between mallards and mottled ducks, a species adapted for life in coastal marshes, and finds that while hybridization rates are currently low, human activity could cause them to rise in the future.
  
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• Research dog helps scientists save endangered carnivores

  06-09-2017 16:35
  Scat-sniffing research dogs are helping scientists map out a plan to save reclusive jaguars, pumas, bush dogs and other endangered carnivores in the increasingly fragmented forests of northeastern Argentina, according to a new study.
  
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• Protein that extends life of yeast cells

  06-09-2017 16:35
  To understand and control aging is the aspiration of many scientists. Researchers have now discovered that the protein Gcn4 decreases protein synthesis and extends the life of yeast cells. Understanding how individual genes affect lifespan opens new ways to control the aging process and the occurrence of aging-related diseases.
  
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• Parkinson's severity assessed through drawing

  06-09-2017 16:35
  Researchers asked volunteers to draw a spiral on a sheet of paper. By analyzing how long it took them to draw the spiral and how hard they pressed on the paper with the pen, the team could not only tell which volunteers had Parkinson's disease, they could also tell how severe it was. Doctors could use the automated system in their surgery to easily diagnose the disease or keep track of the progress of existing patients.
  
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• New tool for characterizing quantum simulators

  06-09-2017 16:35
  Physicists are developing quantum simulators, to help solve problems that are beyond the reach of conventional computers. However, they first need new tools to ensure that the simulators work properly. Researchers have now implemented a new technique in the laboratory that can be used to efficiently characterize the complex states of quantum simulators. The technique could become a new standard tool for characterizing quantum simulators.
  
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• Keychain detector could catch food allergens before it's too late

  06-09-2017 16:35
  For kids and adults with food allergies, a restaurant outing can be a fraught experience. Even when care is taken, freshly prepared or packaged meals can accidentally become cross-contaminated with an offending food and trigger a reaction. Now researchers report the development of a new portable allergen-detection system -- including a keychain analyzer -- that could help prevent trips to the emergency room.
  
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• Bacteria responsible for legionellosis modulates the host cell metabolism to its advantage

  06-09-2017 16:35
  The bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila has developed a specific strategy to target the host cell mitochondria, the organelles in charge of cellular bioenergetics, scientists have shown. New work provides precious information on how a pathogen manipulates the cellular metabolism to replicate intracellularly, and proposes a new concept of protection of host cells from Legionella-induced mitochondrial changes in order to fight infection.
  
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• Two-pilot glider team sets altitude record

  06-09-2017 15:37 via bbc.co.uk
  The unique Perlan 2 glider reaches over 54,000ft in the skies above Argentina.
  
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• Ministers want 'ambitious' post-Brexit research deal

  06-09-2017 14:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Options for collaboration between research communities post-Brexit will be set out in a government paper.
  
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• The results from a slew of experiments are in: Dark matter remains elusive

  06-09-2017 14:00
  
  Scientists continue the search for particles that make up the universe’s missing matter.
  
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• Rising temperatures threaten heat-tolerant aardvarks

  06-09-2017 13:00
  
  Aardvarks may get a roundabout hit from climate change — less food.
  
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• What's Next after Creating a Cancer-Prevention Vaccine?

  06-09-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  A winner of this year’s Lasker Award talks about his work with HPV
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Arianespace aborts satellite launch seconds before lift-off

  06-09-2017 12:35
  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - European satellite launching firm Arianespace said it had called off the launch of two communications satellites seconds before lift-off on Tuesday, citing unspecified problems.
  
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• When do Canadian spies disclose the software flaws they find? There's a policy, but few details

  06-09-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  A similar process helps U.S. spies decide whether to report flaws to tech companies or keep them secret for future use.
  
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• Households 'need help to get warmer home'

  06-09-2017 08:36 via bbc.co.uk
  England’s householders get a raw deal over insulating their homes to save on energy bills, researchers say.
  
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• Meteor bursting into flames caught on camera.

  06-09-2017 07:51 via bbc.co.uk
  A home security camera caught the moment a meteor over Canada burst into flames.
  
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• Yoga and meditation improve brain function and energy levels

  06-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Waterloo) Practicing brief sessions of Hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation can significantly improve brain function and energy levels, according to a new study from the University of Waterloo.
  
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• Why US battery startups fail -- and how to fix it

  06-09-2017 06:00
  (Cambridge University Press) A new study published in MRS Energy & Sustainability investigates why so many of these American battery materials startups are failing under the current venture capital funding model.
  
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• Why many Russians have gladly agreed to online censorship

  06-09-2017 06:00
  (Ohio State University) The Russian government has persuaded many of its citizens to avoid websites and social media platforms that are critical of the government, a new study has found.
  
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• Web-based tool helps countries calculate costs for developing health capacities

  06-09-2017 06:00
  (Georgetown University Medical Center) Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Science and Security announces the launch of a free, web-based tool that allows national leaders to calculate costs of developing the capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats.
  
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• Voting vulnerability

  06-09-2017 06:00
  (Harvard University) Online attackers may be able to purchase -- for as little as a few thousand dollars -- enough personal information to potentially alter voter registration information in as many as 36 states and the District of Columbia. Dubbed 'voter identity theft,' the vulnerability could be exploited by attackers to disenfranchise many voters where voter registration information can be changed online.
  
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• UTA computer scientist earns grant to allow third-party users to tap location-based data

  06-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Gautam Das, a University of Texas at Arlington computer science and engineering professor, will use a $199,346 Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research, or EAGER, from the National Science Foundation to show that it is possible to perform data analytics with only local views.
  
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