Science news

• Sugars in breast milk may fight harmful bacteria directly

  08-09-2017 22:30
  
  A small study finds that the sugars present in some women’s breast milk may fight potentially harmful bacteria.
  
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• Why the Giant Mexican Earthquake Happened

  08-09-2017 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Thursday night's quake, near an undersea crust collision zone, was the strongest to hit Mexico in a century
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• Spectacular display of northern lights illuminates sky

  08-09-2017 18:55 via cbc.ca
  As forecast, the northern lights danced across the sky Thursday night, and many were able to catch the show.
  
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• Equifax security breach could see thieves getting credit in names of victims

  08-09-2017 17:59 via cbc.ca
  The massive cyber security breach unveiled by Equifax that saw the personal data of millions of people taken will mean some 'very unfortunate' stories to come, says a Canadian technology executive.
  
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• Equifax breach provokes frustration for Canadians

  08-09-2017 17:59 via cbc.ca
  Canadians who have accounts with Equifax Canada are expressing frustration after the firm's U.S. parent unveiled a cybersecurity breach that exposed the information of millions of people.
  
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• Why researchers are nuts for Yukon's 'squirrel camp'

  08-09-2017 15:00 via cbc.ca
  It's a small but renowned field camp at the foot of the St. Elias mountains, and it's been there for more than 30 years. 'I think we're up to over 400 people that have been 'squirrellers', or technicians, on the project. It's a lot of people.'
  
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• Researchers are nuts for Yukon's 'squirrel camp'

  08-09-2017 15:00 via cbc.ca
  It's a small but renowned field camp at the foot of the St. Elias mountains, and it's been there for more than 30 years. 'I think we're up to over 400 people that have been 'squirrellers', or technicians, on the project. It's a lot of people.'
  
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• Air pollution takes a toll on solar energy

  08-09-2017 15:00
  
  Dust and other tiny air pollutants can reduce solar energy output by as much as 25 percent in parts of the world.
  
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• Spectacular Northern Light display illuminates Finnish sky

  08-09-2017 14:32
  (Reuters) - Green, purple, pink and yellow lights danced across the sky in striking aurora displays over northern Finland early on Friday.
  
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• Unknown species may thrive in Antarctic caves

  08-09-2017 14:14 via bbc.co.uk
  Animals and plants may be living in warm caves under Antarctica's ice, according to a study.
  
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• Debates on whether science is broken don’t fit in tweets

  08-09-2017 13:00
  
  Amid debates over whether science is broken, many experts are proposing repairs.
  
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• What Old-Fashioned Weather Balloons Foretell about Irma's Track

  08-09-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Forecasters depend on satellites and flights to track hurricanes—but balloons add crucial precision  
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• A P.E.I. company aims to make body piercings safer

  08-09-2017 12:00 via cbc.ca
  A P.E.I. company is trying to make body piercings safer, and reduce the risk of infection.
  
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• Canadian agencies discuss US 'cloud' storage of sensitive data with Microsoft

  08-09-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Federal policy forbids the storage of sensitive government data on U.S. servers, to protect it from disclosure under the USA Patriot Act. But CBC News has obtained a document outlining federal discussions with Microsoft about using American `cloud` services with encryption to store and process highly confidential data.
  
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• UC3M leads European project for electronic document exchange

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) Researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) are leading the development of six new nodes of access and connection between public and private entities through the implementation of DSI technology (Digital Service Infrastructure). This initiative, which is being developed within the framework of the European research project MADE, aims to contribute to the creation of a single EU space suitable for the digital era.
  
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• UA-invented sunscreen protects skin without seeping in

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Arizona College of Engineering) The University of Arizona has licensed a non-penetrating sunscreen invented by its researchers to a major aloe verde supplier. The sunscreen will appeal to consumers concerned about chemicals exposure.
  
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• U of U Health and Janssen Research & Development investigate genetics of suicide

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Utah Health) Researchers at the University of Utah Health are collaborating with Janssen Research & Development, LLC to identify genetic variations associated with an increased risk for suicide.
  
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• Team led by graduate student at PPPL produces unique simulation of magnetic reconnection

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory) There is a new application of the fluid model to reconnection in space plasmas.
  
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• Scientist finds secret to thriving

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Portsmouth) What it takes to thrive, rather than merely survive, could be as simple as feeling good about life and yourself and being good at something, according to new research.
  
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• Satellites show Hurricane Katia crawling to the Mexico coast

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Two days of satellite imagery from NASA's Terra and NOAA's GOES East satellites showed that Hurricane Katia was starting to crawl to the coast of southeastern Mexico.
  
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• Powerful prediction: Finding a better way to forecast hurricane strength

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Office of Naval Research) As Hurricane Irma approaches US shores, researchers sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) are using air-dropped autonomous sensors to compile real-time ocean observations to help forecasters predict the strength of future tropical storms.
  
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• Patients feel psycho-social impact of chemo more acutely than physical side effects

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (European Society for Medical Oncology) The preliminary results of a study to be presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid show that socio-psychological factors have become more significant for patients today than physical side effects such as nausea and vomiting, which were among the top concerns in similar studies carried out previously.
  
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• NUS scientists unravel new insights into promising semiconductor material

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (National University of Singapore) Researchers from the National University of Singapore have established new findings on the properties of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide, a widely studied semiconductor of the future.
  
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• NJII, Maser Consulting employ drones for video inspections of Hurricane Harvey aftermath

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) Defense and Homeland Security Innovation Lab is working with Maser Consulting P.A. in conducting Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) video inspection of cell towers in Houston, Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
  
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• New software can detect when people text and drive

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Waterloo) Computer algorithms developed by engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo can accurately determine when drivers are texting or engaged in other distracting activities.
  
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• NASA's fleet of satellites covering powerful Hurricane Irma

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's fleet of satellites have been continually providing forecasters with data on Hurricane Irma. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a look at the wide-eye of Irma and if you think about the area of maximum sustained winds around the eye, it's similar to a wide F2 tornado.
  
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• NASA gets 'eyed' by major Hurricane Jose

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Aqua satellite captured clear view of the eye of Hurricane Jose at it moved toward the Leeward Islands and strengthened into a Category 4 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Aqua also analyzed the storm in infrared light showing powerful storms around the center, capable of heavy rainfall.
  
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• NASA flights map summer melt of Greenland Ice Sheet

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Operation IceBridge is flying in Greenland to measure how much ice has melted over the course of the summer from the ice sheet. The flights, which began on Aug. 25 and will go on until Sept. 21, repeat paths flown this spring and aim to monitor seasonal changes in the elevation of the ice sheet.
  
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• NASA awards new cooperative agreement to W. M. Keck Observatory

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (W. M. Keck Observatory) NASA renews Cooperative Agreement with W. M. Keck Observatory. Five-year strategic collaboration poised to deliver high-impact science data in exoplanet, dark energy, and solar system missions.
  
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• Medicaid expansion linked to lower uninsured rates

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (American Cancer Society) After full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the percent of uninsured decreased substantially in Medicaid expansion states among low-income nonelderly adults with newly diagnosed cancer.
  
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• How to draw electricity from the bloodstream

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Wiley) Men build dams and huge turbines to turn the energy of waterfalls and tides into electricity. To produce hydropower on a much smaller scale, Chinese scientists have now developed a lightweight power generator based on carbon nanotube fibers suitable to convert even the energy of flowing blood in blood vessels into electricity. They describe their innovation in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
  
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• High-speed quantum memory for photons

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Basel) Physicists from the University of Basel have developed a memory that can store photons. These quantum particles travel at the speed of light and are thus suitable for high-speed data transfer. The researchers were able to store them in an atomic vapor and read them out again later without altering their quantum mechanical properties too much. This memory technology is simple and fast and it could find application in a future quantum Internet. The journal Physical Review Let
  
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• Eye changes may signal frontotemporal lobe degeneration

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that is present in tens of thousands of Americans, but is often difficult to diagnose accurately. Now in a study published this week online ahead of print in Neurology, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found evidence that a simple eye exam and retinal imaging test may help improve that accuracy.
  
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• Elizabeth Blackburn, Salk Institute's first female president, honored by TIME

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Salk Institute) TIME's FIRSTS project celebrates "women who broke ground in their fields" and "played pioneers in history"
  
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• Do we need to reform international drug treaties as more countries legalize cannabis?

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Society for the Study of Addiction) The future of international drug control treaties is in doubt because of recent treaty-violating decisions to legalize cannabis use in Canada, the United States and Uruguay.Professor Wayne Hall, whose 2014 review of 20 years of cannabis research made world headlines, thinks so. If decriminalization is the way of the future, Hall advocates a cautious approach to policy reform that would involve trialing and evaluating the effects of incrementally more liberal
  
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• CCNY engineering professor Michel Ghosn wins international award

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (City College of New York) Michel Ghosn, a civil engineering professor in the City College of New York's Grove School of Engineering, is the winner of the 2017 IASSAR Research Award. The award is presented every four years by the International Association on Structural Safety and Reliability at its quadrennial meeting.
  
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• Are we being watched? Tens of other worlds could spot the Earth

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Royal Astronomical Society) A group of scientists from Queen's University Belfast and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany have turned exoplanet-hunting on its head, in a study that instead looks at how an alien observer might be able to detect Earth using our own methods. They find that at least nine exoplanets are ideally placed to observe transits of Earth, in a new work published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
  
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• Animal welfare: Potential new indicator of chronic stress in horses

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (CNRS) Cortisol is generally considered to be a stress hormone because its levels rise during episodes of acute stress. Yet its relationship to chronic stress is less clear. Researchers from the CNRS, Inserm, the universities of Rennes 1 and Caen, in collaboration with the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, have linked lower cortisol levels to states of chronically poor welfare in adult horses observed under their usual living conditions.
  
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• An officer and a gentlewoman from the Viking army in Birka

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (Stockholm University) War was not an activity exclusive to males in the Viking world. A new study conducted by researchers at Stockholm and Uppsala universities shows that women could be found in the higher ranks at the battlefield.
  
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• A sweeter way to make green products

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Delaware) University of Delaware researchers have invented a more efficient process for extracting the sugars from wood chips, corn cobs and other organic waste from forests and farms. This biorenewable feedstock could serve as a cheaper, sustainable substitute for the petroleum used in manufacturing tons of consumer goods annually -- goods that consumers want to be greener.
  
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• A-MUD: A method for automatically detecting mouse song

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna) Mice produce a remarkable repertoire of vocalizations across five octaves, which they emit during mating and other contexts. Analyses of mice song can provide important information about their social behavior and for research into neuropsychiatric disorders. But their songs are in the ultrasonic range and inaudible for humans. Researchers at Vetmeduni Vienna and the Acoustics Research Institute now developed a freely available method to automatically
  
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• 2017 Science in Society Awards winners announced

  08-09-2017 06:00
  (National Association of Science Writers) We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Science in Society Journalism Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers. Winners in each category receive a cash prize of $2,500, to be awarded at a reception on Oct. 26, 2017, at the World Conference of Science Journalists taking place this year in San Francisco.
  
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• 2 bull elk in Banff put down after charging incidents

  08-09-2017 03:17 via cbc.ca
  Parks Canada says two bull elk in Banff National Park have been killed after they posed a threat to visitors in the townsite.
  
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• Bats 'tricked' into flying into buildings

  08-09-2017 02:25 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists warn of potential hazards from modern structures with large expanses of glass or mirrors.
  
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• Pluto’s pits, ridges and famous plain get official names

  08-09-2017 00:05
  
  From Adlivun to Voyager, the International Astronomical Union officially names 14 surface features on the dwarf planet.
  
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• Canada's largest radio telescope unveiled in British Columbia

  08-09-2017 00:01 via cbc.ca
  A new radio telescope that could help unravel the secrets of the universe was unveiled today in Penticton, B.C.
  
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