Science news

• Hormone replacement therapy can slow decline in lung function for middle-aged women

  15-09-2017 23:05
  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can slow the decline in lung function in middle-aged women, according to new research.
  
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• Converting waste toilet paper into electricity

  15-09-2017 23:02
  Chemists have performed a techno-economic analysis of converting waste toilet paper into electricity. They propose a two-step process and calculate a cost per kWh comparable to that of residential photovoltaic installations.
  
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• A drone for last-centimeter delivery

  15-09-2017 23:01
  A new drone uses cutting-edge technology to deliver parcels weighing up to 500 grams. The device will never get stuck in traffic, it’s programmed to avoid obstacles, and it can reach destinations on steep or uneven terrain. Its protective cage and foldable design mean that it can be carried around in a backpack and used in total safety.
  
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• Light on exoplanets may be quite different from Earth: Different photosynthesis?

  15-09-2017 23:00
  Researchers have proposed a prediction that red-edge could be observed as on the Earth even on exoplanets around M-dwarfs. They pointed out that the first oxgenic photorophs are most likely to have evolved underwater to utilize visible light just like what had happened in the primordial ocean on the Earth. They examined light adaptation mechanisms of visible- and IR-radiation-using phototrophs required for adapting to land habitats and found out that IR-using phototrophs struggle to adapt to cha
  
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• Tracing the light inside a LED

  15-09-2017 22:54
  The performance of white LED's can be improved, based on better knowledge of the absorption and scattering of light inside the LED. A new method can lead to efficiency improvement and powerful design tools.
  
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• Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats

  15-09-2017 22:52
  Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behavior in cats. Based on the study, the recommended weaning age of 12 weeks should be raised by at least two weeks. Delaying weaning is an easy and cost-efficient way of improving the quality of life of cats.
  
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• Differences in aggression among people with dementia

  15-09-2017 22:50
  Physical aggression among people with dementia is not unusual. A study showed that one-third of patients with the diagnosis Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia were physically aggressive towards healthcare staff, other patients, relatives, animals and complete strangers. This manifestation of disease must be both understood and addressed in the right way.
  
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• Teens come 'jet lagged' to school: Shifting sleeping patterns at weekends

  15-09-2017 22:48
  A lack of sleep is associated with more absence and teens turn up jet lagged to school on Mondays, as shown in new research.
  
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• Innate immunity: To operate, insert dimers

  15-09-2017 22:46
  The presence of DNA in mammalian cell cytoplasm triggers an immune response by binding to a dimeric enzyme, which inserts between DNA double helices to form the “rungs” of a ladder-like structure, as an LMU team has now shown.
  
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• Secrets of Bonsai: Uncovering the mechanism of root regeneration

  15-09-2017 22:38
  The molecular mechanism behind root regeneration after root cutting in plants has been discovered. A finding which could lead to the development of new methods for regulating plant growth in agriculture and horticulture.
  
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• Ultrafast snapshots of relaxing electrons in solids

  15-09-2017 22:37
  A team of scientists has been able to capture the dynamics of core-excitons in solids in real-time.
  
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• Black Sea water temperatures may buck global trend

  15-09-2017 22:29
  Scientists have successfully simulated the Black Sea’s long term currents, salt water content and temperature for the first time.
  
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• Ancient amphibian had mouthful of teeth ready to grab you

  15-09-2017 21:58
  The idea of being bitten by a nearly toothless modern frog or salamander sounds laughable, but their ancient ancestors had a full array of teeth, large fangs and thousands of tiny hook-like structures called denticles on the roofs of their mouths that would snare prey, according to paleontologists.
  
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• Cassini spacecraft ends 13-year odyssey with fiery plunge into Saturn

  15-09-2017 21:54
  (Reuters) - The U.S. space agency NASA received a final signal from its Cassini spacecraft on Friday as it ended a groundbreaking, 13-year Saturn mission with a meteor-like plunge into the ringed planet's atmosphere.
  
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• Toronto to Montreal in 39 minutes? Futuristic people mover zips to next stage

  15-09-2017 20:53 via cbc.ca
  A futuristic tube system that would sling passengers from Toronto to Montreal via Ottawa in 39 minutes has been chosen as the strongest Canadian contender to put what is for now a technological theory into practice.
  
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• Memory decline after head injury may be prevented by slowing brain cell growth

  15-09-2017 20:42
  Scientists say a new study indicates that the excessive burst of new brain cells after a traumatic head injury that researchers have traditionally believed helped in recovery could instead lead to epileptic seizures and long-term cognitive decline.
  
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• Why we did not evolve to live forever: Unveiling the mystery of why we age

  15-09-2017 20:41
  Researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding the origin of the ageing process. They have identified that genes belonging to a process called autophagy -- one of the cells most critical survival processes -- promote health and fitness in young worms but drive the process of ageing later in life.
  
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• The body's own fat-metabolism protects against the harmful effects of sugar

  15-09-2017 20:41
  Researchers have discovered that the fat-metabolism in the cells takes place simultaneously with a detoxification of the harmful substances from the blood sugar, which can avert the damage that can in turn lead to age-related diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer. This indicates that we have a detoxification system which we were not previously aware of.
  
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• Scientists question study about plastic-eating caterpillars

  15-09-2017 20:41
  Do the larvae of the wax moth really solve the world's plastic problem? Sensational report of biochemical degradation of polyethylene by caterpillars not confirmed.
  
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• Quality initiatives can reduce harm to newborns, shorten hospital stay and save millions

  15-09-2017 20:41
  A quality-improvement initiative at a neonatal intensive care unit finds that chest X-rays can be performed just twice weekly, lessening the chances of a breathing tube popping out accidentally, reducing infants' exposure to radiation and saving an estimated $1.6 million per year.
  
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• New organelled discovered in parasitic wasp venom

  15-09-2017 20:41
  Biologists have identified the composition of 'virus-like particles' (VLPs) found in the venom of a wasp that is a parasite of fruit flies. Invisible to the eye, wasp VLPs suppress the flies' immune responses by killing their blood cells.
  
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• 'Exciting' discovery on path to develop new type of vaccine to treat global viruses

  15-09-2017 20:41
  Scientists have made a significant discovery in efforts to develop a vaccine against Zika, dengue and Hepatitis C viruses that affect millions of people around the world.
  
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• Decreased glucose metabolism in medial prefrontal areas is associated with nutritional status in patients with prodromal and early Alzheimer's disease

  15-09-2017 20:41
  A new study shows that hypometabolism in the medial prefrontal areas is specifically associated with Alzheimer's disease-related nutritional problems, and decrease in fat mass may have a key role.
  
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• Tiny ‘supraballs’ put a new spin on creating long-lasting color

  15-09-2017 20:08
  
  Nano-sized balls of melanin and silica generate durable colors.
  
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• 'Long live Cassini': Nasa scientists say farewell

  15-09-2017 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  The chief scientists who worked on the spacecraft react after it plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere.
  
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• Facebook launches artificial intelligence research lab in Montreal

  15-09-2017 18:07 via cbc.ca
  The social media giant says it will be headed by Joelle Pineau of McGill University's computer science department.
  
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• Animal goo inspires better glue

  15-09-2017 18:00
  
  Researchers are turning to nature to create adhesives that work in the wet environment of the human body.
  
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• Arctic sea ice once again shows considerable melting

  15-09-2017 16:36
  This September, the extent of Arctic sea ice shrank to roughly 4.7 million square kilometres, scientists have determined.
  
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• Discovery can pave the way for more effective cholesterol medicine

  15-09-2017 16:35
  Research sheds new light on how the body converts the bad kind of cholesterol. The discovery could lead to new and potentially more effective medicine.
  
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• Chemotherapy pain could be eased by jetlag drug, study suggests

  15-09-2017 16:35
  Painful side effects from cancer medicines could be tackled with a drug that eases the effects of jetlag, research suggests.
  
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• Celebrity fossil reveals all for science

  15-09-2017 16:35
  With the help of an artist, a geology professor has figuratively speaking breathed life into one of science's most well-known fossil species; Agnostus pisiformis. The trilobite-like arthropod lived in huge numbers in Scandinavia a half-billion years ago. Today, this extinct species provides important clues for science in several ways.
  
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• Humans no longer have ancient defense mechanism against viruses

  15-09-2017 15:53
  Insects and plants have an important ancient defense mechanism that helps them to fight viruses. This is encoded in their DNA. Scientists have long assumed that vertebrates -- including humans -- also had this same mechanism. But researchers have found that vertebrates lost this particular asset in the course of their evolution.
  
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• Regions with stricter firearm laws experience fewer pediatric gun-related injuries

  15-09-2017 15:52
  Regions of the United States with stronger firearm legislation had lower rates of Emergency Department visits for pediatric firearm-related injuries, according to a new study.
  
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• Need for epinephrine in schools -- and staff trained to administer it

  15-09-2017 15:52
  With school nurses often covering multiple buildings, researchers find that nearly one in five students who experience severe allergic reactions are given potentially life-saving epinephrine injections from unlicensed staff or students.
  
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• Life-saving post-ER suicide prevention strategies are cost effective

  15-09-2017 15:52
  Three interventions designed for follow up of patients who are identified with suicide risk in hospital emergency departments save lives and are cost effective relative to usual care. A study has modeled the use of the approaches in emergency departments and found that all three interventions compare favorably with a standard benchmark of cost-effectiveness used in evaluating healthcare costs.
  
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• Injuries caused by firearms differ in rural or urban settings

  15-09-2017 15:52
  Researchers examining pediatric firearm injuries found that the age a child is injured by a gun is closely related to where he or she lives: the city or the country.
  
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• Golf carts causing serious injuries to children

  15-09-2017 15:52
  As golf carts become increasingly popular in communities beyond the fairway, new research shows, a significant number of children are being seriously injured while using them.
  
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• Girl soccer players who give up other sports may feel more stressed, less rested

  15-09-2017 15:52
  New research has found sport specialization was associated with significantly worse mood, stress, fatigue, soreness, and sleep quality among female youth soccer players, even after controlling for factors such as age and hours spent training.
  
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• Girl soccer players five times more likely than boys to return to play same day after concussion

  15-09-2017 15:52
  A new study found girls were significantly more likely than boys to return to play the same day following a soccer-related concussion, placing them at risk for more significant injury. More than half of girls in the study resumed playing in a game or practice the same day as their injury, compared to just 17 percent of boys.
  
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• Common surgeries may serve as pathway to nonmedical opioid use in adolescents

  15-09-2017 15:52
  Results of study, the first known to suggest long-term opioid use after surgery may be a significant problem for teens and young adults, shows youth patients commonly fill post-surgical painkiller prescriptions for months beyond typical recovery times.
  
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• Carbohydrates may be the key to a better malaria vaccine

  15-09-2017 15:52
  An international research team has shown for the first time that carbohydrates on the surface of malaria parasites play a critical role in malaria's ability to infect mosquito and human hosts. The discovery also suggests steps that may improve the only malaria vaccine approved to protect people against Plasmodium falciparum malaria -- the most deadly form of the disease.
  
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• Dreams help cement emotional memories, rat study suggests

  15-09-2017 15:27 via cbc.ca
  New research on how rats’ sleep is affected by an unpleasant experience is helping us understand the link between dreaming and our emotions, CBC Radio science columnist Torah Kachur reports.
  
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• Federal researchers lose pricey new submersible on first deployment

  15-09-2017 15:14 via cbc.ca
  Researchers with the Fisheries and Oceans Canada are hoping their fancy new oceanic surveying tool reappears, but there's been no sign of the submersible glider since July 28.
  
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• R.I.P. Cassini

  15-09-2017 15:08
  
  After 20 years, nearly 300 orbits and pioneering discoveries, the Cassini spacecraft plunges to its death in Saturn’s atmosphere — taking data until its very last breath.
  
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• Cassini: Probe incinerates on entry to Saturn

  15-09-2017 13:57 via bbc.co.uk
  The US-led Cassini space probe reaches a spectacular climax, burning up in Saturn's atmosphere.
  
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• Terry Fox then and now: How new technology would have changed his run

  15-09-2017 13:39 via cbc.ca
  An orthotics and prosthetics technician on P.E.I. has created a replica of the artificial leg Terry Fox ran on in 1980, and is displaying it next to a modern prosthetic.
  
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• Trump Order Resurfaces Debate about "Militarizing" Police

  15-09-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The White House lifted Obama’s ban on gear like tracked vehicles and grenade launchers, imposed after harsh police response to Ferguson protests
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Grassland birds hurting worse than any other wildlife on Prairies, WWF finds

  15-09-2017 12:00 via cbc.ca
  The alarming message is similar to past reports, but the data strikes a more dire tone: hundreds of wildlife species are tanking nationwide, and grassland birds including burrowing owls are disappearing faster than any other group on the Prairies.
  
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• Got a bird feeder? If you live east of Ontario, put it away to save the birds

  15-09-2017 11:30 via cbc.ca
  The head of Nova Scotia's Bird Society says the public saved countless birds in Eastern Canada this summer by putting away bird feeders, but it's still too early to put them back up.
  
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• NASA killed Cassini to avoid contaminating Saturn's moons

  15-09-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  The world said goodbye this morning to NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which has been in orbit around Saturn for 13 years. Why did scientists crash it?
  
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