Science news

• Twitter to test 280-character tweets, busting old limit

  26-09-2017 23:23 via cbc.ca
  Twitter says it will begin a test with a random sample of users allowing them to send tweets that are as long as 280 characters, double the existing cap.
  
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• Mona Nemer, heart researcher, appointed Canada's new chief scientist

  26-09-2017 23:08 via cbc.ca
  ​Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has selected Ottawa heart researcher Mona Nemer to be the country's top scientist.
  
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• To test sleep, researchers don’t let sleeping jellyfish lie

  26-09-2017 22:52
  
  Upside-down jellyfish are the first known animals without a brain to enter a sleeplike state.
  
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• Cancerous toxins linked to cannabis extract

  26-09-2017 22:23
  Researchers have found benzene and other potentially cancer-causing chemicals in the vapor produced by butane hash oil, a cannabis extract.
  
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• In plain sight: Researchers compare the performance of human subjects versus deep neural networks in visual searches

  26-09-2017 22:18
  Researchers have compared the performance of human subjects versus deep neural networks in visual searches.
  
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• Canadian teens hunt subatomic particles at CERN after winning global contest

  26-09-2017 21:37 via cbc.ca
  A group of teenaged students from Cambridge, Ont., are hunting for new subatomic particles at the home of the world's largest atom smasher this week. They hope to turn up what particle physics PhDs have been unable find after decades of searching.
  
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• Researchers identify possible biomarker for diagnosing CTE during life

  26-09-2017 20:36
  A new biomarker (CCL11) for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been discovered that may allow the disease to be diagnosed during life for the first time. The findings might also help distinguish CTE from Alzheimer's disease, which often presents with symptoms similar to CTE and also can only be diagnosed post-mortem. The ability to diagnose CTE in living individuals will allow for research into prevention and treatment of the disease.
  
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• Tim-3 signaling in peripheral NK cells promotes maternal-fetal immune tolerance and alleviates pregnancy loss

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Pregnancy loss occurs in about 15% of clinically recognized pregnancies, and defective maternal-fetal immune tolerance contributes to more than 50% of these events. We found that signaling by the type I membrane protein T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-containing protein 3 (Tim-3) in natural killer (NK) cells had an essential protective role during early pregnancy. Tim-3 on peripheral NK (pNK) cells was transiently increased in abundance during the first trimester of pregnancy, which depended on
  
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• Protecting cognition from antipsychotics

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Inhibiting a mechanism that mediates cognitive deficits caused by antipsychotic drugs may improve clinical outcomes for schizophrenia patients.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (408)

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe new therapeutic strategies for cancer, lung inflammation, and graft-versus-host disease.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 357 (6357)

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles identify a mutation in the acetylcholine receptor that protects poison frogs from the neurotoxin that they produce; explain a key difference between neurons from Parkinson’s patients and those from mouse models of the disease; and review the intermolecular interactions that drive the formation of membraneless intracellular compartments.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 549 (7672)

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight the role of AMPA receptor diffusion in long-term potentiation; a mutation in an embryonic cell lineage that leads to adult neurodegeneration; the structural basis of cGAS activation; a posttranslational modification of the melanocortin-1 receptor that protects against melanoma; and factors from maternal cells that determine whether daughter cells will proliferate.
  
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• Evaluation of the selectivity and sensitivity of isoform- and mutation-specific RAS antibodies

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  There is intense interest in developing therapeutic strategies for RAS proteins, the most frequently mutated oncoprotein family in cancer. Development of effective anti-RAS therapies will be aided by the greater appreciation of RAS isoform–specific differences in signaling events that support neoplastic cell growth. However, critical issues that require resolution to facilitate the success of these efforts remain. In particular, the use of well-validated anti-RAS antibodies is essential fo
  
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• Dimerization of the adaptor Gads facilitates antigen receptor signaling by promoting the cooperative binding of Gads to the adaptor LAT

  26-09-2017 19:54 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The accurate assembly of signalosomes centered on the adaptor protein LAT (linker of activated T cells) is required for antigen receptor signaling in T cells and mast cells. During signalosome assembly, members of the growth factor receptor–bound protein 2 (Grb2) family of cytosolic adaptor proteins bind cooperatively to LAT through interactions with its phosphorylated tyrosine (pTyr) residues. We demonstrated the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain–mediated dimerization of the Grb2 family m
  
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• Near-Earth asteroid CubeSat goes full sail

  26-09-2017 19:39
  NASA's Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, a small satellite the size of a shoebox, designed to study asteroids close to Earth, recently performed a full-scale solar sail deployment test. The test was performed in an indoor clean room to ensure the deployment mechanism's functionality after recent environmental testing.
  
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• Dyson plans to make electric vehicles by 2020

  26-09-2017 19:39 via cbc.ca
  British vacuum and consumer goods giant Dyson says it plans to release a fully electric vehicle by 2020.
  
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• Innovative control system paves the way for large scale universal quantum computing

  26-09-2017 19:30
  Future quantum computers promise exponential scaling in computing power with linearly increasing number of qubits. However, harnessing this power is challenging due to the complexity of controlling a large number of qubits simultaneously. A solution to this problem has now been engineered.
  
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• Some marine species more vulnerable to climate change than others

  26-09-2017 18:51
  Certain marine species will fare much worse than others as they become more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, a new study has found.
  
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• Scientists unlock mysteries of how Ebola uses people's immune defenses to cause infection

  26-09-2017 18:51
  Scientists have gained new insight into how the Ebola virus uses the body's natural defenses to speed the rate of infection and unleash its lethal disease, according to a new report.
  
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• Potential Zika vaccine protects against pregnancy transmission and testicular damage

  26-09-2017 18:51
  For the first time, a research team led has shown that a potential Zika vaccine quickly can protect fetuses against infection as well as protect males against testicular infection and injury. It also prevents a lowered sperm count after one vaccination.
  
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• Energy harvested from evaporation could power much of US

  26-09-2017 18:51
  In the first evaluation of evaporation as a renewable energy source, researchers find that US lakes and reservoirs could generate 325 gigawatts of power, nearly 70 percent of what the United States currently produces.
  
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• Antibiotics warranted for kids with minor staph infections

  26-09-2017 18:51
  The overuse of antibiotics has left some doctors questioning whether to give such drugs to children diagnosed with uncomplicated Staphylococcus aureus (staph) infections. Now, research indicates that prescribing antibiotics -- in addition to lancing and draining staph-infected areas -- reduces the risk of recurrent infections.
  
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• Amount of water in stem cells can determine its fate as fat or bone

  26-09-2017 18:51
  Adding or removing water from a stem cell can change the destiny of the cell to either pre-fat cells or pre-bone cells, researchers have discovered in a new study.
  
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• UK's first subsidy-free solar opened in Bedfordshire

  26-09-2017 18:43 via bbc.co.uk
  The solar farm will generate enough electricity for about 2,500 homes, its backers said.
  
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• Turning up the heat on electrons reveals an elusive physics phenomenon

  26-09-2017 18:00
  
  Heating a strip of platinum creates a “spin current” in the material’s electrons due to the spin Nernst effect.
  
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• Warm Northwest waters draw spawning fish north

  26-09-2017 17:59
  Unusually warm ocean conditions off the Pacific Northwest in the last few years led anchovies, sardines and hake to begin spawning in Northwest waters much earlier in the year and, for anchovy, longer than biologists have ever recorded before, new research has found.
  
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• Two Caribbean bird-catcher trees named after two women with overlooked botanical works

  26-09-2017 17:59
  Known for their biodiversity richness, the Caribbean Islands are now adding two new species of bird-catcher trees to their list of botanical treasures. The new species were named after two women who self-engaged for decades on educational projects in botany, but whose remarkable work was never properly made known and accredited.
  
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• Injection alternative: Model predicts performance of glucose-responsive insulin

  26-09-2017 17:59
  Researchers have created a computer model that can predict how glucose-responsive insulin will affect patients' blood sugar based on chemical traits such as how quickly it becomes activated in the presence of glucose. This could help scientists design insulin that lingers in a patient's bloodstream and becomes active only when needed, such as right after a meal.
  
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• Medical research may slow with U.S. immigration restrictions

  26-09-2017 17:44 via cbc.ca
  Without foreign medical graduates, the quality of care and research may suffer, some U.S. doctors argue.
  
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• New model confirms endangered right whales are declining

  26-09-2017 17:36 via cbc.ca
  Researchers with the U.S. government and the New England Aquarium have developed a new model they say will provide better estimates about the North Atlantic right whale population — and the news isn't good.
  
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• One in 5 teens report having had a concussion in their lifetime

  26-09-2017 17:20
  A new study confirms what many hospital emergency rooms nationwide are seeing: teens playing contact sports suffer from concussions.
  
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• Does your back feel stiff? Well, it may not actually be stiff, study finds

  26-09-2017 17:20
  The feeling of stiffness in your back may mean something else is going, warns a new report.
  
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• Biochemists discover mechanism that helps flu viruses evolve

  26-09-2017 17:20
  Flu viruses' rapid evolution relies in part on hijacking some of the cellular machinery of the infected host cell -- a group of proteins called chaperones, which help other proteins fold into the correct shape. When viruses are unable to get help from these proteins, they do not evolve as rapidly, research shows.
  
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• About 1 in 5 teens has had a concussion

  26-09-2017 17:00
  
  Almost 20 percent of U.S. teens have had at least one diagnosed concussion in the past, an analysis of a 2016 national survey finds.
  
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• Wearable solar thermoelectric generator created

  26-09-2017 16:55
  Engineers have introduced a new advanced energy harvesting system, capable of generating electricity by simply being attached to clothes, windows, and outer walls of a building.
  
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• Researchers identify novel way to target Ebola

  26-09-2017 16:55
  Researchers have identified a potential new way to attack Ebola. Scientists have discovered that a protein called Tim-1 (T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 1) plays a key role in the development of the cytokine storm seen in the last stages of Ebola infection.
  
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• Predatory bacteria found in study of cystic fibrosis patients' lung microbiome

  26-09-2017 16:55
  Cystic fibrosis patients have a wide variety of bacteria in their lungs, including two 'predators' not detected before, according to a new study.
  
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• Lactation hormone also helps a mother's brain

  26-09-2017 16:55
  The same hormone that stimulates milk production for lactation, also acts in a particular part of the brain to help establish the nurturing link between mother and baby, researchers have revealed.
  
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• The drying of peatlands is reducing bird diversity

  26-09-2017 16:54
  The populations of peatland birds in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia and Latvia have decreased by a third during the past three decades, a recent international study indicates. The situation in Finland is the most dire, and the species in most trouble is the Finnish ruff, as the population has fallen to approximately 3 percent of what it was at the beginning of the study period.
  
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• Preschool teachers need better training in science

  26-09-2017 16:54
  Preschool instructors appear to lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to effectively teach their young students science -- a problem that is likely contributing to America's poor global performance in this crucially important subject.
  
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• Nerves control the body's bacterial community

  26-09-2017 16:54
  Using the freshwater polyp Hydra as a model organism, researchers have investigated how the simple nervous system of these animals interacts with the microbiome. They were able to demonstrate, for the first time, that small molecules secreted by nerve cells help to regulate the composition and colonization of specific types of beneficial bacteria along the Hydra's body column.
  
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• 'Hypermutators' drive pathogenic fungi to evolve more rapidly

  26-09-2017 16:54
  For nearly two decades, a rare but potentially deadly fungus called Cryptococcus deuterogattii has gained a foothold in the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Island. Researchers recently showed that lineages of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus deuterogattii house a specific mutation in their DNA that increases their mutation rate. These hypermutators, as they are called, rapidly develop resistance to the antifungal drugs FK506 and rapamycin.
  
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• Chronic wasting disease

  26-09-2017 16:54
  New research summarizes the efforts in disease surveillance and risk management of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and shows that past management strategies such as selective culling, herd reduction, and hunter surveillance have had only limited effectiveness. The summary points towards new advice for optimal, cost-effective strategies in aggressive disease control.
  
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• Why plastic straws could disappear from a pub near you

  26-09-2017 15:26 via bbc.co.uk
  As pub chain Wetherspoons phases out plastic straws for waste reasons, is it time we scrapped them?
  
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• Cartography of the Cosmos

  26-09-2017 15:16
  There are hundreds of billions of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy, interspersed with all manner of matter, from the dark to the sublime. This is the universe that one group of researchers is trying to reconstruct, structure by structure, combining telescope surveys with next-generation data analysis and simulation techniques currently being primed for exascale computing.
  
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• The motor protein dancing in all our cells

  26-09-2017 15:14
  Biologists have invented optical tweezers to follow the motions of molecular machines measured in nanometers.
  
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• Milk-alternative drinks do not replace the iodine in cows' milk

  26-09-2017 15:14
  Consumers of milk-alternative drinks may be at of risk iodine deficiency, according to the findings of a new study.
  
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• Higher risk of heart failure in cold weather

  26-09-2017 15:14
  Could decreases in temperature cause heart failure and death?
  
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• Agent Orange still linked to hormone imbalances in babies in Vietnam

  26-09-2017 15:14
  Could herbicides that were sprayed during the Vietnam War still be causing health problems?
  
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• New ‘bioactive’ glass puts minerals back into damaged teeth

  26-09-2017 15:12
  Dental researchers have now developed a very fast dissolving ‘bioactive’ glass which they are putting in toothpaste to repair decayed teeth.
  
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