Science news

• Babbling with your baby just got scientific

  13-10-2017 23:15 via cbc.ca
  Baby talk likely helps a baby learn language. All those coos and googoo gaagaas also involve a change in voice fingerprint called a timbre that science is just starting to investigate in a new study published in the journal Current Biology.
  
  Read more

• Floating bin sucking up Portsmouth Harbour's rubbish

  13-10-2017 22:38 via bbc.co.uk
  The ‘Seabin’ can collect the equivalent of around 83,000 plastic bags a year.
  
  Read more

• Feds tell European Space Agency it's unhappy with plan to drop rocket in Arctic waters

  13-10-2017 20:12 via cbc.ca
  The federal government has told the European Space Agency it's unhappy about plans to launch an environmental satellite on Friday that would drop a rocket stage likely containing toxic fuel in the sensitive waters of the Canadian Arctic.
  
  Read more

• Solar research: NASA sounding rocket instrument spots signatures of long-sought small solar flares

  13-10-2017 20:03
  Like most solar sounding rockets, the second flight of the FOXSI instrument -- short for Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager -- lasted 15 minutes, with just six minutes of data collection. But in that short time, the cutting-edge instrument found the best evidence to date of a phenomenon scientists have been seeking for years: signatures of tiny solar flares that could help explain the mysterious extreme heating of the Sun's outer atmosphere.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• When the Larsen C ice shelf broke, it exposed a hidden world

  13-10-2017 19:33
  
  Scientists plan urgent missions to visit the world the Larsen C iceberg left behind.
  
  Read more

• Lab-grown diamonds touted as ethical alternative

  13-10-2017 19:24 via cbc.ca
  The lab-grown diamond industry is growing as millennials seek out eco-friendly, conflict-free alternatives to mined diamonds, industry insiders say.
  
  Read more

• 'Roadmap' to aid osteoporosis treatment development

  13-10-2017 19:22
  Scientists have developed a molecular model that may provide a new framework for improving the design of osteoporosis treatments.
  
  Read more

• Importance of studying sleep and eating in tandem

  13-10-2017 19:22
  A new study offers important insights into possible links between sleep and hunger.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Gutters teem with inconspicuous life

  13-10-2017 19:22
  Scientists have shown that Parisian street gutters are oases of microscopic life, home to microalgae, fungi, sponges, and mollusks. Grouped into communities, these microorganisms may help clean rainwater and urban waste by decomposing solid debris and pollutants. A deeper understanding of the role and composition of these communities could help elucidate the services rendered by gutter ecosystems. The researchers' findings are the first to reveal the unsuspected biodiversity of microscopic life
  
  Read more

• Genetic clues to spinal stenosis

  13-10-2017 19:21
  A new study indicates that certain genetic changes are linked with an increased risk of developing lumbar spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the open spaces in the lower spine that can lead to pain in the legs when individuals walk.
  
  Read more

• Surgeries performed later in the day have more complications

  13-10-2017 18:32
  A new study finds that patients who undergo a neurosurgical procedure with surgical start times between 9 pm and 7 am are at an increased risk of developing complications compared to patients with a surgical start time earlier in the day.
  
  Read more

• Atrazine alters the sex ratio in Blanchard's cricket frogs

  13-10-2017 18:32
  A study found that Blanchard's cricket frogs are highly sensitive to atrazine. When exposed, there were up to 55 percent fewer males than females compared with the control group, indicating that atrazine can affect the sex ratio. However, cricket frog populations do persist in areas with widespread atrazine application, despite reports of range contractions for enigmatic reasons.
  
  Read more

• Solar research: On the generation of solar spicules and Alfvenic waves

  13-10-2017 18:31
  Combining computer observations and simulations, a new model shows that the presence of neutrals in the gas facilitates the magnetic fields to penetrate through the surface of the Sun producing the spicules.
  
  Read more

• Melting ice makes the sea around Greenland less saline

  13-10-2017 17:30
  For the first time, ocean data from Northeast Greenland reveals the long-term impact of the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. The observed increase in freshwater content will affect the conditions in all Greenland fjords and may ultimately affect the global ocean currents that keep Europe warm.
  
  Read more

• Canadians join Twitter boycott over Harvey Weinstein sex scandal

  13-10-2017 17:23 via cbc.ca
  Canadian writers, actors and women's rights advocates are joining an international boycott of the Twitter social media platform today over its handling of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal.
  
  Read more

• Scientists reveal the relationship between sugar, cancer

  13-10-2017 16:36
  A nine-year joint research project has led to a crucial breakthrough in cancer research. Scientists have clarified how the Warburg effect, a phenomenon in which cancer cells rapidly break down sugars, stimulates tumor growth. This discovery provides evidence for a positive correlation between sugar and cancer, which may have far-reaching impacts on tailor-made diets for cancer patients.
  
  Read more

• Usutu virus is back: Not only in blackbirds but also in humans

  13-10-2017 16:33
  Usutu virus, a flavivirus of African origin, was first detected in Austria in 2001, when it caused a severe bird die-off, mainly of blackbirds. The virus was active in the eastern part of Austria until 2005, killing many blackbirds, but also other songbirds. During 10 subsequent years no Usutu virus associated bird mortality was observed in Austria -- contrary to neighboring Hungary. Last year Usutu virus was identified again in two blackbirds -- and in 2017 already in sixteen songbirds. In anot
  
  Read more

• First atomic structure from cryo-EM facility

  13-10-2017 16:33
  Researchers have outlined a 3-D atomic structure of the ion channel found in mammals that is implicated in a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disease in humans.
  
  Read more

• Star Dust Helps Explain Mysterious Dimming Star

  13-10-2017 15:19
  Astronomers are working to understand the mysterious dimming of Tabby's Star. The astronomers report that space dust orbiting the star -- not alien megastructures -- is the likely cause of the star's long-term dimming.
  
  Read more

• Purple power: Synthetic 'purple membranes' transform sunlight to hydrogen fuel

  13-10-2017 15:19
  A new way has been found to produce solar fuels by developing “synthetic purple membranes.” These membranes involve an assembly of lipid nanodiscs, man-made proteins, and semiconducting nanoparticles that, when taken together, can transform sunlight into hydrogen fuel.
  
  Read more

• Cell biology: Proteins may prevent dysfunction, disease by relaxing, study shows

  13-10-2017 15:19
  A team of researchers used simulations and X-rays to conclude that disordered proteins remain unfolded and expanded as they float loose in the cytoplasm of a cell. The answer affects how we envision the movement of a protein through its life--essential for understanding how proteins fold, what goes wrong during disorders and disease and how to model their behavior.
  
  Read more

• Higher dose of vitamin D increases bone density in premature babies, study finds

  13-10-2017 15:18
  If the standard supplementation of 400 IUs of vitamin D is increased to 800 IUs daily there are reductions in the number of premature and preterm babies with extremely low bone density, new research has found.
  
  Read more

• Wildlife in the ditches need a detox cure

  13-10-2017 15:17
  When it's raining on the roads, slops of road dust and contaminants drain into the road trenches. What does it do to wildlife living by the road?
  
  Read more

• Does size matter? Bigger cod fish contain more mercury

  13-10-2017 15:17
  The levels of mercury in the Oslofjord cod has increased over the last 30 years, despite reduced emissions of this toxic element. In the same period, the average size of sampled cod has increased. Are the elevated levels of mercury simply a result of larger cod?
  
  Read more

• DISTRO: Researchers create digital objects from incomplete 3D data

  13-10-2017 15:17
  Depth sensors, such as those of the Microsoft Kinect, are very powerful, but unfortunately they do not work equally well on all materials, which leads to noisy data or even missing measurements.
  
  Read more

• Contests for female attention turns males into better performers in fruit flies

  13-10-2017 15:17
  Giving females an opportunity to choose the male they mate with leads to the evolution of better performing males, according to new research into the behavior of fruit flies.
  
  Read more

• Cold molecules on collision course

  13-10-2017 15:15
  Using a new cooling technique scientists succeed at observing collisions in a dense beam of cold and slow dipolar molecules.
  
  Read more

• Single photon reveals quantum entanglement of 16 million atoms

  13-10-2017 15:10
  Quantum theory predicts that a vast number of atoms can be entangled and intertwined by a very strong quantum relationship even in a macroscopic structure. Until now, experimental evidence has been mostly lacking, despite recent advances have shown the entanglement of 2,900 atoms. Scientists recently reengineered their data processing, demonstrating that 16 million atoms were entangled in a one-centimeter crystal.
  
  Read more

• Scientists uncover a centuries-old case of mistaken identity in the Chesapeake Bay

  13-10-2017 15:10
  Scientists recently discovered that some jellyfish in the Bay are quite different from their ocean cousins. This led scientists to declare them as two different species.
  
  Read more

• Restless legs syndrome study identifies 13 new genetic risk variants

  13-10-2017 15:10
  A new study into the genetics underlying restless legs syndrome has identified 13 previously-unknown genetic risk variants, while helping inform potential new treatment options for the condition.
  
  Read more

• New insight into the limits of possible life on Mars

  13-10-2017 15:10
  Researchers investigating whether liquid water could exist on Mars have provided new insight into the limits of life on the red planet.
  
  Read more

• 'Magic mushrooms' may 'reset' the brains of depressed patients, study suggests

  13-10-2017 15:10
  Patients taking psilocybin to treat depression show reduced symptoms weeks after treatment following a 'reset' of their brain activity.
  
  Read more

• How E. coli bacteria adapt under stress

  13-10-2017 15:10
  Researchers have developed a genome-scale model that can accurately predict how E. coli bacteria respond to temperature changes and genetic mutations. The work sheds light on how cells adapt under environmental stress and has applications in precision medicine, where adaptive cell modeling could provide patient-specific treatments for bacterial infections.
  
  Read more

• Baltic clams, worms release as much greenhouse gas as 20,000 dairy cows

  13-10-2017 15:10
  Ocean clams and worms are releasing a significant amount of potentially harmful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, scientists have shown.
  
  Read more

• Surgeon aims to diagnose deformities of extinct saber-toothed cats

  13-10-2017 15:00
  
  Using CT scans, one orthopedic surgeon is on a quest to diagnose deformities in long-dead saber-toothed cats.
  
  Read more

• Hyperloop One gets investment, new name from Virgin Galactic founder

  13-10-2017 14:52 via cbc.ca
  Hyperloop One, which is developing super high-speed transportation systems, will be rebranded Virgin Hyperloop One after a significant investment by the billionnaire behind suborbital spaceflight company Virgin Galactic.
  
  Read more

• North Korea's nuclear tests causing earthquakes, experts say

  13-10-2017 14:51 via cbc.ca
  South Korea said it detected an earthquake Friday near North Korea's main nuclear test site, the fourth since the country's sixth and most powerful nuclear test explosion last month. Some experts suggested the area is now too unstable to conduct more bomb tests.
  
  Read more

• DNA study provides insight into how to live longer

  13-10-2017 13:59 via bbc.co.uk
  A year in school adds nearly a year to your life, study in Edinburgh shows.
  
  Read more

• Puerto Rico Looks to Alphabet's X Project Loon Balloons to Restore Cell Service

  13-10-2017 13:15 via rss.sciam.com
  With much of the U.S. commonwealth’s cellular service and electrical grid down since Hurricane Maria, the parent company of tech giant Google could help restore wireless communication to 3.4...
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• UK-Dutch-built Sentinel launches to track air quality

  13-10-2017 13:06 via bbc.co.uk
  Sentinel-5P lifts off from Russia to make 20 million daily observations of pollution across the globe.
  
  Read more

• Nasa carbon space observatory 'watches Earth breathe'

  13-10-2017 13:01 via bbc.co.uk
  A US space agency satellite provides new insights on how CO2 is moved through Earth's atmosphere.
  
  Read more

• An American astronomical evangelist coined the phrase ‘island universe’

  13-10-2017 13:00
  
  Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel, a Civil War general nicknamed ‘Old Stars,’ first used ‘island universe’ in his monthly astronomy magazine.
  
  Read more

• Astronomers Are Finally Mapping the “Dark Side” of the Milky Way

  13-10-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Half of our home galaxy is terra incognita. That will soon change
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Penguins die in 'catastrophic' Antarctic breeding season

  13-10-2017 12:36 via bbc.co.uk
  Only two chicks survived in a colony of 36,000 in a "catastrophic" breeding season in east Antarctica.
  
  Read more

• Europe launches sixth Sentinel Earth observation satellite

  13-10-2017 12:18
  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Europe launched the sixth of its Sentinel Earth observation satellites on Friday as part of the multi-billion-euro Copernicus program to monitor volcanic ash and ultraviolet radiation.
  
  Read more

• Scraping out the London sewers by hand

  13-10-2017 06:25 via bbc.co.uk
  Fitted with a body camera, a sewer engineer tries to remove a blockage.
  
  Read more

• Worms reveal secrets of aging

  13-10-2017 06:00
  (Case Western Reserve University) Investigators have identified a new molecular pathway that controls lifespan and healthspan in worms and mammals.In a Nature Communications study published today, researchers showed that worms with excess levels of certain proteins lived longer and healthier than normal worms. In addition, mice with excess levels of these proteins demonstrated a delay in blood vessel dysfunction associated with aging. The study has major implications for our understanding of agi
  
  Read more

• Women's pivotal role in shaping Christianity overlooked

  13-10-2017 06:00
  (University of Helsinki) Women had a significant impact on the formation of early Christian communities, but (they) have been largely ignored in the history books. Kaisa-Maria Pihlava's new book brings forgotten female leaders to the forefront.
  
  Read more

• The Optical Society announces 2018 Fellows Class

  13-10-2017 06:00
  (The Optical Society) The Optical Society (OSA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that 101 OSA members, representing 19 countries, have been elected to the 2018 OSA Fellows Class.
  
  Read more

• TGen receives $2.5 million SU2C grant for new pancreatic cancer clinical trial

  13-10-2017 06:00
  (The Translational Genomics Research Institute) Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) has awarded a $2.5 million SU2C CatalystR grant to the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) to investigate a revolutionary new method of treating pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive of all cancers.Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen Distinguished Professor and Physician-In-Chief, will lead a pancreatic cancer clinical trial that will pair an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab (trademarked as Keytruda®)
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!