Science news

• Pollution killed 9 million people in 2015

  20-10-2017 23:50
  
  First global look estimates the massive human and financial toll caused by pollution-related health problems.
  
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• Health: New protein aggregation measurement tool

  20-10-2017 22:00
  A team of scientists have described the synthetic genetic tool they built to quantitatively sense, measure and manipulate protein aggregation in live cells. This may open the door to greater understanding and treatment of a range of maladies from Alzheimer's to type II diabetes.
  
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• Dawn spacecraft will keep orbiting the dwarf planet Ceres indefinitely

  20-10-2017 21:15
  
  NASA just gave the Dawn spacecraft a second mission extension to orbit Ceres indefinitely.
  
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• The skinny on lipid immunology

  20-10-2017 20:38
  Scientists reveal new insights into the basis for T cell receptor (TCR) autoreactivity to self-phospholipids, with implications for autoimmune diseases.
  
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• Backyard chicken trend causes spike in infections, 1 fatal, CDC reports

  20-10-2017 20:14 via cbc.ca
  The popular trend of raising backyard chickens is bringing with it a soaring number of illnesses from poultry-related diseases, some of them fatal, U.S. health officials say.
  
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• Prozac in ocean water a possible threat to sea life

  20-10-2017 18:58
  Oregon shore crabs exhibit risky behavior when they're exposed to the antidepressant Prozac, making it easier for predators to catch them, according to a new study.
  
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• US ocean observation critical to understanding climate change, but lacks long-term national planning

  20-10-2017 18:57
  Ocean observing systems are important as they provide information essential for monitoring and forecasting changes in Earth's climate on timescales ranging from days to centuries. A new report finds that continuity of ocean observations is vital to gain an accurate understanding of the climate, and calls for a decadal, national plan that is adequately resourced and implemented to ensure critical ocean information is available to understand and predict future changes.
  
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• Increase in inflammatory bowel disease in developing world predicted

  20-10-2017 18:57
  For the last century, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been a challenge for patients and the medical community in the western world. New research shows that countries outside the western world may now be facing the same pattern of increasing IBD rates.
  
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• Creation of coherent states in molecules by incoherent electrons

  20-10-2017 18:57
  Coherent states of negative ion resonances in electron-molecule interaction are observed in experiments on e -- H2 and e -- D2 reactions. A forward-backward asymmetry is observed in the ejection of H- ions from H2 in this reaction, whereas the asymmetry in D- from D2 is weaker, but changes direction with electron energy. These results arise from attachment of a single electron to a molecule forming coherent superposition of odd and even parity states of negative ions.
  
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• Metacognition training boosts gen chem exam scores

  20-10-2017 18:56
  Students, and people in general, can tend to overestimate their own abilities. But new research shows that students who overcome this tendency score better on final exams. The boost is strongest for students in the lower 25 percent of the class. By thinking about their thinking, a practice called metacognition, these students raised their final exam scores by 10 percent on average -- a full letter grade.
  
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• Pollution hot spots around the world

  20-10-2017 18:37 via bbc.co.uk
  What's it like to live somewhere like Beijing, where you can even see pollution with the naked eye?
  
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• To vape or not to vape? Probably: Not to vape

  20-10-2017 16:53
  E-cigarettes appear to trigger unique immune responses as well as the same ones triggered by regular cigarettes, according to new research.
  
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• Personal omics data informative for precision health and preventive care

  20-10-2017 16:53
  Multi-omics profiling, the measurement and analysis of a person's genome along with other biomolecular traits, is an important step toward personal health management that provides valuable, actionable information, according to new findings.
  
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• New quantum simulation protocol developed

  20-10-2017 16:53
  Researchers are a step closer to understanding quantum mechanics after developing a new quantum simulation protocol.
  
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• Global CO2 emissions stalled for the third year in a row

  20-10-2017 16:53
  The annual assessment of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the JRC and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) confirms that CO2 emissions have stalled for the third year in a row.
  
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• Audit uncovers concerns about the use of electroconvulsive therapy in England

  20-10-2017 16:53
  Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) continues to be used in England without comprehensive national auditing.
  
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• Researchers use novel imaging to predict spinal degeneration

  20-10-2017 16:17
  A main cause for spinal disc degeneration is thought to be a change in the water content in the intervertebral disk. A research team used a novel magnetic resonance imaging technique, called apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, which directly assessed the movements and dynamics of the water in the intervertebral disk and other spinal structures. The ADC maps provided precise assessments and correlations with degeneration.
  
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• RANKL expressed by osteocytes has an important role in orthodontic tooth movement

  20-10-2017 16:17
  Researchers have revealed that RANKL expressed by osteocytes is essential for the bone remodeling during orthodontic tooth movement. This result can facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies in orthodontics.
  
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• Innovative smart watch and smart ring

  20-10-2017 16:17
  Researchers have developed a smart watch that takes the user to another dimension and a smart ring that provides powerful feedback.
  
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• How the smallest bacterial pathogens outwit host immune defenses by stealth mechanisms

  20-10-2017 16:16
  Despite their relatively small genome, mycoplasmas can cause persistent and difficult-to-treat infections in humans and animals. A study has shown how mycoplasmas escape the immune response. Mycoplasmas 'mask' themselves: They use their small genome in a clever way and compensate for the loss of an enzyme that is important for this process. This could be shown for the first time in vivo, thus representing a breakthrough in the research of bacterial pathogens.
  
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• How obesity promotes breast cancer

  20-10-2017 16:16
  Obesity leads to the release of cytokines into the bloodstream which impact the metabolism of breast cancer cells, making them more aggressive as a result. The research team has already been able to halt this mechanism with an antibody treatment.
  
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• Chromosomes may be knotted

  20-10-2017 16:16
  Little is known about the structures of our genetic material, chromosomes, which consist of long strings that -- according to our experience -- should be likely to become knotted. However, up to now it has not been possible to study this experimentally. Researchers have now found that chromosomes may indeed be knotted.
  
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• 'Antelope perfume' keeps flies away from cows

  20-10-2017 16:16
  In Africa, tsetse flies transfer the sleeping sickness also to cattle. The damage is estimated to be about 4.6 billion US dollars each year. Experts have developed an innovative way of preventing the disease. Tsetse flies avoid waterbucks, a widespread antelope species in Africa. The scientists imitated the smell of these antelopes.
  
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• Can an aspirin a day keep liver cancer away?

  20-10-2017 15:30
  A new study found that daily aspirin therapy was significantly associated with a reduced risk in hepatitis B related liver cancer.
  
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• 'Y' a protein unicorn might matter in glaucoma

  20-10-2017 15:22
  A protein shaped like a 'Y' makes scientists do a double-take and may change the way they think about a protein sometimes implicated in glaucoma. The Y is a centerpiece in myocilin, binding four other components nicknamed propellers together like balloons on strings.
  
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• 'Selfish brain' wins out when competing with muscle power, study finds

  20-10-2017 15:22
  New research on our internal trade-off when physical and mental performance are put in direct competition has found that cognition takes less of a hit, suggesting more energy is diverted to the brain than body muscle. Researchers say the findings support the 'selfish brain' theory of human evolution.
  
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• New function in gene-regulatory protein discovered

  20-10-2017 15:22
  Researchers show how the protein CBP affects the expression of genes through its interaction with the basal machinery that reads the instructions in our DNA.
  
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• Logged tropical rainforests still support biodiversity even when the heat is on

  20-10-2017 15:22
  Tropical rainforests continue to buffer wildlife from extreme temperatures even after logging, a new study has revealed.
  
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• Life goes on for marine ecosystems after cataclysmic mass extinction

  20-10-2017 15:22
  One of the largest global mass extinctions did not fundamentally change marine ecosystems, scientists have found.
  
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• Insight into a hidden order seen with high field magnet

  20-10-2017 15:22
  A specific uranium compound has puzzled researchers for thirty years. Although the crystal structure is simple, no one understands exactly what is happening once it is cooled below a certain temperature. Apparently, a 'hidden order' emerges, whose nature is completely unknown. Now physicists have characterized this hidden order state more precisely and studied it on a microscopic scale. To accomplish this, they utilized a high-field magnet that permits neutron experiments to be conducted under c
  
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• Experts recommend fewer lab tests for hospitalized patients

  20-10-2017 15:22
  Experts have compiled published evidence and crafted an experience-based quality improvement blueprint to reduce repetitive lab testing for hospitalized patients.
  
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• Delayed word processing could predict patients' potential to develop Alzheimer's disease

  20-10-2017 15:22
  A delayed neurological response to processing the written word could be an indicator that a patient with mild memory problems is at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, research has discovered.
  
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• Cool roofs have water saving benefits too

  20-10-2017 15:22
  The energy and climate benefits of cool roofs have been well established: By reflecting rather than absorbing the sun's energy, light-colored roofs keep buildings, cities, and even the entire planet cooler. Now a new study has found that cool roofs can also save water by reducing how much is needed for urban irrigation.
  
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• Scientists battle over whether violence has declined over time

  20-10-2017 15:00
  
  People are no more violent in small-scale societies than in states, researchers contend.
  
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• Puppy dog eyes are for human benefit, say scientists

  20-10-2017 13:59 via bbc.co.uk
  Researchers investigate how dogs change their expressions in response to their owners.
  
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• Pollution causing more deaths worldwide than war or smoking: Lancet

  20-10-2017 13:51 via cbc.ca
  Increasing pollution worldwide is proving deadlier than war, natural disasters or smoking, according to a new report in the Lancet medical journal.
  
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• Resurrecting extinct species raises ethical questions

  20-10-2017 13:00
  
  'Rise of the Necrofauna' examines the technical and ethical challenges of bringing woolly mammoths and other long-gone creatures back from the dead.
  
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• Link between Adolescent Pot Smoking and Psychosis Strengthens

  20-10-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Research presented at a Berlin psychiatric conference shows teenage cannabis use hastens onset of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Colombia vets nurse tiny spider monkey back to health

  20-10-2017 12:01 via bbc.co.uk
  Vets in Colombia are nursing a tiny spider monkey back to health.
  
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• Square-Enix's game lineup heavy on nostalgia, but future lies in casual mobile market

  20-10-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Japanese game developer Square-Enix shows off a variety of games that target longtime, nostalgia-fuelled fans and casual mobile gamers alike in a media preview event in Toronto.
  
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• Soothing touch eases the pain of social rejection, study finds

  20-10-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  A slow, stroking touch eases the sting of social rejection, psychologists find.
  
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• Reports of cellphone trackers near Parliament Hill caused concern at Supreme Court, CRA: documents

  20-10-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  The Supreme Court of Canada and a senior executive with the Canada Revenue Agency anxiously reached out to Canada's communications spy agency for help after a CBC story revealed cellphone tracking technology was being used near Parliament Hill.
  
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• Youth Enjoy Science (YES) grant brings diversity to cancer research

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (Case Western Reserve University) Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in partnership with the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, was awarded a five-year grant, totaling $2.5 million to engage underrepresented minorities in Cleveland-area schools in cancer research.
  
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• Waterside lighting drastically disrupts wildlife in the surrounding ecosystem

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (Frontiers) Researchers in Germany find that streetlights near waterways attract flying insects from the water and change the predator community living in the grass beneath the lights. The findings show that artificial night-time lighting could have implications for the surrounding ecosystem and biodiversity, which should be considered when designing new lighting concepts.
  
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• Two ORNL-led research teams receive $10.5 million to advance quantum computing for science

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) DOE's Office of Science has awarded two research teams, each headed by a member of ORNL's Quantum Information Science Group, more than $10 million over 5 years to both assess the feasibility of quantum architectures in addressing big science problems and to develop algorithms capable of harnessing the massive power predicted of quantum computing systems. The two projects are intended to work in concert to ensure synergy across DOE's quantum computing research
  
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• Tufts wins award to participate in new national emergency medicine clinical trials network

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute) Tufts Medical Center (Tufts MC) joins an elite group of institutions selected to lead national clinical trials in the Strategies to Innovate EmeRgENcy Care Clinical Trials Network (SIREN) Network, a new initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance critical emergency medicine research. The SIREN Network is five-year NIH cooperative award that brings together 15 'Hub' institutions and their local 'spoke' sites to provide a na
  
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• The New York Stem Cell Foundation Annual Conference

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (New York Stem Cell Foundation) NYSCF's 12th Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference convenes global leaders in translational stem cell and neuroscience research to present their latest work towards new treatments and cures for the most devastating diseases and injuries currently facing the world. The two-day conference features discussions on transformative new technologies in the field, how to get new research into the clinic for patients, and challenges in the regenerative medicine
  
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• The end of pneumonia? New vaccine offers hope

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (University at Buffalo) A new vaccine under development provoked an immune response to 72 forms of the bacteria that's responsible for pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. That's up from the 23 forms of bacteria covered by current immunizations. The new vaccine, which represents the 'most comprehensive' coverage of pneumococcal disease to date, could greatly reduce the number of deaths from the disease.
  
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• Superstorm Sandy five years later: How NJIT assisted with recovery efforts

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) Five years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated the U.S. east coast, taking the lives of 34 New Jersey residents, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, and causing over $62 billion in damage. The NJIT community responded to the disaster with immediate assistance and farsighted planning for the future.
  
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• SPIE partners with Code Ocean to connect code to journal articles in SPIE Digital Library

  20-10-2017 06:00
  (Code Ocean) SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, now enables journal authors to share code through its new partnership with Code Ocean, an open platform that improves transparency and computational reproducibility to advance scientific research and invention. Authors use the simple interface to upload code where it is assigned a DOI to support correct attribution and citation. Articles include a link enabling users to access and run the code on the Code Ocean platform.
  
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