Science news

• Shrews it or lose it: a critter's incredible shrinking skull

  24-10-2017 23:42
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It is not the taming of the shrew, but rather the shrinking of the shrew.
  
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• What detecting gravitational waves means for the expansion of the universe

  24-10-2017 23:34
  
  The latest LIGO signal proves that gravitational waves travel at the speed of light, ruling out a swath of cosmological theories in the process.
  
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• Scientists pleased by 'good news' about Alert Arctic climate measurements

  24-10-2017 22:49 via cbc.ca
  Scientists say they’re pleased that the federal government has committed to recruiting staff to send up to Alert and restore climate measurements to normal levels by January.
  
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• Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis goes online, crashes website

  24-10-2017 20:54 via cbc.ca
  Cambridge University has put Stephen Hawking's doctoral thesis online, triggering such interest that it crashed the university's website.
  
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• The scaffolding protein Cnk binds to the receptor tyrosine kinase Alk to promote visceral founder cell specification in Drosophila

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  In Drosophila melanogaster, the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) anaplastic lymphoma kinase (Alk) and its ligand jelly belly (Jeb) are required to specify muscle founder cells in the visceral mesoderm. We identified a critical role for the scaffolding protein Cnk (connector enhancer of kinase suppressor of Ras) in this signaling pathway. Embryos that ectopically expressed the minimal Alk interaction region in the carboxyl terminus of Cnk or lacked maternal and zygotic cnk did not generate visceral
  
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• TGF-{beta} receptor I/II trafficking and signaling at primary cilia are inhibited by ceramide to attenuate cell migration and tumor metastasis

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Signaling by the transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) receptors I and II (TβRI/II) and the primary cilia-localized sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway promote cell migration and, consequently, tumor metastasis. In contrast, the sphingolipid ceramide inhibits cell proliferation and tumor metastasis. We investigated whether ceramide metabolism inhibited TβRI/II trafficking to primary cilia to attenuate cross-talk between TβRI/II and the Shh pathway. We found that ceramide s
  
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• TCR-stimulated changes in cell surface CD46 expression generate type 1 regulatory T cells

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A lack of regulatory T cell function is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Ligation of the complement regulatory protein CD46 facilitates the differentiation of T helper 1 (TH1) effector cells into interleukin-10 (IL-10)–secreting type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1 cells), and this pathway is defective in MS patients. Cleavage of the ectodomain of CD46, which contains three N-glycosylation sites and multiple O-glycosylation sites, ena
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (412)

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe ways to potentially treat obesity-associated disorders and prevent sepsis.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 358 (6361)

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight the role of adrenergic nerves in cancer growth; natural polyreactive antibodies that recognize gut microbiota; and structural insights into mTORC1 and D4 dopamine receptor signaling.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 550 (7676)

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles identify a mechanism that establishes the senescence-associated secretory phenotype and reveal details about the gating of TRPML channels.
  
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• A supersuppressor for pancreatic cancer

  24-10-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A mutation in p53 enhances its induction of a phosphatase that inhibits YAP, a critical mediator of pancreatic cancer development.
  
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• Northern lights could dance across the sky this week

  24-10-2017 19:48 via cbc.ca
  A fast-moving stream of particles is being spewed out from the sun, and it could produce a light show here on Earth.
  
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• A new material may one day keep mussels off piers and boat hulls

  24-10-2017 19:00
  
  Mussels don’t stick to a new lubricant-infused silicone material.
  
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• Dandelions found in oilsands tailings could help clean them up: researchers

  24-10-2017 18:45 via cbc.ca
  It wasn't much of a bouquet — just a single lonely dandelion. But it had been plucked from the middle of a barren stretch of oilsands coarse tailings. University of Saskatchewan biologist Susan Kaminskyj knew right away that made it something special.
  
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• Paul Weitz: Skylab and shuttle astronaut dies aged 85

  24-10-2017 17:51 via bbc.co.uk
  US astronaut Paul Weitz, who helped save a Nasa space station after it was damaged during launch, has died aged 85.
  
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• Neurologists' Role in Nazi "Racial Hygiene" Only Now Comes to Light

  24-10-2017 17:40 via rss.sciam.com
  The killing and exile of “non-Aryan” members of the profession and collaboration of neurologists in eugenic and euthanasia efforts escaped scrutiny immediately after the war
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Crying babies push same buttons in mothers' brains across cultures, study suggests

  24-10-2017 17:02 via cbc.ca
  The way mothers in 11 different countries respond to their baby's cries seems to be programmed into their brain circuits, new research has found.
  
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• Robotic docs can boost surgery time and cost

  24-10-2017 17:01
  
  Robots in the OR may not be worth the extra time or money for all procedures.
  
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• 1-in-500-year storms could soon happen every 5 years in NYC

  24-10-2017 15:40 via cbc.ca
  Within the next three decades, floods that used to strike the New York City area only once every 500 years could occur every five years, according to a new scientific study released just days before the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.
  
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• 16th North Atlantic right whale found dead off Cape Cod

  24-10-2017 12:20 via cbc.ca
  A 16th North Atlantic right whale has been found dead off the coast of Massachusetts, the International Fund for Animal Welfare says.
  
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• Insect-sniffing dog helps Leamington, Ont., greenhouse stay pest free

  24-10-2017 12:05 via cbc.ca
  Chili is a rambunctious two-year-old Belgian shepherd, and her only mission is to find the small pepper weevil pests that can ruin an entire crop.
  
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• Astrolabe: Shipwreck find 'earliest navigation tool'

  24-10-2017 07:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Marine archaeologists say the object - discovered off the coast of Oman - is an astrolabe.
  
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• USC ISI to lead project to simulate dynamics of online social behavior

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of Southern California) USC's Information Sciences Institute will lead a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative among universities to develop large-scale simulations of online behavior in complex social networks. Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame will collaborate with USC ISI on the four-year project, titled Cognitive Online Simulation of Information Network Environments (COSINE).
  
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• US Army Research Laboratory announces new partnership

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (U.S. Army Research Laboratory) The US Army Research Laboratory announced new partnerships with the University of Chicago and other regional universities formally establishing ARL Central. ARL Central gives ARL a physical presence in Chicago and surrounding areas, enhancing ARL's growing global science and technology ecosystem.
  
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• Underwater sound waves help scientists locate ocean impacts

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Cardiff University) Scientists have developed a new method to locate the precise time and location that objects fall into our oceans.
  
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• UBC researchers create definitive method to detect wildfire tainted wine grapes

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of British Columbia Okanagan campus) Wine producers and grape growers have a new, powerful tool at their disposal to help manage the impact of grapes exposed to smoke from forest fires.Researchers from UBC's Okanagan campus have devised a new analytical test to precisely and accurately measure the amount of volatile phenols-compounds absorbed by grapes when exposed to smoke that can impact wine flavour-that are present in the fruit prior to wine production.
  
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• There is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy, new study shows

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Binghamton University) Any amount of alcohol exposure during pregnancy can cause extreme lasting effects on a child, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
  
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• The problem with being pretty

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (American Psychological Association) While good-looking people are generally believed to receive more favorable treatment in the hiring process, when it comes to applying for less desirable jobs, such as those with low pay or uninteresting work, attractiveness may be a liability, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
  
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• The New York Stem Cell Foundation announces 2017 class of NYSCF - Robertson investigators

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (New York Stem Cell Foundation) The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) announced the 2017 class of NYSCF - Robertson Investigators, welcoming six of the most talented stem cell researchers and neuroscientists from around the world into the NYSCF Investigator Program. The NYSCF Investigator Program fosters and encourages promising early career scientists whose cutting-edge research holds the potential to accelerate treatments and cures, and provides support for the NYSCF - Robertson Stem Cell
  
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• Swortwood to investigate prevalence of synthetic opioids in saliva

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Sam Houston State University) A research team at Sam Houston State University received a $311,000 National Institute of Justice grant to develop a new laboratory test for synthetic opioids and heroin using saliva and to investigate the prevalence of these drugs among prisoners and arrestees.
  
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• Study investigates effects of domestic violence on workplaces -- by asking perpetrators

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of Toronto) Researchers at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto and Western University released a new study today, taking an unconventional approach to understanding the significant effects of domestic violence in the workplace. By seeking the views of the perpetrators of violence, the study found that domestic violence perpetration, like victimization, has costs to the workplace in terms of worker safety and productivity and that most em
  
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• Study indicates arsenic can cause cancer decades after exposure ends

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Oxford University Press USA) A new paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that arsenic in drinking water may have one of the longest dormancy periods of any carcinogen. By tracking the mortality rates of people exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water in a region in Chile, the researchers provide evidence of increases in lung, bladder, and kidney cancer even 40 years after high arsenic exposures ended.
  
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• Study highlights value of acknowledging adolescents' perspectives

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Society for Research in Child Development) Across very different cultures -- Ghana and the United States -- when parents acknowledge the perspectives of their adolescent children and encourage them to express themselves, the youths have a stronger sense of self-worth, intrinsic motivation, and engagement, and also have less depression. Yet having the latitude to make decisions appears to function differently in the two cultures, with positive outcomes for youths in the United States but not in
  
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• Study finds smokers wrongly believe Natural American Spirit cigarettes are healthier

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania) Smokers wrongly believe Natural American Spirit cigarettes to be healthier than other brands due to NAS's advertising claims, according to new research from the Penn Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) at the Annenberg School for Communication. This belief was found among both former and current smokers and was not linked to brand preference.
  
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• Starting at age 6, children spontaneously practice skills to prepare for the future

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Society for Research in Child Development) Deliberate practice is essential for improving a wide range of skills important for everyday life, from tying shoelaces to reading and writing. Yet despite its importance for developing basic skills, academic success, and expertise, we know little about the development of deliberate practice. A new study from Australia found that children spontaneously practice skills to prepare for the future starting at the age of 6.
  
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• Spots on supergiant star drive spirals in stellar wind

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Royal Astronomical Society) A Canadian-led international team of astronomers recently discovered that spots on the surface of a supergiant star are driving huge spiral structures in its stellar wind. Their results are publishedin a recent edition of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
  
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• Single nanoparticle mapping paves the way for better nanotechnology

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Chalmers University of Technology) Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the Technical University of Denmark have developed a method that makes it possible to map the individual responses of nanoparticles in different situations and contexts. The results pave the way for better nanomaterials and safer nanotechnology and were recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
  
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• Separate but unequal: NYU Metro Center Report examines segregation in NYC schools

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (New York University) A new report by the NYU Metro Center explores patterns of segregation in New York City public schools and finds a link between increased school diversity and modest academic benefits.
  
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• Self-esteem mapped in the human brain

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University College London) A team of UCL researchers has devised a mathematical equation that can explain how our self-esteem is shaped by what other people think of us, in a new study published in the scientific journal eLife.
  
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• Sacrificing one life to save others -- research shows psychopaths' force for 'greater good'

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of Plymouth) New research shows that people would sacrifice one person to save a larger group of people -- and in addition, the force with which they carry out these actions could be predicted by psychopathic traits.
  
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• Rice University technology could cut MRI scan times

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Rice University) Patients who have to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging scan may be spared the ordeal of having to lie still in the scanner for up to 45 minutes, thanks to new technology patented by Rice University, also known as 'compressed sensing' technology.
  
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• Researchers introduce new method for monitoring Indian Summer Monsoon

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Florida State University) Researchers from Florida State University have created a tool for objectively defining the onset and demise of the Indian Summer Monsoon -- a colossal weather system that affects billions of people annually.
  
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• Researchers discover which brain region motivates behavior change

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania) Ever been stuck in a rut? University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael Platt and colleagues found that stimulating a region of the brain called the posterior cingulate cortex can lead to changes in routine behavior. Neurons there ramp up their firing rates, then peak just before a pattern shifts. Knowing this could help businesses better understand how to spur employee innovation, exploration and creativity.
  
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• Research team led by NUS scientists breaks new ground in memory technology

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (National University of Singapore) An international research team led by scientists from the National University of Singapore pioneered the development of a novel thin, organic film that supports a million more times read-write cycles and consumes 1,000 times less power than commercial flash memories.
  
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• Pilot project provides findings and advice on data sharing in development research

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Pensoft Publishers) Having worked with seven volunteering IDRC-funded development research projects for sixteen months, a pilot data sharing project led by Prof. Cameron Neylon and also funded by IDRC, has published its final report in the dedicated collection in the innovative open science journal Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO). From the grant proposal, through data management plans and the final research article, the collection describes how funder policies can help, and hinder, culture ch
  
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• Paul Tesar receives 2017 New York Stem Cell Foundation -- Robertson Stem Cell Prize

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (New York Stem Cell Foundation) The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) announced today that Paul Tesar, DPhil, is the 2017 recipient of the NYSCF -- Robertson Stem Cell Prize for his pioneering discovery of pluripotent epiblast stem cells and technologies to utilize pluripotent stem cells for discovery of new therapeutics for neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and pediatric leukodystrophies.
  
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• Outsmarting human minds

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Harvard University) Mahzarin Banaji is launching a new project -- dubbed Outsmarting Human Minds -- aimed at using short videos and podcasts to educate the public about hidden biases so that they can combat them.
  
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• Organic material matters

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) Researchers test the capability of a novel nanoparticle to remove cadmium toxicity from a freshwater system
  
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• Nurses' depression tied to increased likelihood of medical errors

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (Ohio State University) Depression is common among nurses and is linked to a higher likelihood they'll make medical errors, new research suggests. The study found that more than half of nurses who took part in a national survey reported sub-optimal physical and mental health.
  
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• NJIT kicks off IBM-Martin Tuchman School of Management Flagship alliance

  24-10-2017 06:00
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) This partnership between NJIT and IBM is the first of its kind in North America.
  
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