Science news

• Nanosensors demystify brain chemistry

  02-11-2017 23:11
  Nanosensors are incredible information-gathering tools for myriad applications, including molecular targets such as the brain. Neurotransmitter molecules govern brain function through chemistry found deep within the brain, so researchers are developing nanosensors to gain a better understanding of exactly how this all plays out.
  
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• Modeling surface chemistry, predicting new materials

  02-11-2017 23:11
  The ruddy flakes of a rusted nail are a sure sign that an undesirable chemical reaction has occurred at the surface. Understanding how molecules and atoms behave with each other, especially at surfaces, is central to managing both desirable chemical reactions, such as catalysis, and undesirable reactions, like a nail’s corrosion. Yet the field of surface chemistry has been challenged for nearly 100 years to develop predictive theories for these reactions. Now there’s progress, thanks
  
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• Resisting alien invasions

  02-11-2017 23:04
  Invasive species are can be hugely detrimental to marine ecosystems. Take Caulerpa taxifolia as an example, suggest investigators.
  
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• Newly discovered volcanic rock minerals may offer new insights into earth's evolution

  02-11-2017 23:03
  Scientists have found evidence showing that komatiites, or three-billion-year old volcanic rock found within the Earth's mantle, had a different composition than modern ones. Their discovery may offer new information about the first one billion years of Earth's development and early origins of life.
  
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• Lack of oxygen, not blood flow, delays brain maturation in preterm infants

  02-11-2017 23:03
  Previously, it was believed that lack of blood flow was causing preterm brain cells to die. Instead, these critically important cells simply fail to develop normally, report investigators. This finding creates an opportunity to determine ways to restore oxygen loss and potentially reduce life-long impacts of preterm survivors.
  
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• Pancreatic cancer survival linked to four genes

  02-11-2017 23:01
  Alterations in four main genes are responsible for how long patients survive with pancreatic cancer, according to a new study.
  
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• New orangutan species found in Indonesia

  02-11-2017 21:55 via cbc.ca
  A new species of orangutan has been identified in remote Indonesian forests and immediately becomes the most endangered type of great ape in the world with just 800 individuals, scientists said on Thursday.
  
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• Sony brings back robot pet dog, gives it artificial intelligence

  02-11-2017 20:18 via cbc.ca
  Sony's iconic pet robot AIBO is making a comeback for the first time in 12 years.
  
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• Additional hurdle to widespread planting of bioenergy crops identified

  02-11-2017 20:10
  A study examining how certain decisions impact what farmers plant and harvest identified one crucial factor that researchers believe needs to be added to the list of decision variables when considering bioenergy crops: the option value.
  
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• Discovery of 'monster' planet surprises astronomers

  02-11-2017 20:00 via cbc.ca
  Astronomers thought they knew how planets formed, but a new discovery of a massive planet around an unlikely star is giving them pause.
  
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• Human cities are driving evolution — and may spawn new species, scientists say

  02-11-2017 19:00 via cbc.ca
  Our cities are reshaping the animals and plants that live in them, pushing some to evolve and even spawning new species more quickly and more often than you might think, scientists say.
  
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• Cities are driving evolution — and may spawn new species, scientists say

  02-11-2017 19:00 via cbc.ca
  Our cities are reshaping the animals and plants that live in them, pushing some to evolve and even spawning new species more quickly and more often than you might think, scientists say.
  
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• New orangutan species discovered in Indonesia

  02-11-2017 18:59 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists have just identified a new great ape species - and it's already in danger.
  
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• Topological and modality-specific representation of somatosensory information in the fly brain

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Insects and mammals share similarities of neural organization underlying the perception of odors, taste, vision, sound, and gravity. We observed that insect somatosensation also corresponds to that of mammals. In Drosophila, the projections of all the somatosensory neuron types to the insect’s equivalent of the spinal cord segregated into modality-specific layers comparable to those in mammals. Some sensory neurons innervate the ventral brain directly to form modality-specific and topologi
  
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• The condensin complex is a mechanochemical motor that translocates along DNA

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Condensin plays crucial roles in chromosome organization and compaction, but the mechanistic basis for its functions remains obscure. We used single-molecule imaging to demonstrate that Saccharomyces cerevisiae condensin is a molecular motor capable of adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis–dependent translocation along double-stranded DNA. Condensin’s translocation activity is rapid and highly processive, with individual complexes traveling an average distance of ≥10 kilobases at a ve
  
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• Structure of the mitochondrial inner membrane AAA+ protease YME1 gives insight into substrate processing

  02-11-2017 18:25
  We present an atomic model of a substrate-bound inner mitochondrial membrane AAA+ quality control protease in yeast, YME1. Our ~3.4-angstrom cryo–electron microscopy structure reveals how the adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases) form a closed spiral staircase encircling an unfolded substrate, directing it toward the flat, symmetric protease ring. Three coexisting nucleotide states allosterically induce distinct positioning of tyrosines in the central channel, resulting in substrate engageme
  
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• Spindle asymmetry drives non-Mendelian chromosome segregation

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Genetic elements compete for transmission through meiosis, when haploid gametes are created from a diploid parent. Selfish elements can enhance their transmission through a process known as meiotic drive. In female meiosis, selfish elements drive by preferentially attaching to the egg side of the spindle. This implies some asymmetry between the two sides of the spindle, but the molecular mechanisms underlying spindle asymmetry are unknown. Here we found that CDC42 signaling from the cell cortex
  
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• Southern African ancient genomes estimate modern human divergence to 350,000 to 260,000 years ago

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Southern Africa is consistently placed as a potential region for the evolution of Homo sapiens. We present genome sequences, up to 13x coverage, from seven ancient individuals from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The remains of three Stone Age hunter-gatherers (about 2000 years old) were genetically similar to current-day southern San groups, and those of four Iron Age farmers (300 to 500 years old) were genetically similar to present-day Bantu-language speakers. We estimate that all modern-day Kho
  
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• Self-assembled three-dimensional chiral colloidal architecture

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Although stereochemistry has been a central focus of the molecular sciences since Pasteur, its province has previously been restricted to the nanometric scale. We have programmed the self-assembly of micron-sized colloidal clusters with structural information stemming from a nanometric arrangement. This was done by combining DNA nanotechnology with colloidal science. Using the functional flexibility of DNA origami in conjunction with the structural rigidity of colloidal particles, we demonstrate
  
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• Ribosomopathies: Theres strength in numbers

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Ribosomopathies are a group of human disorders most commonly caused by ribosomal protein haploinsufficiency or defects in ribosome biogenesis. These conditions manifest themselves as physiological defects in specific cell and tissue types. We review current molecular models to explain ribosomopathies and attempt to reconcile the tissue specificity of these disorders with the ubiquitous requirement for ribosomes in all cells. Ribosomopathies as a group are diverse in their origins and clinical ma
  
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• Nonreciprocal lasing in topological cavities of arbitrary geometries

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Resonant cavities are essential building blocks governing many wave-based phenomena, but their geometry and reciprocity fundamentally limit the integration of optical devices. We report, at telecommunication wavelengths, geometry-independent and integrated nonreciprocal topological cavities that couple stimulated emission from one-way photonic edge states to a selected waveguide output with an isolation ratio in excess of 10 decibels. Nonreciprocity originates from unidirectional edge states at
  
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• Lattice system of functionally distinct cell types in the neocortex

  02-11-2017 18:25
  The mammalian neocortex contains many cell types, but whether they organize into repeated structures has been unclear. We discovered that major cell types in neocortical layer 5 form a lattice structure in many brain areas. Large-scale three-dimensional imaging revealed that distinct types of excitatory and inhibitory neurons form cell type–specific radial clusters termed microcolumns. Thousands of microcolumns, in turn, are patterned into a hexagonal mosaic tessellating diverse regions of
  
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• High-speed plasmonic modulator in a single metal layer

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Plasmonics provides a possible route to overcome both the speed limitations of electronics and the critical dimensions of photonics. We present an all-plasmonic 116–gigabits per second electro-optical modulator in which all the elements—the vertical grating couplers, splitters, polarization rotators, and active section with phase shifters—are included in a single metal layer. The device can be realized on any smooth substrate surface and operates with low energy consumption. Ou
  
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• Femtosecond laser reshaping yields gold nanorods with ultranarrow surface plasmon resonances

  02-11-2017 18:25
  The irradiation of gold nanorod colloids with a femtosecond laser can be tuned to induce controlled nanorod reshaping, yielding colloids with exceptionally narrow localized surface plasmon resonance bands. The process relies on a regime characterized by a gentle multishot reduction of the aspect ratio, whereas the rod shape and volume are barely affected. Successful reshaping can only occur within a narrow window of the heat dissipation rate: Low cooling rates lead to drastic morphological chang
  
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• Evolution of life in urban environments

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Our planet is an increasingly urbanized landscape, with over half of the human population residing in cities. Despite advances in urban ecology, we do not adequately understand how urbanization affects the evolution of organisms, nor how this evolution may affect ecosystems and human health. Here, we review evidence for the effects of urbanization on the evolution of microbes, plants, and animals that inhabit cities. Urbanization affects adaptive and nonadaptive evolutionary processes that shape
  
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• Even-denominator fractional quantum Hall states in bilayer graphene

  02-11-2017 18:25
  The distinct Landau level spectrum of bilayer graphene (BLG) is predicted to support a non-abelian even-denominator fractional quantum Hall (FQH) state similar to the 52 state first identified in GaAs. However, the nature of this state has remained difficult to characterize. Here, we report transport measurements of a robust sequence of even-denominator FQH in dual-gated BLG devices. Parallel field measurement confirms the spin-polarized nature of the ground state, which is consistent with the P
  
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• ER-mitochondria tethering by PDZD8 regulates Ca2+ dynamics in mammalian neurons

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Interfaces between organelles are emerging as critical platforms for many biological responses in eukaryotic cells. In yeast, the ERMES complex is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–mitochondria tether composed of four proteins, three of which contain a SMP (synaptotagmin-like mitochondrial-lipid binding protein) domain. No functional ortholog for any ERMES protein has been identified in metazoans. Here, we identified PDZD8 as an ER protein present at ER-mitochondria contacts. The SMP domain of
  
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• Ancient genomes show social and reproductive behavior of early Upper Paleolithic foragers

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Present-day hunter-gatherers (HGs) live in multilevel social groups essential to sustain a population structure characterized by limited levels of within-band relatedness and inbreeding. When these wider social networks evolved among HGs is unknown. To investigate whether the contemporary HG strategy was already present in the Upper Paleolithic, we used complete genome sequences from Sunghir, a site dated to ~34,000 years before the present, containing multiple anatomically modern human individu
  
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• A high-coverage Neandertal genome from Vindija Cave in Croatia

  02-11-2017 18:25
  To date, the only Neandertal genome that has been sequenced to high quality is from an individual found in Southern Siberia. We sequenced the genome of a female Neandertal from ~50,000 years ago from Vindija Cave, Croatia, to ~30-fold genomic coverage. She carried 1.6 differences per 10,000 base pairs between the two copies of her genome, fewer than present-day humans, suggesting that Neandertal populations were of small size. Our analyses indicate that she was more closely related to the Neande
  
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• A glycerophospholipid-specific pocket in the RVFV class II fusion protein drives target membrane insertion

  02-11-2017 18:25
  The Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, causing severe disease in humans and livestock across Africa. We determined the x-ray structure of the RVFV class II fusion protein Gc in its postfusion form and in complex with a glycerophospholipid (GPL) bound in a conserved cavity next to the fusion loop. Site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations further revealed a built-in motif allowing en bloc insertion of the fusion loop into membranes, making few
  
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• A cryofuge for cold-collision experiments with slow polar molecules

  02-11-2017 18:25
  Ultracold molecules represent a fascinating research frontier in physics and chemistry, but it has proven challenging to prepare dense samples at low velocities. Here, we present a solution to this goal by means of a nonconventional approach dubbed cryofuge. It uses centrifugal force to bring cryogenically cooled molecules to kinetic energies below 1 K x kB in the laboratory frame, where kB is the Boltzmann constant, with corresponding fluxes exceeding 1010 per second at velocities below 20 mete
  
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• The UK's race to get its own nuclear inspectors

  02-11-2017 18:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Highly-specialised staff are needed to take over from European nuclear regulators after Brexit.
  
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• Dinosaur unearthed in Fort McMurray oilsands was carried to watery grave by 'bloat and float'

  02-11-2017 17:34 via cbc.ca
  A dinosaur famously unearthed from a Fort McMurray oilsands mine was likely the victim of “bloat and float,” says an Edmonton paleontologist.
  
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• Going ape: new orangutan species identified in Sumatra

  02-11-2017 17:29
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have identified a new species of great ape on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, finding that a small population of orangutans inhabiting its Batang Toru forest merits recognition as the third species of these shaggy reddish tree dwellers.
  
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• New great ape species identified in Indonesia

  02-11-2017 17:19 via bbc.co.uk
  The apes in question were only reported to exist after an expedition into Sumatra mountains in 1997.
  
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• What male bias in the mammoth fossil record says about the animal’s social groups

  02-11-2017 17:15
  
  Male woolly mammoths were more often caught in natural traps that preserved their remains, DNA evidence suggests.
  
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• No more than 800 orangutans from this newly identified species remain

  02-11-2017 17:00
  
  Endangered population of orangutans is the oldest surviving red ape lineage, a new study finds.
  
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• Scientists decipher mechanisms underlying the biology of aging

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Scientists have helped decipher the dynamics that control how our cells age, and with it implications for extending human longevity. The group employed a combination of technologies to analyze molecular processes that influence aging. Using cutting-edge computational and experimental approaches the scientists discovered that a complete loss of chromatin silencing leads to accelerated cell aging and death. However, the researchers similarly found that continuous chromatin silencing also leads cel
  
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• New treatment approach for autoimmune disorder

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Researchers have been able to improve their understanding of the key mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of a serious autoimmune disease. For the first time, researchers were able to demonstrate a close link between the activation of programmed cell death, complement system activation, and organ damage in patients with systemic inflammation of blood vessels caused by 'ANCA antibodies'.
  
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• New system for treating colorectal cancer can lead to complete cure

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Researchers have developed a new, three-step system that uses nuclear medicine to target and eliminate colorectal cancer. In this study with a mouse model, researchers achieved a 100-percent cure rate -- without any treatment-related toxic effects.
  
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• Navigating the genome to cure deafness

  02-11-2017 16:00
  A new study solves a critical piece of the puzzle of human deafness by identifying the first group of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the auditory system.
  
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• Foraminifer shells much more susceptible to ocean acidification than previously thought

  02-11-2017 16:00
  The carbonate shells of tiny marine plankton, foraminifers, are important archives of geochemical records of past climates. Now researchers have discovered that, contrary to long-standing textbook knowledge, these shells do not form as calcite, but instead, are originally formed as the metastable carbonate vaterite and only later transform into calcite. The presence of vaterite instead of calcite in these abundant organisms also means that foraminifer shells are much more susceptible to ocean ac
  
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• Fifty-years of data from a 'living' oxygen minimum lab could help predict the oceans' future

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Researchers have released 50 years' worth of data chronicling the deoxygenating cycles of a fjord off Canada's west coast, and detailing the response of the microbial communities inhabiting the fjord. The mass of data, collected in two related articles, could help scientists better predict the impact of human activities and ocean deoxygenation on marine environments.
  
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• Electrostatic force takes charge in bioinspired polymers

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Researchers have taken the first steps toward gaining control over the self-assembly of synthetic materials in the same way that biology forms natural polymers. This advance could prove useful in designing new bioinspired, smart materials for applications ranging from drug delivery to sensing to remediation of environmental contaminants.
  
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• Childhood spankings can lead to adult mental health problems

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Getting spanked as a child can lead to a host of mental health problems in adulthood, say researchers.
  
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• Ants were among the world’s first farmers

  02-11-2017 16:00
  
  50 years ago, researchers began unraveling the secrets to Attine ants’ green thumbs.
  
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• A bit of a 'quantum magic trick': Experiment shows how to speed up frequency measurement

  02-11-2017 16:00
  Is there a faster way to determine a frequency? It turns out there is.
  
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• Cancer cells destroyed with dense metal found in asteroids

  02-11-2017 15:58
  Cancer cells can be targeted and destroyed with the metal from the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, according to new research.
  
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• Several reasons why whole grains are healthy

  02-11-2017 14:59
  When overweight adults exchange refined grain products -- such as white bread and pasta -- with whole grain varieties, they eat less, they lose weight and the amount of inflammation in their bodies decreases.
  
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• Absentee Dads affect how women interpret interest from men

  02-11-2017 14:59
  New research finds that women who were reminded of a time that their dad was absent from their lives -- or who actually experienced poor quality fathering while growing up -- perceived greater mating intent in the described behaviors of a hypothetical male dating partner and when talking with a man. These women also 'saw' more sexual arousal when viewing images of men's faces.
  
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