Science news

• 2017 set to be among top 3 hottest years, UN weather agency says

  06-11-2017 22:33 via cbc.ca
  ​The U.N.'s weather and climate agency says 2017 is set to become the hottest year on record aside from those impacted by the El Nino phenomenon.
  
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• Crocs take a bite out of claims of ancient stone-tool use

  06-11-2017 21:16
  
  Reptiles with big bites complicate claims of Stone Age butchery.
  
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• Broadcom in $103B US bid for rival chipmaker Qualcomm

  06-11-2017 21:07 via cbc.ca
  Broadcom made an unsolicited, $103 billion US offer for rival chipmaker Qualcomm, the tech industry's largest attempted takeover that is destined to come under intense regulatory scrutiny.
  
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• Fiji calls for urgency in talks to implement climate accord

  06-11-2017 21:02 via cbc.ca
  Fiji's prime minister called for a sense of urgency in the fight against global warming Monday, telling negotiators 'we must not fail our people,' as he opened two weeks of talks on implementing the Paris accord.
  
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• Flu Vaccine "Factories" Create Errors That Reduce Protection

  06-11-2017 21:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Eggs used to grow viruses for flu shots trigger changes that leave people vulnerable
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Biological clock found in fungal parasite sheds more light on 'zombie ants' phenomenon

  06-11-2017 20:56
  A working biological clock has been found in a fungal parasite that infects ants to control their behavior and lead them away from their nests in an effort to spread their fungal spores more effectively.
  
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• Federal climate science report for U.S. released

  06-11-2017 20:37
  The newly released Climate Science Special Report describes current trends in the climate globally and for the U.S., and projects trends in temperature, precipitation, sea-level rise and Arctic sea ice for the remainder of this century.
  
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• Depressed with a chronic disease? Many find antidepressants are not working

  06-11-2017 20:36
  Scientists are finding more evidence that commonly prescribed antidepressants aren't effective in people battling both depression and a chronic medical disease, raising a critical question of whether doctors should enact widespread changes in how they treat millions of depressed Americans.
  
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• Subset of carbon nanotubes poses cancer risk similar to asbestos in mice

  06-11-2017 19:20
  Researchers have shown for the first time in mice that long and thin nanomaterials called carbon nanotubes may have the same carcinogenic effect as asbestos: they can induce the formation of mesothelioma. The findings were observed in 10 percent -- 25 percent of the 32 animals included in the study, which has not yet been replicated in humans.
  
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• Chicken embryo illuminates role of thyroid hormone in brain development

  06-11-2017 19:20
  A thyroid hormone transporter is essential for the earliest stages of brain development, according to a new study of a region of the developing chicken brain with a layered structure similar to the human cerebral cortex.
  
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• A quasiparticle quest

  06-11-2017 19:20
  Physicists have developed a device that could provide conclusive evidence for the existence (or not) of non-Abelian anyons.
  
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• NASA satellite tracks ozone pollution by monitoring its key ingredients

  06-11-2017 18:13
  Ozone pollution near Earth's surface is one of the main ingredients of summertime smog. It is also not directly measurable from space due to the abundance of ozone higher in the atmosphere, which obscures measurements of surface ozone. New research has devised a way to use satellite measurements of the precursor gases that contribute to ozone formation to differentiate among three different sets of conditions that lead to its production.
  
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• Can cannabinoids be used to treat cancer?

  06-11-2017 18:13
  When cannabinoids activate signaling pathways in cancer cells they can stimulate a cell death mechanism called apoptosis, unleashing a potent anti-tumor effect.
  
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• Stem cells from muscle could address diabetes-related circulation problems

  06-11-2017 18:12
  Stem cells taken from muscle tissue could promote better blood flow in patients with diabetes who develop peripheral artery disease, a painful complication that can require surgery or lead to amputation. A new study found that an injection of the stem cells prompted new blood vessels to grow, improving circulation in the affected tissues and function in the affected limbs.
  
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• Potential 'missing link' in chemistry that led to life on Earth discovered

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Chemists have found a compound that may have been a crucial factor in the origins of life on Earth, explains a new report.
  
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• One of the oldest objects in the universe observed

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Astronomers report that they have detected the second most distant dusty, star-forming galaxy ever found in the universe -- born in the first one billion years after the Big Bang. It is the oldest object ever detected by the LMT.
  
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• Mammals switched to daytime activity after dinosaur extinction

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Mammals only started being active in the daytime after non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out about 66 million years ago (mya), finds a new study.
  
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• Is anticoagulant warfarin associated with lower risk of cancer incidence?

  06-11-2017 17:23
  The use of the blood thinner warfarin was associated with a lower risk of new cancers in people over 50.
  
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• Has adolescent preventive care increased since the Affordable Care Act?

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Preventive care visits for adolescents increased moderately after implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) but most US adolescents still do not attend doctor 'well visits' or receive preventive care.
  
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• First-ever protein hydrogels made in living cells

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Cell biologists report what they believe is the first-ever creation of tiny protein-based gelatin-like clumps called hydrogels inside living cells. The ability to create hydrogels on demand, they say, should advance the long scientific struggle to study the elusive structures -- which form in nature when proteins or other molecules aggregate under certain conditions -- and to uncover their suspected contributions to human diseases.
  
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• Early bloomers: Statistical tool reveals climate change impacts on plants

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Scientists announce statistical tool to extract information from current and historical plant data.
  
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• Stem cells pave the way for new treatment of diabetes

  06-11-2017 17:22
  A new stem cell study shows how we may increase the vital production of insulin in patients suffering from diabetes. The discovery helps to more efficiently at less cost make insulin-producing beta cells from human stem cells. Therefore, the research paves the way for more effective treatment of diabetes. The method may also prove significant to the treatment of a series of other diseases.
  
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• Scientists make significant breakthrough on superbug-killing antibiotic teixobactin

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Scientists working to develop a 'game-changing' new antibiotic have made a significant advance towards creating commercially viable drug treatments by producing two simplified synthetic versions of the substance which are just as potent at killing superbugs like MRSA as its natural form.
  
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• Researchers probe brain disease-causing proteins at the atomic level

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Researchers studying a protein that causes a hereditary degenerative brain disease in humans have discovered that the human, mouse and hamster forms of the protein, which have nearly identical amino acid sequences, exhibit distinct three-dimensional structures at the atomic level.
  
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• Protecting 'high carbon' rainforest areas also protects threatened wildlife

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Protecting 'high carbon' rainforest areas also protects threatened wildlife.
  
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• Nuclear energy programs do not increase likelihood of proliferation, study finds

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Contrary to popular thought, nuclear proliferation is not more likely to occur among countries with nuclear energy programs, according to research. In a historical analysis of the relationship between nuclear energy programs and proliferation from 1954 to 2000, the study finds that the link between the two has been overstated.
  
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• FDG PET shows tumor DNA levels in blood are linked to NSCLC aggressiveness

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Researches have demonstrated a better way of determining the aggressiveness of tumors in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). They used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging to show that the amount of cell-free tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream correlates with tumor metabolism (linked to cancer aggressiveness), not tumor burden (amount of cancer in the body).
  
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• Creating images of minute structures

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Scientists gain an insight into the fascinating world of atoms and molecules using x-ray microscopes. Ground-breaking research by physicists has paved the way towards new imaging techniques. The team of scientists have successfully developed and tested a method which is considerably more effective than conventional procedures.
  
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• Could this be malaria's Achilles heel?

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Researchers have identified a defense mechanism by which the malaria parasite can survive inside its host's liver cells.
  
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• Afterschool program environments linked to academic confidence and skills

  06-11-2017 17:22
  Afterschool programs with positive, responsive, and organized environments can have academic benefits for students, finds a new American study.
  
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• A sandy core may have kept Enceladus’ ocean warm

  06-11-2017 17:00
  
  Friction in Enceladus’ porous core could help heat its ocean enough to keep it liquid for billions of years.
  
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• 'I inject myself with snake venom'

  06-11-2017 16:21 via bbc.co.uk
  Steve Ludwin has been injecting himself with venom for more than 30 years.
  
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• Caribbean islands reveal a 'lost world' of ancient mammals

  06-11-2017 16:07
  An analysis of the incredibly diverse "lost world" of Caribbean fossils includes dozens of ancient mammals, a new study reports. The study reveals that the arrival of humans throughout the islands was likely the primary cause of the extinction of native mammal species there.
  
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• The giant mass of plastic waste taking over the Caribbean

  06-11-2017 14:55 via bbc.co.uk
  The giant build-up of plastic bottles, cutlery and polystyrene plates was captured by underwater photographer Caroline Power.
  
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• UN climate summit opens in Bonn: 5 things to know

  06-11-2017 14:40 via cbc.ca
  Diplomats and activists have gathered in Germany for two-week talks on implementing the Paris agreement to fight climate change. Here's what you need to know.
  
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• Blue Planet II: The moment giant sharks attack crew submarine

  06-11-2017 14:17 via bbc.co.uk
  At a depth of 750 metres, a Blue Planet II submarine was shoved by enormous sharks.
  
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• Q&A: Plotting U.S. Space Policy with White House Adviser Scott Pace

  06-11-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The Executive Secretary of the National Space Council discusses the Trump administration’s plans to “make America great again”—in space
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• How does Lyme disease spread? The answer may lie in the hearts of grouse

  06-11-2017 12:30 via cbc.ca
  Researchers at the University of New Brunswick are hoping that hunters will bring them the hearts of game birds that could allow them to better understand how a disease is spreading in New Brunswick.
  
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• 2017 'very likely' in top three warmest years on record

  06-11-2017 12:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists say that 2017 shows a continuing trend of high temperatures and extreme weather events.
  
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• Alzheimer’s protein can travel from blood to build up in the brain

  06-11-2017 12:00
  
  Experiments in mice show Alzheimer’s protein can travel from the blood of an affected mouse to the brain of a healthy animal.
  
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• 'No contamination' in controversial October rocket launch, Europe says

  06-11-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  The European Space Agency says a rocket stage that launched one of its satellites into orbit last month, and which subsequently splashed down in Arctic waters, didn’t contaminate the area.
  
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• Patient scans being sent from ambulances in new trial

  06-11-2017 10:30 via bbc.co.uk
  The European Space Agency has part-funded the pilot project involving five ambulances in the Highlands.
  
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• Ammonia: How risky is the gas that creates winter fun?

  06-11-2017 10:30 via cbc.ca
  Ammonia, a compound commonly used in ice rink refrigeration systems, can be deadly, but officials say tight regulations are in place in Newfoundland and Labrador.
  
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• Where did those electrons go? X-ray measurements solve decades-old mystery

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (Cornell University) There's been an unsolved mystery associated with mixed valence compounds: When the valence state of an element in these compounds changes with increased temperature, the number of electrons associated with that element decreases, as well. But just where do those electrons go? Using a combination of state-of-the-art tools, including X-ray measurements at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell researchers have come up with the answer.
  
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• Using powerful new telescope astronomers observe one of the oldest objects in the universe

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) Astronomers using the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT), which is operated jointly by UMass Amherst and Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, report today in Nature Astronomy that they have detected the second most distant dusty, star-forming galaxy ever found in the universe -- born in the first one billion years after the Big Bang. It is the oldest object ever detected by the LMT.
  
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• US-born workers receive disability benefits more often than workers from abroad

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Chicago Medical Center) People born elsewhere who work in the United States are much less likely to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits than those born in the US or its territories. Foreign-born adults are less likely to report health-related impediments to working, to be covered by work-disability insurance and to apply for disability benefits.
  
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• The impact of the 'war on drugs' for female 'mules'

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Kent) University of Kent research on women working as drug 'mules' has found they aren't victims of their sex but of the trade, and its illegal status.Dr Nayeli Urquiza Haas of the University's Kent Law School compared different legal developments and strategies in Europe and Latin America
  
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• Study shows electric bandages can fight biofilm infection, antimicrobial resistance

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (MediaSource) Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have shown -- for the first time -- that special bandages using weak electric fields to disrupt bacterial biofilm infection can prevent infections, combat antibiotic resistance and enable healing in infected burn wounds. The dressing becomes electrically active upon contact with bodily fluids.
  
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• Startup cognivive plans games as digital therapies

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (University of California - Davis) A startup company founded by a UC Davis neuroscientist is developing video games that act as 'digital medicine' to treat children with cognitive impairments, as well as people with cognitive limitations resulting from brain injury or aging. The company, Cognivive, is built on research showing that playing action video games can enhance players' spatiotemporal cognitive abilities.
  
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• Simple green synthesis is a breath of fresh air

  06-11-2017 06:00
  (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)) A method for creating nanoparticles without using solvents could lead to environment-friendly electronics.
  
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