Science news

• Apple admits some iPhone X models freeze up in cold, promises software fix

  10-11-2017 22:38 via cbc.ca
  Apple has acknowledged there's an issue with some of its latest smartphones freezing in cold weather, but says it's a fixable issue that will be solved via a software update.
  
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• Hubble sees light echoes of supernova explosion in distant galaxy

  10-11-2017 22:01 via cbc.ca
  The Hubble Space Telescope captured the light echos of a distant supernova bouncing off a dust cloud in a distant galaxy.
  
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• Why the wiggle in a crowd’s walk can put a wobble in a bridge

  10-11-2017 20:00
  
  New simulations can better predict when pedestrians cause a bridge to shimmy.
  
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• Memory: Recognizing images seen briefly ten years previously

  10-11-2017 19:31
  Recalling the names of old classmates 50 years after graduation or of favorite childhood television series illustrates the amazing abilities of human memory. Emotion and repeated exposure are both known to play a role in long-term memorization, but why do we remember things that are not emotionally charged and have only been seen or experienced a few times in the past? To answer this question, scientists decided to challenge the memory of individuals they had tested in the laboratory a decade pr
  
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• Novel mechanism by which tumors evade cancer immunotherapies

  10-11-2017 18:37
  A new study has identified a novel mechanism by which tumors of the aggressive skin cancer melanoma can resist cancer immunotherapy.
  
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• Breakthrough research suggests potential treatment for autism, intellectual disability

  10-11-2017 18:36
  A research team has identified the pathological mechanism for a certain type of autism and intellectual disability by creating a genetically modified mouse. They are hopeful it could eventually lead to a therapeutic fix.
  
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• 4 Laws That Could Stem the Rising Threat of Mass Shootings

  10-11-2017 18:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Pro-gun advocates claim new laws will not make us safer. But here is evidence the right laws will do exactly that
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• Chinese medicine scholars develop novel targeted delivery system for CRISPR/Cas9

  10-11-2017 17:40
  Chinese Medicine scholars have succeeded in developing a novel targeted delivery system for CRISPR/Cas9 to achieve therapeutic genome editing of VEGFA in osteosarcoma (OS).
  
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• Understanding biomolecular mechanism crucial to life: Calcium pumps in our cells

  10-11-2017 17:39
  Our cells move energy and matter to the places it is needed. But how do they do this in real time, and seen from the perspective of a single molecule? Scientists have successfully uncovered new basic insights into this invisible world, by doing experiments that track how a single molecule of the protein 'engine' known as the calcium pump works.
  
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• Tomatoes with enhanced antioxidant properties created with genetic engineering

  10-11-2017 17:39
  New research has identified a new strategy to simultaneously enhance health-promoting vitamin E by ~6-fold and double both provitamin A and lycopene contents in tomatoes, to significantly boost antioxidant properties.
  
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• The path length of light in opaque media

  10-11-2017 17:39
  A transparent substance will allow light to travel through on a straight line, in a turbid substance the light will be scattered numerous times, traveling on more complicated zig-zag trajectories. But astonishingly, the average total distance covered by the light inside the substance is always the same.
  
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• Site of asteroid impact changed the history of life

  10-11-2017 17:39
  An asteroid, also known as the Chicxulub Impactor, hit Earth some 66 million years ago, causing a crater 180 km wide. The impact of the asteroid heated organic matter in rocks and ejected it into the atmosphere, forming soot in the stratosphere.
  
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• Rhythm of DNA replication exploited to kill cancer cells

  10-11-2017 17:39
  Human cells divide and create new cells throughout life. In this process, a steady -- even rhythmic -- supply of DNA building blocks is needed to create new DNA. Now researchers have shown exactly how human cells regulate this process so it does not fail and cause illness. The researchers also show how they can manipulate the rhythm and suggest how this can be used in the future to kill cancer cells.
  
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• Ink from ancient Egyptian papyri contains copper

  10-11-2017 17:39
  Until recently, it was assumed that the ink used for writing was primarily carbon-based at least until the fourth and fifth centuries AD. But in a new study, analyses of 2,000-year-old papyri fragments with X-ray microscopy show that black ink used by Egyptian scribes also contained copper -- an element previously not identified in ancient ink.
  
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• How a 'shadow zone' traps the world's oldest ocean water

  10-11-2017 17:39
  New research has revealed why the oldest water in the ocean in the North Pacific has remained trapped in a shadow zone around 2km below the sea surface for over 1000 years.
  
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• Green roofs to reduce the effects of climate change

  10-11-2017 17:39
  It would be necessary to have between 207 and 740 hectares of green roofs in a city like Seville (Spain), depending on the scenario that is contemplated, to reduce the effects of climate change in relation to the maximum temperature rises of between 1.5 and 6 ºC that are estimated by the end of the century. This would require between 11 and 40 percent of the buildings in the city.
  
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• Crunch time for food security

  10-11-2017 17:39
  Insects have been a valuable source of nutritional protein for centuries, as both food and feed. The challenge now is to broaden their appeal, safely and sustainably.
  
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• Scientists build better search engine by mimicking fruit fly brain

  10-11-2017 17:16 via cbc.ca
  A new paper published in Science may completely reverse the way search engine algorithms are designed after mimicking the effective search strategy of the fruit fly brain, science columnist Torah Kachur reports.
  
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• Research shows common crop pesticides cause songbirds to lose weight, sense of direction

  10-11-2017 15:31 via cbc.ca
  New research suggests two of Canada's most commonly used pesticides cause migrating songbirds to lose weight and their sense of direction.
  
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• Scale of 'nitrate timebomb' revealed

  10-11-2017 15:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Big quantities of nitrate chemicals from farm fertilisers are polluting the rocks beneath our feet.
  
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• Quantum computers take a step forward with a 50-qubit prototype

  10-11-2017 15:00
  
  Race to build ever-more-powerful processors edges the technology closer to being able to best traditional machines.
  
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• When electronics, photonics meet on a standard chip

  10-11-2017 14:46
  Electronics and light don't go well together on a standard 'CMOS' chip. Researchers have succeeded in introducing a light connection into the heart of a semiconductor chip. In this way, two circuits can communicate. Or: the worlds of electronics and photonics are connected.
  
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• The pros and cons of large ears

  10-11-2017 14:46
  Researchers have compared how much energy bats use when flying, depending on whether they have large or small ears.
  
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• Oxygen: Innovative ventilation system created by researchers

  10-11-2017 14:46
  Researchers are developing a silent and energetically efficient ventilation device (recuperator), which retains up to 89 percent of heat.
  
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• New facades enhance energy efficiency of buildings

  10-11-2017 14:46
  Researchers have designed a new system that reduces the energy gains-losses of buildings through their façade, managing to reduce the energy consumption due to air flow.
  
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• New nano-sized hexameric molecular capsule

  10-11-2017 14:45
  Halonium ions used in a new study are well-known reaction intermediates and halogenating reagents in synthesis, but now they have been used as robust and stable structural units in molecular nanotechnology, report scientists.
  
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• Customers who pay for their purchases by card are less likely to remember the precise amount paid

  10-11-2017 14:45
  The transparency of spending money depends on the mode of payment used: cash, single-function cards that offer only a payment function, or multifunctional cards which may also include bonus programs, user identification or other functions. A recent study has shown that the recall accuracy associated with the act of paying is lower for both card formats than it is for cash transactions.
  
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• Understanding the Berlin patient's unexpected cure of HIV

  10-11-2017 14:43
  Researchers have a new way to understand the much-studied Berlin patient's unexpected cure from HIV and improve outcomes of stem cell transplants for patients with other blood-related diseases such as leukemia and sickle-cell disease. A team has shown a species of monkey called Mauritian cynomolgus macaques can successfully receive stem cell transplants.
  
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• Scientists investigate how different houses and lifestyles affect which bugs live with us

  10-11-2017 14:43
  Humans have lived under the same roof with bugs since we first began building shelters 20,000 years ago. Now, scientists are studying how physical factors of our homes -- from the floor plan and the number of windows to even how tidy we are -- may play a role in the diversity of the multi-legged communities populating the indoor environment.
  
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• Nitric oxide: Experimental analysis of its role in brain tissue in simulated ischemia

  10-11-2017 14:43
  A new study looks at the role of nitric oxide (NO) in brain tissue in simulated ischemia in rats. The study seeks to cast light on NO as a signalling molecule in a modeled ischemic and hemorrhagic insult.
  
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• New wake-promoting node pinpointed in brain

  10-11-2017 14:43
  Neurologists had suspected that a component of the 'ascending arousal system' could be found supramammillary nucleus, part of the caudal hypothalamus in the brain for more than 100 years. In mice, activating this region using targeted chemical genetic techniques resulted in prolonged wakefulness during the animals' normal sleep periods.
  
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• Dementia treatment research: Exit through the lymphatic system

  10-11-2017 14:43
  Scientists have disproved a decades-old orthodoxy: cerebrospinal fluid does not leave the cranial cavity via blood vessels, but instead through the lymphatic system. This finding has far-reaching implications in new treatments for dementia.
  
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• Common genetic fusion event may be associated with low-risk prostate cancer

  10-11-2017 14:43
  Establishing the way in which a genetic alteration called a TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion forms in a prostate cancer, rather than the presence of the gene fusion itself, could help identify patients with prostate cancer with a low risk of spreading, which might determine the best course of treatment for the patient.
  
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• Chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War illness as unique disorders, brain chemistry study shows

  10-11-2017 14:43
  Researchers have found distinct molecular signatures in two brain disorders long thought to be psychological in origin -- chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI). In addition, the work supports a previous observation of two variants of GWI.
  
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• Antarctic base comes out of deep freeze

  10-11-2017 14:14 via bbc.co.uk
  The advance party sent in to open up Britain’s mothballed Antarctic base say it is in good shape.
  
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• Ancient European farmers and foragers hooked up big time

  10-11-2017 13:00
  
  Interbreeding escalated in regionally distinct ways across Neolithic Europe.
  
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• More Guns Mean More Violent Crime--or Less? A Researcher Aims at Scientific American

  10-11-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The social scientist behind a pro-gun study objects to the story “Journey to Gunland,” but the reporter says his claims are false
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• More Guns Mean More Violent Crime--or Less? A Researcher Aims at Scientific American

  10-11-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The social scientist behind a pro-gun study objects to the story “Journey to Gunland,” but the reporter says his claims are false
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Seahorses found living in River Thames in London

  10-11-2017 11:21 via bbc.co.uk
  Two species of seahorses are among the unexpected creatures found living in London.
  
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• The Stanley Park blob is gone. But for how long?

  10-11-2017 06:03 via cbc.ca
  After mystifying visitors to Stanley Park all summer, the gooey, gelatinous colonies of tiny creatures known as bryozoans are dying off in Lost Lagoon.
  
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• Winds blowing off a dying star

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (Kyoto University) Using ALMA, Japanese scientists explain why aluminum oxide is so abundant around AGB stars.
  
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• Uneven growth in US medical and health R&D investments across sectors

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (Research!America) Total US investment in medical and health R&D in the US grew by 20.6% from 2013 to 2016 led by industry and the federal government, according to US Investments in Medical and Health Research and Development, a new report from Research!America.
  
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• TACC tech to shine at SC17

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center) At the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, the Texas Advanced Computing Center will showcase Stampede2, the top US academic supercomputer; advances in deep learning; virtual and augmented reality for science; and tools that allow researchers to securely and easily access high-performance computers.
  
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• Smell test challenge suggests clinical benefit for some before development of Alzheimer's

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (Columbia University Medical Center) In a new study, researchers have determined that a declining sense of smell may be able to identify patients with mild cognitive impairment that could respond to certain drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease.
  
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• Sleep Apnea may increase risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (American Thoracic Society) Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may put elderly people at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
  
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• Research highlights ethical sourcing of materials for modern technology

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Exeter) Researchers from the Camborne School of Mines have identified methods to predict the environmental and social cost of resourcing new deposits of rare earth minerals used in the production of mobile phones, wind turbines and electric vehicles.
  
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• Plasma from lasers can shed light on cosmic rays, solar eruptions

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory) A team of researchers led by PPPL physicist Will Fox recently used lasers to create conditions that mimic astrophysical behavior. The laboratory technique enables the study of outer-space-like plasma in a controlled and reproducible environment.
  
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• Physicians Committee awarded prize for work to end animal testing

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group of 12,000 doctors, is a recipient of the 2017 Lush Prize for its lobbying efforts to affect the enactment of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.
  
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• Patients with depression and advanced cancer survive longer with palliative care intervention

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (Dartmouth College) A new Dartmouth-led study finds that patients with depression and advanced cancer live longer when exposed to palliative care interventions designed to improve quality of life.
  
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• Oxygen: Innovative ventilation system created by Lithuanian researchers

  10-11-2017 06:00
  (Kaunas University of Technology) 'Our innovation will provide fresh and clean air for your house without heat loss', promises the team of researchers behind the product called Oxygen. Researchers working at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Startup Space, which is one of the divisions of the KTU National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre, are developing a silent and energetically efficient ventilation device (recuperator), which retains up to 89 percent of heat.
  
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