Science news

• Virtual reality training may be as effective as regular therapy after stroke

  15-11-2017 23:56
  Using virtual reality therapy to improve arm and hand movement after a stroke is equally as effective as regular therapy, according to a study.
  
  Read more

• Vaping 'no better' than smoking when surgery is needed

  15-11-2017 23:56
  Many proponents of vaping argue that it's a healthy alternative to tobacco cigarettes; however, when it coming to surgery and interacting with anesthesia, neither is safe.
  
  Read more

• Screening programs unlikely to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in competitive athletes

  15-11-2017 23:56
  Screening programs for cardiac conditions are not an effective way to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in competitive sport, and may prevent healthy athletes from participating, a new study suggests.
  
  Read more

• Shape of Lake Ontario generates white-out blizzards, study shows

  15-11-2017 23:53
  A 6-foot-wide snow blower mounted on a tractor makes a lot of sense when you live on the Tug Hill Plateau. Tug Hill, in upstate New York, is one of the snowiest places in the Eastern US and experiences some of the most intense snowstorms in the world. This largely rural region, just east of Lake Ontario, gets an average of 20 feet of snow a year, and a new report explains why.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Potential cell receptors to reduce antibiotic resistance identified

  15-11-2017 21:56
  The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. The pathogen is resistant to many antibiotics so treating those infections, particularly in patients with compromised immune systems, is difficult. A new study has identified certain chemical receptors in cells that could deceive the bacteria and improve patient response to drugs.
  
  Read more

• First transcatheter implant for diastolic heart failure successful

  15-11-2017 21:56
  A new device, proven safe and effective, has been developed to treat diastolic heart failure.
  
  Read more

• Study urges global-change researchers to embrace variability

  15-11-2017 21:36
  A new review article presents evidence that argues for a more nuanced approach to the design of global-change experiments -- one that acknowledges and purposefully incorporates the variability inherent in nature.
  
  Read more

• Multiplayer video games: Skill at game and intelligence linked

  15-11-2017 21:36
  A link between young people's ability to perform well at two popular video games and high levels of intelligence has been uncovered.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• How dad’s stress changes his sperm

  15-11-2017 21:30
  
  Stress may change sperm via packets of RNA in the epididymis, a mouse study suggests.
  
  Read more

• Why these Amish live longer and healthier: An internal ‘Fountain of Youth’

  15-11-2017 21:27
  The first genetic mutation that appears to protect against multiple aspects of biological aging in humans has been discovered in an extended family of Old Order Amish living in the vicinity of Berne, Indiana, report scientists. An experimental “longevity” drug that recreates the effect of the mutation is now being tested in human trials to see if it provides protection against some aging-related illnesses.
  
  Read more

• Where a leaf lands and lies influences carbon levels in soil for years to come

  15-11-2017 21:27
  Whether carbon comes from leaves or needles affects how fast it decomposes, but where it ends up determines how long it's available.
  
  Read more

• Does this one gene fuel obesity?

  15-11-2017 21:27
  Variants in a gene called ankyrin-B -- carried by millions of Americans -- could cause people to put on pounds through no fault of their own, new research demonstrates.
  
  Read more

• Microbial ecosystem at Laguna La Brava may contain novel microorganisms

  15-11-2017 20:41
  An investigation of the microbial environment at Laguna La Brava in Chile may suggest that novel microorganisms might be at work in the absence of cyanobacteria, according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• Engineering the gut microbiome with 'good' bacteria may help treat Crohn's disease

  15-11-2017 20:41
  Researchers have singled out a bacterial enzyme behind an imbalance in the gut microbiome linked to Crohn's disease. The new study suggests that wiping out a significant portion of the bacteria in the gut microbiome, and then re-introducing a certain type of 'good' bacteria that lacks this enzyme, known as urease, may be an effective approach to better treat these diseases.
  
  Read more

• Contribution statements and author order on research studies still leave readers guessing

  15-11-2017 20:41
  Although many scientific journals try to provide more details about author contributions by requiring explicit statements, such contribution statements get much less attention than authorship order, according to new findings.
  
  Read more

• Cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes?

  15-11-2017 20:41
  Type 1 diabetes has been successfully reveresed in a mouse model by infusing blood stem cells pre-treated to produce more of a protein called PD-L1, which is deficient in mice (and people) with type 1 diabetes. The cells curbed the autoimmune reaction in cells from both mice and humans and reversed hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.
  
  Read more

• The brain’s helper cells have a hand in learning fear

  15-11-2017 20:30
  
  After a traumatic experience, rat brains release inflammatory signals that come from astrocytes, suggesting a new role for the brain’s “helper” cells.
  
  Read more

• Archeologists hunt for secrets under Mayan pyramids

  15-11-2017 20:22 via cbc.ca
  Archaeologists are searching for the secrets of why the ancient Mayans chose the sites for the famed pyramids of Chichen Itza by looking underground.
  
  Read more

• Are petite poplars the future of biofuels? Studies say yes

  15-11-2017 20:15
  Scientists are trying to make poplar a viable competitor in the biofuels market by testing the production of younger poplar trees that could be harvested more frequently — after only two or three years — instead of the usual 10- to 20-year cycle.
  
  Read more

• In science, some big risks are worth the rewards

  15-11-2017 19:18
  Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill says scientists sometimes take risks that can lead to significant rewards and important discoveries.
  
  Read more

• Readers inspired by SN 10 scientists’ research

  15-11-2017 19:17
  Readers wanted to know more about the scientists' research who were profiled in "The SN 10: Scientists to watch."
  
  Read more

• Europe steps in to cover US shortfall in funding climate science

  15-11-2017 19:11 via bbc.co.uk
  French and UK governments say they will make up for any shortfall in funding for a global science body.
  
  Read more

• SSTL to build Canadian satellite constellation

  15-11-2017 19:05 via bbc.co.uk
  Vancouver-based UrtheCast contracts UK firm SSTL to build a series of satellites to image Earth every day.
  
  Read more

• Haze keeps Pluto cool by kicking heat out to space

  15-11-2017 19:00
  
  Pluto may be the only place in the solar system whose atmosphere is kept cool by solid hazes, not warmed by gas.
  
  Read more

• How Asian nomadic herders built new Bronze Age cultures

  15-11-2017 18:00
  
  Ancient steppe herders traveled into Europe and Asia, leaving their molecular mark and building Bronze Age cultures.
  
  Read more

• Court orders PayPal to give business account details to CRA

  15-11-2017 17:00 via cbc.ca
  The Federal Court of Canada has ordered U.S.-based PayPal to hand over details about its business account customers to Canadian tax authorities.
  
  Read more

• Scientists try to edit man's genes inside his body for 1st time

  15-11-2017 16:21 via cbc.ca
  Scientists for the first time have tried editing a gene inside the body in a bold attempt to permanently change a person's DNA to try to cure a disease.
  
  Read more

• Scientists try for 1st time to edit man's genes inside his body

  15-11-2017 16:21 via cbc.ca
  Scientists for the first time have tried editing a gene inside the body in a bold attempt to permanently change a person's DNA to try to cure a disease.
  
  Read more

• CRTC weighs impact on revised wireless code following Rogers request for delay

  15-11-2017 15:04 via cbc.ca
  It's all but certain that the Canadian telecom industry's revised wireless code of conduct won't be fully implemented before Christmas, including a change in the way customers are billed when data usage goes over their contract's limit.
  
  Read more

• Nearby planet is 'excellent' target in search for life

  15-11-2017 14:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Astronomers have found a cool, Earth-sized planet that's relatively close to our Solar System.
  
  Read more

• Coconut crabs are a bird’s worst nightmare

  15-11-2017 13:00
  
  A biologist witnesses a coconut crab taking out a blue-footed booby and documents the balance of the animals in an Indian Ocean archipelago.
  
  Read more

• Scientists Unearth Revealing Details about the World's Biggest Mud Volcano

  15-11-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Its destructive eruptions may help researchers better understand mass extinctions
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• A Bolt from the Brown: Why Pollution May Increase Lightning Strikes

  15-11-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  To understand the link between aerosols and electric discharges, scientists must unravel the mysteries of clouds
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Planet with Earth-like temperature discovered orbiting nearby 'quiet' star

  15-11-2017 12:00 via cbc.ca
  Astronomers have discovered a world 11 light-years away that may have a surface temperature similar to Earth's.
  
  Read more

• WPI research detects when online reviews and news are a paid-for pack of lies

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) A researcher at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is using computer science to help fight the growing problem of crowdturfing -- a troublesome phenomenon in which masses of online workers are paid to post phony reviews, circulate malicious tweets, and even spread fake news. Assistant professor Kyumin Lee has developed algorithms that have proven highly accurate in detecting fake 'likes' and followers across various platforms like Amazon, Facebook, and Twitte
  
  Read more

• Winners of the 2017 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Stories on the social value of aging female killer whales, a frantic meteor hunt in the Australian Outback and the unusual brain of the world's greatest solo climber are among the winners of the 2017 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards. Judges also honored 'Boomtown, Flood Town,' an ambitious online report by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and a Reuters series on inadequate tracking of 'superbug' infections.
  
  Read more

• Wine 'legs' and minibot motors (video)

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (American Chemical Society) As any wine enthusiast knows, the 'legs' that run down a glass after a gentle swirl of vino can yield clues about alcohol content. Interestingly, the physical phenomenon that helps create these legs can be harnessed to propel tiny motors to carry out tasks on the surface of water. Scientists demonstrate the motors in a report in ACS' journal Langmuir.
  
  Read more

• Wider sampling of tumor tissues may guide drug choice, improve outcomes

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Chicago Medical Center) By focusing on genetic variations within a primary tumor, differences between the primary and a metastatic tumor, and additional diversity from tumor DNA in the blood stream, physicians can make better treatment choices for patients with gastric and esophageal adenocarcinoma. This study challenges current guidelines and supports evaluation of metastatic lesions and circulating tumor DNA.
  
  Read more

• What is the computational power of the universe?

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Can a close look at the universe give us solutions to problems too difficult for a computer -- even if we built a computer larger than a planet? Physicist Stephen Jordan reflects on this question in a new NIST video, along with a scientific paper that considers one particular tough problem the universe might answer.
  
  Read more

• What counts as 'nature'? It all depends

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (University of Washington) University of Washington psychology professor Peter Kahn describes 'environmental generational amnesia' as the idea that each generation perceives the environment into which it's born, no matter how developed, urbanized or polluted, as the norm. And so what each generation comes to think of as 'nature' is relative, based on what it's exposed to. Kahn argues that more frequent and meaningful interactions with nature can enhance our connection to -- and definition of --
  
  Read more

• Visual perception of summary statistics not following mathematical rules

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (National Research University Higher School of Economics) Cognitive psychologists of the Higher School of Economics have experimentally demonstrated that people are capable of estimating the mean size of visible objects and their approximate number simultaneously, showing for the first time that these two cognitive processes are independent of each other and do not follow the rules of mathematical statistics. The results of this experiment, published in PLOS One, can inform new approaches to sta
  
  Read more

• USDA helps Rural Communities Thrive with Health and Safety Outreach

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (National Institute of Food and Agriculture ) WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2017 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced support for health education projects for individuals and families living in rural areas. Funding is made through NIFA's Rural Health and Safety Education (RHSE) Competitive Grant Program.
  
  Read more

• Two-thirds of children with concussions not receiving medical follow-ups

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (York University) In a study that looked at data over a 10-year period, York University researchers, in collaboration with Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), found that more than two-thirds of youth and children with an acute concussion do not seek medical follow-up or clearance as recommended by current international concussion guidelines.
  
  Read more

• Three-dimensional nanomagnets for the computer of tomorrow

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology) Since the late 60's electronic devices have stored and transmitted information (bits) in two-dimensional circuits. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge have been able to break this barrier by creating a nanoscale magnetic circuit capable of moving information along the three dimensions of space. This breakthrough could lead to an important increase in storage and processing capacities of electronic devices over those used today.
  
  Read more

• The rhetorical signature of Donald J. Trump

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania) Here we argue not simply that Trump's norm-shattering rhetoric deviates from that of his predecessors but also that his discursive patterns constitute a double-edged rhetorical identity or signature. This rhetorical signature both certified Trump's authenticity as a change candidate to a constituency eager for the disruption of politics as usual and now complicates his ability to govern in a political system still accustomed to t
  
  Read more

• Teenage depression linked to father's depression

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (University College London) Adolescents whose fathers have depressive symptoms are more likely to experience symptoms of depression themselves, finds a new Lancet Psychiatry study led by UCL researchers.
  
  Read more

• Take a fantastic 3-D voyage through the brain with new immersive virtual reality system

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering) A new immersive virtual reality (VR) experience now offers a unique way to visualize and interact with large volumes of 3-D anatomical brain data. The system, developed by researchers from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering and the University of Geneva, has applications in neurotechnology development, research and surgeon training. A poster describing the system will be presented on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the annual meeting of the Society for
  
  Read more

• Study of Amish suggests mutation linked to longer life span

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (American Association for the Advancement of Science) A particular mutation identified among Old Order Amish in Indiana is associated with a longer life span, improved metabolism and a lower occurrence of diabetes, according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• Study finds higher rates of sexual violence among bisexual women

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (Lehigh University) In a new study, Lehigh University Assistant Professor Nicole Johnson proposes multiple factors that contribute to why bi women experience higher rates of sexual violence when compared to lesbian and straight women, as well as why bi women may have worse mental health outcomes following sexual violence.
  
  Read more

• Strategies to combat the opioid epidemic

  15-11-2017 06:00
  (American Chemical Society) The opioid epidemic is ravaging lives and tearing families apart. Overdose deaths from heroin, fentanyl and misused prescription painkillers have tripled in the past 15 years. Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, explores how abuse-deterring and novel formulations for painkillers in addition to crime-fighting tools to quickly identify opioids could help curb the crisis.
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!